Aggression - Behaviour aimed at harming others

Aggression - Behaviour aimed at harming others

1. Development of Aggression

   • Social learning
     • Bandura et al - 3-6 yr old children and imitationn
       • 96 children divided into 4 groups. Three shown aggressive behaviour towards bobo doll. Behaviour observed
         • Children shown aggressive behaviour were more aggressive to the dolls therefore children will copy others
     • Liebert and Baron - Effect of violent TV on aggression in children
       • One group shown violence, other shown sports. Observed at play.
         • Violence group more aggressive therefore watching violent programmes increase aggression in children
           • Charlton - Introduced TV to see if it would affect aggression in children.
             • Contradicts
             • Longitudinal
             • High ecovaliditylogical
               • Behaviour recorded over 2 years but showed no increase. Therefore watching role models doesn't make children copy aggressive behaviour.
   • Frustration-aggression
     • Megargee and Mendelsohn - Link between aggression and personality type
       • Brutually aggressive criminals were interviewed and given personality tests.
         • Criminals repressed anger until built up and exploded therefore if we contain aggressive instinct for a long time, it will build up and become uncontrollable.
     • Barker - Effect of frustration
       • Children kept waiting before allowed to play with toys and behaviour observed.
         • Children more aggressive than others not frustrated therefore frustration does lead to an increase of aggression
   • Biological
     • Raine - Brains of murderers
       • 41 murderers in California given a PET scan to compare with non-murderers
         • Lower activity in the prefrontal cortex of murderers therefore this factor can lead people into commiting violent crimes.
     • Lower activity in the prefrontal cortex of murderers therefore this factor can lead people into commiting violent crimes.
       • Injected pregnant monkey's with testosterone.
         • Injected pregnant monkey's with testosterone.

2. Psychodynamic explanation

   • Freud
     • Ego defence mechanisms - Behaviour strategies used to protect ourselves.
       • Sublimation - Challenging aggression into acceptable
       • Displacement - Being aggressive to other people.
     • Thanatos - Part of our unconcious that causes aggressive drive.
       • Thanatos - Part of our unconcious that causes aggressive drive.
       • Builds up inside us and creates pressure until we can't control it and it makes us act aggressively.
         • John Dollard disagreed that it would 'spill over' into aggression for no reason.
           • Frustration-aggression explanation
             • We need something to frustrate us before becoming aggressive.

3. Reducing aggression

   • Psychodynamic
     • Ego defence mechanisms
     • Catharsis - Watching others experience emotion to get rid of your own
   • Biologica
     • Psychosurgery - An operation on the brain to remove the abnormality.
     • Drugs
       • Ritalin
         • Stimulates brain activity
         • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
   • Social learning
     • Bandura - Effect model being punished for aggression on imitation.
       • Children shown model being either punished or reinforced.
         • Punished group less aggressive therefore punishment reduces aggression.
     • Huesmann - Effect of teaching children to think more carefully about what they see and aggression.
       • Huesmann - Effect of teaching children to think more carefully about what they see and aggression.
         • Told what happens on TV is not real. Behaviour compared to group without training
           • Trained children showed less aggression therefore it can be reduced by making TV models less influential
         • Parents do not have training to explain concepts in a way children can understand.
         • Parents not always present to discuss programmes afterwards.

4. Social learning theory

   • Monitoring - Judging whether our own behaviour is appropriate or not.
     • Bandura
       • If we feel good about what we've done it will strengthen behaviour.
   • Observation and imitation
     • Similar role models
     • Vicarious learning - Learning by observation.
     • Clearly demonstrated by children.
       • Implication - punishment can have the opposite effect of what is intended.
         • (Role model) Parent hits child - child learns to hit others.

5. Biological explanation

   • (Male) Hormones - Chemicals released by our endocrine system that affect how we behave.
     • Testosterone
       • Violent criminals - higher levels than non-violent criminals
   • Brain damage
     • Prefrontal cortex - The front of the brain that is involved in social and moral behaviour and controls aggression.
     • Limbic system - Influences eating, sexual behaviour and aggression.
       • e,g. Charles Whitman, Texas
   • Chromosomal abnormalties
     • Violent criminals - high proportion with extra Y chromosomes
     • XYY