Aggression

Aggression

1. Keywords

   • Aggression - Behaviour aimed at intentionally harming other people
   • Theory - An overall idea that is supported by studies
   • Study - A stand alone experiment that aims to support a study
   • Thanatos - An aggressive instinct that everybody has
   • Frustration aggression - Thanatos is there but you need frustration the activate it

2. Biological Explanations

   • The Limbic System - Is the part of the brain that causes aggressive behaviour
   • The Pre-frontal Cortex - The front part of the brain that is involved with social and moral behaviours and control aggression
   • Brain damage can lead to abnormally hight levels of aggression
   • XYY is a more aggressive male
   • XY is male
   • XX is female
   • A chromosome is a part of each cell that carries DNA
   • Men have testosterone, the more of it they have, the more aggressive they are
   • Women have more oestrogen than men but also have a bit of testosterone. Again, the more of it they have, the more aggressive they become

3. Studies

   • Conclusion - Testosterone does seem to play a vital part in aggressive behaviour
     • Results - High testosterone in females = females became more aggressive.
     • Males - Played in a rough and tumble way. Challenged other males for dominance in the group.
     • Method- Young injected pregnant rhesus monkeys with testosterone and observed the levels of aggression in their offspring as they matured.
       • Aim - To see what effect hormones have on aggresive behaviour.
         • Young et al
   • Raine
     • Aim - To investigate the brain differences of murderers and non-murderers
       • Method - Researchers gave 42 murders in California a PET scan, they then compared the murderers to a similar group of non-murderers.
         • Results - There were some differences. For example activity in the pre-frontal cortex of the murderers was lower than in the non-murderers
           • Conclusion - When the pre-frontal cortex is not working normally, it can lead to people committing violet crimes
   • Megargee & Medelsohn
     • Aim - To see if there is a link between aggression and personality type
       • Method - People who were in prison for committing brutally aggressive had a personality test done on them. However, the person doing it would do annoying things to build up the prisoners frustraton
         • Results - The criminals seemed to have hidden their anger (Repressed it) This had built up over time and just exploded following something annoying.
           • Conclusion - Repressing anger can cause it to build up and can cause an outburst of aggression
   • Conclusion - When frustration is built up, it can cause a person to become aggresive.
     • Results - The children who were kept waiting played more aggressively than the ones who didn't have to wait
       • Method - There were two groups of children who wanted to play with toys. One groups got to play with their toys immediately where as the other group had to wait to ply with their toys.
         • Aim - To see if theres a link between aggression and frustration
     • Barker
   • Bandura et al
     • Aim - To investigate whether young children will imitate an aggressive model
       • Method - Reseachers divided 96 children, aged 3 to 6, into 4 groups of mixed gender. Group 1 observed a same sex model performing aggressive acts on a bobo doll. Group 2 observed an opposite sex role model performing aggressive acts on a bobo doll. Group 3 observed a same sex role model performing non-aggressive acts on a bobo doll. Group 4 observed an opposite sex role model perform non-aggressive acts on the bobo doll.
         • The study was carefully controlled, each child watched the same series of aggressive or non aggressive behaviours. The children were then put in a room full of toys including the bobo doll, and were then allowed to play for a few minutes with their behaviours being observed.
           • Results - most aggressive were boys with same sex aggressive model. Next was girls with same sex aggressive model. Then the girls and boys with opposite sex aggressive model. Least aggressive were girls and boys with non aggressve model of same sex.
             • Conclusion - The results show strong evidence that children are likely to copy new types of behaviour that thy would have been unlikely to produce otherwise

4. Psychodynamic Explanation

   • Drugs can be used to control aggression. Ritalin is used to treat ADHD - it activates the pre-frontal cortex so out burts can be controlled
     • It's; Quicker, safer, less pain but isn't permanent, short term and may have side effects.
   • Psychosurgery - A hot probe was put up a persons eye lid to the limbic system. The rod was hot to destroy the nerve cells in the brain.
     • It causes; scars, bruising, death but is long term and only takes 1 sitting
   • Catharsis - The process of getting rid of your emotions by watching other people experience emotion. eg; in films, tv shows or games
   • Ego Defence Mechanism - Behaviour strategies used by the individual to protect themselves. eg; denial, regression.
   • Sublimation - Channelling aggression into other activities. eg; sports.

5. Social Learning Theory

   • This states that aggression is learnt from watching and copying the behaviour of others
   • Modelling - A role model provides an example for the child to model, they're more likely to be the same gender as the child
   • Imitation - - The child copies the behaviour of their role model.
   • Vicarious Reinforcement - The chid watches what happens to their role model when they are being rewarded for their good behaviour, they're more likely to behave the same way
   • Huesmann et el
     • Aim - To see if teaching children to think more carefully about what they see would reduce aggression.
       • Method - Group 1, children were taught to realise the violence shown by a role model is real. Group 2, Children got taught to realise the violence was not real. The results were then compared.
         • Results - The children who recieved training showed less aggression than those who didnt recieve training.
           • Conclusion - Aggression can be reduced by making the children think about how they behave so that the role models on tv are less influential
   • Says aggression is caused by the witnessing of violence through media or people around you
   • To reduce it you could have a positive role model that has calm behaviour and has the same sex as you.