David Myers 11e Aggression: Intending to Hurting others “…nothing so threatening to humanity as...
-
Upload
junior-nicholson -
Category
Documents
-
view
214 -
download
0
Transcript of David Myers 11e Aggression: Intending to Hurting others “…nothing so threatening to humanity as...
David Myers11e
Aggression: Intending to Hurting others
“…nothing so threatening to humanity as humanity itself.” (Lewis Thomas 1981)
©2013 McGraw-Hill Companies 1
AggressionDefinedTheories of aggressionInfluences (causes) How it can be reducedReforming a violent culture
©2013 McGraw-Hill Companies 2
What Is Aggression?
AggressionPhysical or verbal behavior intended to cause harm
Hostile Aggression (“social”)Aggression that springs from anger; its goal is to
injureInstrumental Aggression (“silent”)
Aggression that is a means to some other end E.g. terrorism,
To displace occupiers or get to heaven E.g. boxing
For $$$ reward E.g. war
©2013 McGraw-Hill Companies 3
What Are Some Theories of Aggression? Aggression as a Biological Phenomenon
Thomas Hobbes – “by nature” (also Freud) Jean-Jacques Rousseau – “society causes it” Instinct theory and evolutionary psychology
Innate, unlearned behavior pattern exhibited by all members of a species (Lorenz) “naming error” Its adaptive What happened with Charles Barkley?
Neural influences Abnormal brains can contribute to abnormally aggressive
behavior Genetic Influences
Heredity influences the neural system’s sensitivity to aggressive cues
©2013 McGraw-Hill Companies 4
What Are Some Theories of Aggression? Aggression as a Biological Phenomenon
Biochemical influences Alcohol –
reduces self-awareness, accuracy of social perception
Testosterone Poor diet –eat a lot of omega-3-fatty acids and
calcium Biology and behavior interact
©2013 McGraw-Hill Companies 5
What Are Some Theories of Aggression? Aggression as a Response to Frustration
Frustration Blocking of goal-directed behavior
Frustration-aggression theory (Dollard, .39) Theory that frustration triggers a readiness to
aggress Displacement
©2013 McGraw-Hill Companies 6
What Are Some Theories of Aggression? Frustration-Aggression Theory Revised (L.
Berkowitz, ’78)
Original theory overstated the frustration-aggression connection
Frustration produces anger, an emotional readiness to aggress Frustration-> Anger> Responses (lots possible) Theory is designed to explain hostile aggression,
not instrumental aggression
©2013 McGraw-Hill Companies 7
What Are Some Theories of Aggression? Aggression as a Response to Frustration
Relative deprivation Perception that one is less well off than others with
whom one compares oneself (notice the cognitive component here) Explains why happiness tends to be lower and crime
rates higher in communities and nations with large income inequality But must consider perceptions of “justice” & “perceived equity”
©2013 McGraw-Hill Companies 8
What Are Some Theories of Aggression? Aggression as Learned Social Behavior
Rewards of aggression Through experience and by observing others, we
learn that aggression often pays
©2013 McGraw-Hill Companies 9
What Are Some Theories of Aggression? Observational Learning
Social learning theory (Bandura) We learn social behavior by observing and imitating
and by being rewarded and punished Bandura’s bobo doll experiment
Family Culture
©2013 McGraw-Hill Companies 10
What Are Some Influences on Aggression?Aversive Incidents
Physical painPsychological painHeatAttacks
Includes insults Southern vs. northern reactions (Cohen et al., ‘96) What are some other “cultures of honor” other than
the southern U.S.?
©2013 McGraw-Hill Companies 11
What Are Some Influences on Aggression?Arousal
A given state of bodily arousal feeds one emotion or another, depending on how the person interprets and labels the arousal Schachter & Singer, ‘62
Without a known source of arousal, we look or external sources & our mood.
