Aggression

Aggression

1. Neural, Hormonal and Genetic

   • Neural
     • Limbic system is located in centre of brain. Psychologists have found a link between this and aggression.
     • Research suggests lower levels of serotonin link to an increase in aggressive behaviours. This may mediate our behaviour.
     • Raine et al (1997)
       • Used PET scans to examine the brains of 41 people who were charged with murder and pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.
       • Many participants had existing abnormalities, such as schizophrenia.
       • All participants were kept medication free for the 2 weeks before brain scanning.
       • Participants were matched on age, gender and abnormalities.
       • Less activity in the left side and more activity in the right side of the amygdala and hippocampus.
   • Genetic
   • Hormonal
     • Testosterone has been linked to aggressive behaviour. Males have higher levels of testosterone than females. Higher levels of testosterone are related to an increase in aggressive behaviour.

2. Evolutionary Explanation

3. Ethological Explanation

   • Looks at how aggression occurs within other behaviours, e.g. mating.
   • Helps us understand how aggression has helped animals evolved.
   • Allows us to conduct controlled lab experiments.
   • Study of animal behaviour
   • Tinbergen (1947)
     • Observed mating behaviour of male sticklebacks. Males defend their territory and display aggressive acts.
     • All male sticklebacks attacked the model designed to look like a male.
   • Innate Releasing Mechanism
     • Urge to engage in aggressive behaviour builds up.
     • A stimulus will trigger aggression.
     • Stimulus triggers innate releasing mechanism, pathway in the brain that leads to a fixed action pattern.
     • Fixed action pattern - innate behaviours that occur across species.

4. Social Explanation

   • The Frustration-Aggression Hypothesis
     • Dollard et at suggested that aggression is a consequence of feelings of frustration.
     • Frustration is when you are trying to achieve something but barriers are blocking your aim, this causes an unpleasant feeling which needs to be relieved.
     • Factors causing aggression; proximity of the goal and whether the aggression will remove the barrier which causes frustration.
     • Buss (1963)
       • 3 types of frustration
       • All types of frustration prompted aggression.
   • Social Learning Theory
     • Identification, Imitation, Reinforcement
     • Bandura (1963)
   • Deindividuation - the process where people lose their social identitiy and take part in anti-social behaviours.
   • Zimbardo (1969)
     • 4 females required to deliver electric shocks. 2 conditions: deindividuated and individuated. Deindividuated condition shocked learners for twice as long as individuated condition.

5. Institutional Explanation

   • Dispositional Explanation
     • Importation model (Irwin and Cressey 1962) suggests prisoners import their aggressive tendencies into prison.
     • 3 prison subcultures
       • Criminal - repeat offenders
       • Convict - from deprived areas/in gangs
       • Conventional - new to prison, steer away from groups, not aggressive
     • Kane and Janus (1981)
       • Shows a correlation between offender history and their behaviour whilst in prison.
       • Shows how violence may be imported due to the offenders previous experience.
   • Situational Explanation
     • Suggests aggression occurs as a result of factors within the prison setting.
     • Factors in prison that link to aggressive behaviour
       • Organisational - influence of rules
       • Physical - overcrowding, noise, lack of comfort
       • Staff characteristics - attitude and behaviour of staff
   • The Deprivation Model
     • Explains how the prison environment can increase aggression in prisoners.
     • 5 types of deprivation
       • Deprivation of liberty
       • Deprivation of autonomy
       • Deprivation of goods/services
       • Deprivation of heterosexual relationships
       • Deprivation of security
     • McCorkle et al (1995)

6. Media Influences