AGGRESSION | THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES

Give a detailed account of various theoretical perspectives on aggression.

Aggression can be defined as behavior directed towards the goal of harming or injuring another living being who is motivated to avoid such treatment.

Origin of Aggression: In order to explain how aggression originated various theoretical perspectives have attempted to explain how it formed.

Instinct theory: It is the view suggesting that aggression stems from innate tendencies and that it is universal among members of a given species.

The oldest explanation for human aggression suggests that human beings are somehow ‘programed’ for violence by basic nature. This belief is known as ‘instinct theory’ of aggression. Thus, people aggress because it is a part of their human nature. Sigmund Freud was a great support of this theory. According to him, this instinct is initially aimed at self-destruction but soon it gets re-directed outward towards others. Freud believed that hostile impulses generated by Thanatos (death instinct) increases over time and if they are not realized periodically, they reach high levels, which may result in dangerous acts of violence.

A related view was presented by Konrad Lorenz who suggested that aggression springs mainly from an inherited fighting instinct that human beings share with many other species.

This fighting instinct developed as it yielded important benefits essential for survival. Lorenz contended that fighting is often closely related to mating. It helps to ensure that only the strongest and most vigorous individual pass their genes on to the next generation.

However, most social psychologist do not accept the instinct theory of aggression for two reasons:

Criticism to the instinct theory suggests that if aggression is innate (as proposed by instinct theorist) then the level of aggression should eb the same in all the societies since this is not the case, definitely aggression is influenced by certain social and cultural factors.

The other criticism to instinct theory is that the instinct theorist asserts that since aggression is a common behavior, it most likely stems from innate tendences. This kind of circular reasoning used by the instinct theorists is not accepted by others.

 

Drive Theory: states that humans are driven to aggression by external stimuli. Berkowitz and others believe that aggressive behavior mainly stems form an externally elicited ‘drive’ to harm or injure others. This approach is known as ‘drive’ theory of aggression.

According to Drive Theorists, various external conditions like frustration, any  interference with goal directive behavior – arouse a strong motive to harm others. This aggressive drive, in turn, leads to overt acts of aggression.

The most famous aspect of drive theory is known as ‘frustration aggression hypothesis’. According to this view, frustration leads to the arousal of a drive whose primary goal is that of harming some persons or objects. This drive in turn leads to a tax against various targets especially the source of frustration.

Because drive theorists suggest that external conditions are more crucial in the occurrence of aggression, they are more optimistic about the possibilities of preventing such behavior.

 

Social Learning Theory: The social learning view, as presented by Bandura, is a general framework which suggests that aggression is learned. This approach argues that human beings are not born with aggressive responses, rather they acquire these responses in the same way as they acquire other complex forms of behavior either through direct experience or by observing the behavior of others.

Thus, depending on their past experience, people in different cultures learn to attack others in contrasting ways.

Aggression can be learnt in two ways:

Direct experience: For e.g., a small child performs a negative behavior, parent responds through aggression (slap). Hence the child learns a lesson through direct experience that if someone shows that specific negative behavior the proper response is aggression (slapping).

Observation of others: For e.g., Child 1 has a brother/sister (that is child 2). Child 2 shows a negative behavior by being stubborn. Parent responds by showing aggression (slap). Hence child 1 learns through observation that when his sibling misbehaves the appropriate behavior shown is aggression. A child would internalize aggression shown be the parents because they are significant to them.

Social learning is also enhanced by rewards attached to a desired behavior. If aggressive behavior of a child is rewarded by his parents that are either by reward of praise, the child will view aggression as a desired behavior and therefore is more likely to repeat it.

 

Cognitive Theories: It highlights that aggression stems from a complex interplay between various cognitive factors like scripts, appraisals and effective status.

Scripts: involve mental frameworks relating to specific situations – scripts indicate what is expected to happen in a give situation. Scripts are cognitive programs for the events that are supposed to happen in a given setting. Scripts help in assessing whether the behavior (aggression) is appropriate in a setting or not.

For e.g., if a person roams one with a cart in the supermarket, one would react with surprise / pain or one could retaliate. All this depends upon whether one considers aggressive behavior appropriate in this situation (supermarket).

Appraisals: is one’s understanding of others behavior. It is the evaluation of the behavior of others who have provoked the target person. For e.g., A dashes against B, whether B aggresses will be dependent on how B interprets A’s behavior – i.e., if B thinks that A’s behavior was intentional, then B is likely to retaliate, but if B thinks that A’s behavior was accidental then B is less likely to aggress.

Affective Status: Very often aggression is known to be affected by current moods the target person is undergoing. Researchers suggest that when we are undergoing a negative affect, we will very often retaliate with aggression. On the other hand, if we are in a positive mood we are more likely to show low aggression.

 

Biological theory: There is of late an increasing recognition by social psychologists of the importance of biological factors in may forms of social behavior. Growing evidence points to the conclusion that biological factors do predisposed some individuals towards aggression. Certain reserachers relate the level of aggression as being caused due to certain physiological bodily factors. In order to prove this a research was conducted by Marazzitti et al (1993) 

Aim – The aim is to find out whether levels of serotonin in humans are related to aggression.

Serotonin is an important neurotransmitter in the nervous system which helps us to have a higher control over one’s aggressive impulses. If the level is high, control is high and vice versa.

Research was conducted on three groups of subjects:

S1 – children who had attempted suicide

S2 – institutionalized children due to aggression

S3 – healthy volunteers

Results – The researcher conducted a careful analysis of the blood chemistry of these groups.

Observations revealed that S1 and S2 possessed lower levels of serotonin and therefore they had demonstrated aggressive behavior in the past (either suicide or crime).

However, S3 which possessed high levels of serotonin, had greater control over their impulses and therefore less aggression had been shown by them previously, as they were normal, healthy individuals with non-aggressive past.

The relation between biological factors and aggression was also demonstrated by another research conducted by Van Goozen (1994) on female transsexuals (females who changed sex).

Aim – To find out whether sex hormones testosterone is related to aggression.

Research method – The female transsexuals had to fill a questionnaire to assess their level of anger proneness and level of overt aggression (physical or verbal).

As part of their medical treatment these individuals received regular large doses of the male sex hormones (testosterone) either by injection or orally.

The subject filled the questionnaires on two occasions – before administration of hormone and after three months of administration.

Results: It was observed that before the administration of testosterone when subject testosterone levels were low, their level of overt aggression and anger proneness was low.

After administration of the hormone when subjects testosterone levels were high there was a tremendous increase in anger proneness. However there was only a slight change in level of overt aggression.