Social psychology- Aggression
- Created by: Amy
- Created on: 20-12-21 16:27
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- Aggression
- Behaviour designed to harm others of the same species (Scherer et al 1975) verbal/ physical (depending on norms)
- Biological theories
- Psychodynamic theory
- Two instincts- Eros (life), Thanantos (death, redirescte from self towards others)
- Tension builds in the body which needs to be released (as aggression) to restore balance
- Evolutionary theory
- We have evolved aggression as a means of ensuring the survival of the survival, it is adaptive
- Males fight other males for mating rights ( and dominance), mothers fight off predators
- However, it doesn't explain why humans sometimes behave aggressively towards their offspring
- Psychodynamic theory
- Social/biosocial theories
- Social environment can influence likelihood to aggress
- Frustration-Aggression hypothesis (Dollard et al 1939)
- Frustration at person or event >Anger redirected to a less powerful target >Aggression
- Influenced by Freud's redirection of aggression approach
- Holland & Seas (1940)- strong relationship between economic down turnings and lynching of black people
- Cognitive neo-association (Berkowitz 1984)
- Viewing violent media >Networking activition of aggressive thoughts, feelings, action tendencies >Aggression likelihood increase
- Violent media and weapons etc prime aggressive thoughts, feelings and action tendencies
- Berkowitz and Lepage (1967)- the weapons effect, male college students given shocks by a confederate, the more shocks received the angrier they reported being
- Ps then evaluated the confederates' performance by giving shocks in return. Those in the siyuational cue condition (shotgun and revolver on table) administered more shocks than those with non-aggressive objects or nothing in the control
- Viewing violent media >Networking activition of aggressive thoughts, feelings, action tendencies >Aggression likelihood increase
- Excitation transfer model (Zillman 1979, 1988
- Situation 1: Physiological arousal (anger at crashed computer leads to residual arousal, Situation 2: roommate moans baout washing up leads to anger/aggression
- Gueguen et al (2012)- French researchers f0ound frustrated drivers waiting at traffic lights were most likley to honk their horns if the blocking car was red
- Learning theories
- Nurture plays the biggest role but are distinct from other theories
- Operant conditioning- direct experience, reinforcement through rewards and punishment
- Social learning- observation, vicariously
- Bandura 1963
- Individual differences
- Biological sex differences- males tend to be more aggressive than women (Gladue 1991)- hormonal explanations: testosterone
- Personailty (Friedman et al)- type A (ambitious, high achieving, perfectionists) & B (relaxed, competitive, creative) personalities
- Criticised- traits defining type B are not highly correlated within individuals
- Alcohol- Bailey & Taylor (1991) those who drink more are more susceptible to increased likelihood of aggression
- Taylor & Sears (1988)- reaction time competitive task against another p to administer electric shocks, alcohol vs placebo
- Social pressure differed across 4 blocks
- Alcohol condition used stronger shocks and were more susceptible to social pressure (even when pressure was withdrawn)
- Situated determinants of aggression
- Physical environment- physiological arousal leading to stress,
- Temperature- more assaults in hot weather (Harries & Stadler 1983)
- Cohn & Rotton (1997) argue this is curvilinier (75F; 24C peak)
- Noise
- Crowding- two processes, 1. physiological arousal leading to stress, 2 deindividuation, more anonymous, less identifiable
- Temperature- more assaults in hot weather (Harries & Stadler 1983)
- Physical environment- physiological arousal leading to stress,
- Aggression in groups
- Disinhibition- weaknening of normative constraints that inhibit aggressive behaviour, two varieties
- Deindividuation- in groups people may view themselves as less of an individual and more as a group member
- less accountable as an individual, anti-aggressive behaviour norm is removed= aggression
- Dehumanisation- victims of aggression are viewed as anonymous, less human
- Philip Zimbardo- people or groups of them are seen as less than human
- Viewing an out group as less than human and more animal legitimises aggressive actions in the minds of in group members
- Most potent when legitimised by state apparatus eg war (the ultimate intergroup conflict
- Deindividuation- in groups people may view themselves as less of an individual and more as a group member
- Disinhibition- weaknening of normative constraints that inhibit aggressive behaviour, two varieties
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