Aggression

Aggression

1. Biological explanations

   • Neural Mechanisms
     • Chemicals that allow impluses in the brain to be transmitted from one neurin to another.
     • Serotonin
       • low levels have been linked to implusive behaviour
         • Scerbo and Raine (1993)
           • carried out a meta-analysis of 29 studies which examined the level of neurotransmitters in anti-social children.
             • the P's that were described as aggressive were found to have low levels of serotonin; especially in those who had attempted suicide.
     • Dopamine
       • it is claimed that high levels of Dopamine results in aggressive behaviour
         • Buitelaar (2005)
           • a reduction in aggressive behaviour in violent delinquents was seen in those who receive anit-psychotic medication which reduces dopamine levels.
   • Hormonal Mechanisms
     • Cotisol
       • This hormone appears to thave mediating effects on testosterone, this is because it increases anxiety and the likelihood of social withdrawl therefore inhibiting the likelihood of agressive behaviour
         • Mcburnett et al (2000)
           • carried out a 4 year study on boys with behavioural problems.
             • the boys who had low cortisol levels carried out anti-social acts at a much younger age and displayed 3 times the number of aggressive symptoms in comparison to the boys with higher fluctuating cortisol levels.
     • Testosterone
       • is an Androgen hormone, which is produced in the male testes and the adrenal cortex and it plays a key role in the development and differentiation of male traits and cell growth
         • Wagner, Beuving and Hitchinson (1979)
           • when a male mouse was castrated their overall levels of aggression tended to be reduced.
             • when these mice were given testosterone the levels of aggression increased