Biological and Social causes of Aggression
Aggression: Physical or Verbal Behavior intended to harm Aggression can be either: Inwardly directed (self-mutilation or suicide) Or Outwardly directed at another person.Hostile: Anger based agressionOr Instrumental: Agression meant to achieve a goalAgressive Direction
Inward Outward
Hostile Self-Mutilation due to self-hate Killing your spouse bc you believe they have been cheating
AgressionType
Instrumental self-mutilation Physical assaults
To gain sympathy such as mugging
From someone
Biological influences:Certain brain areas, when electrically stimulated, can increase aggressive behavior in monkeys.The amygdala in humans is the brain structure which has been linked to aggressive behavior.Aggressive behavior is genetically influenced:By selective breeding, aggressive and passive strains of mice can be created (Lagerspetz, 1979)Blood chemistry can contribute to aggressive behavior.Alcohol can contribute to aggressive behavior bydecreasing self-awareness (deindividuation factor), and decreasing the ability to accurately perceive the outcome of an aggressive act.Low blood sugar levels can boost aggressiveness.Testosterone:Males with high testosterone levels are more prone to delinquency, hard drug use, and aggressive responses when provoked. Psychological Influences of Aggressive BehaviorFrustration: the blocking of goal-directed behavior.The frustration-aggression theory (1939) : Frustration creates a motive for aggression. Fear of punishment or disapproval may cause the aggressive behavior to be displaced against some other target, or oneself.However, the frustration-aggression theory overstated the link.Frustration that arises from an understandable cause does not necessarily lead to aggressive behavior.