©2013 McGraw-Hill Companies 12
What Are Some Influences on Aggression?Aggression Cues
Violence is more likely when aggressive cues release pent-up anger (Berkowitz, ‘68)
Re: incidence of violence and gun possession rates We must look closer
Cf Maryland and Montana Guns are owned and used for different purposes
©2013 McGraw-Hill Companies 13
What Are Some Influences on Aggression?Media Influences: Pornography and Sexual
ViolenceDistorted perceptions of sexual reality
Studies confirm that exposure to pornography increases acceptance of the rape myth
©2013 McGraw-Hill Companies 14
What Are Some Influences on Aggression?Media Influences: Pornography and Sexual Violence
Distorted perceptions of sexual reality Aggression against women
Studies suggest that the exposure to violent pornography increase punitive behavior toward women
Ted Bundy was not “normal” –so he can not speak for others “…the most damaging kinds of pornography...involving
sexual violence……you keep craving something [more) …which gives you a greater sense of excitement..”
Impulse control (e.g. sex and violence) varies among individuals.
“Exposure to violence porn increases punitive behavior toward women”….for some who are predisposed….not all
©2013 McGraw-Hill Companies 15
What Are Some Influences on Aggression?Media Influences: Pornography and Sexual
ViolenceDistorted perceptions of sexual reality
Medial awareness education Media awareness training as an alternative to
censorship Should violent porn be banned?
©2013 McGraw-Hill Companies 16
What Are Some Influences on Aggression?Media Influences: Television and the Internet
Television’s effects on behavior Correlating TV viewing and behavior
Frequent result of correlating children’s TV viewing with aggressiveness is the more violent the content the more aggressive the child Extends to indirect aggression Should media violence be banned?
©2013 McGraw-Hill Companies 17
What Are Some Influences on Aggression?Media Influences: Television and the Internet
Television’s effects on behavior TV viewing experiments
Ross Parke (1977) and Jacques Leyens (1975) Showed institutionalized American and Belgian
delinquent boys a series of either aggressive or nonaggressive commercial films
• Findings: Exposure to more violence led to an increase in viewer aggression
©2013 McGraw-Hill Companies 18
What Are Some Influences on Aggression? Media Influences: Television and the Internet
Television’s effects on behavior Why does TV viewing affect behavior?
The arousal that it produces Viewing violence disinhibits Media portrayals evoke imitation
©2013 McGraw-Hill Companies 19
What Are Some Influences on Aggression?Media Influences: Television and the Internet
Television’s effects on thinking Desensitization Social scripts
Culturally provided mental instructions for how to act in various situations
Altered perceptions Media portrayals shape perceptions of reality
Cognitive priming Media portrayals prime thinking
Time drain
©2013 McGraw-Hill Companies 20
What Are Some Influences on Aggression?Media Influences: Video Games
The games kids play Games are becoming more violent and sometimes
include Carjacking Shooting Sex Murder
Games that are rated “M” for mature are often marketed to those younger
©2013 McGraw-Hill Companies 21
What Are Some Influences on Aggression?Media Influences: Video Games
Effects of the games kids play Increases aggressive behaviors Increases aggressive thoughts Increases aggressive feelings Decreases helping others Decreases empathy for others Desensitized to violence
Should violent video games be banned?
©2013 McGraw-Hill Companies 22
What Are Some Influences on Aggression?Group Influences
Can amplify aggressive reactions partly by diffusing responsibility Increases with distance and number deindividuation
Social contagion
©2013 McGraw-Hill Companies 23
How Can Aggression Be Reduced?
Catharsis?Contrary to the catharsis hypothesis,
expressing aggression by catharsis tends to breed further aggression, not reduce it
©2013 McGraw-Hill Companies 24
How Can Aggression Be Reduced?
A Social Learning ApproachControlling aggression by counteracting the
factors that provoke it Reducing aversive stimulation Rewarding nonaggression Modeling nonaggression Eliciting reactions incompatible with aggression
©2013 McGraw-Hill Companies 25