Aggression - Notes from Dr. Ottati\'s Social Psychology course PDF

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Notes from Dr. Ottati's Social Psychology course...

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Aggression Tuesday, April 10, 2018

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INTRODUCTION A. Aggression Definition #1: intentional infliction of harm on others. Aggression Definition #2: Behavior directed toward the goal of harming another living being who is motivated to avoid such treatment B. Hostile vs. Instrumental Aggression 1. Hostile: Angry aggression 2. Instrumental: someone who is trying to do harm to another person who is not angry at all, who has no relationship at all with that person, no feelings toward them at all, not anger or hostility, action taken to gain some reward or avoid punishment (e.g. hired assassin, professional boxer, solely for the purpose of winning, financial reward) C. 8 Types of Aggression (Buss, 1961) - 2x2x2 1. Verbal vs. Physical 2. Passive vs. Active i. active aggression is when the individual does something to inflict harm ii. passive aggression is failing to do something that you could have done, therefore harming the other person, not doing something, hidden message, the silent treatment 3. Indirect vs. Direct i. Direct ii. Indirect: when they're not around but causing them harm (e.g. burning someone's house down)

Verbal/passive/indirect = "covert aggression" (e.g., fail to deny false rumor about target) - secret agent aggression, totally undetectable Verbal/passive/direct = (e.g., give target the silent treatment) Verbal/active/direct = (e.g., yell at target)

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D. Key Topics 1. Determinants of Aggression 2. Preventing and Controlling Aggression DETERMINANTS OF AGGRESSION A. Instinct Theories - behaviors that drives us to act in certain ways. Instinctual, we are animals. We are born with aggressive instinct 1. Thanatos: Pressure Cooker (Freud) - resides in the Id, pressure builds up over time, periodically, you have to release the aggressive pressure/instinctual energy. Catharsis hypothesis is NOT supported. i. Same with sexual energy, gets pent up and you have to do something about it. Simply by the passage of time. 2. Evolution selects for aggressive & strong trait: Fit -> Survive (Lorenz) - natural selection Darwin i. Predispositions to behave are also inherited. Predisposition to depression, etc. Darwinian argument to why we are aggressive. 3. Evolution and Mate Acquisition 4. Genetic Causes B. Drive Theory: Frustration-Aggression Hypothesis (Dollard et. al., 1939) - HAS TO BE TRIGGERED BY THE SITUATION. If you experience no provocation, nothings going to trigger any aggression. 1. Frustration (Frustration Situation): i. Situational interference with goal directed

behavior 2. Frustration always leads to Aggression 3. Aggression always stems from Frustration C. Conditioning - Operant or Vicarious Operant D. Cognitive Theories 1. Script - how certain events or behaviors are expected to be more aggressive (i.e. going to a football game, playing a football game, basketball game) 2. Appraisal/Interpretation - interpretation of behaviors can influence response, etc. (i.e. one person interprets behavior as rude, hostile, respond in hostile manner. Other may interpret as a joke, funny, does not respond in a hostile manner.) 3. Expectations (e.g., hostile expectation bias) influence interpretation and appraisals which can lead to a hostile response. i. Hostile Expectation Bias - generally more likely to perceive the world as a threat. Expect the world to be dangerous, interpret behaviors as more dangerous and threatening, therefore - more likely to respond in an aggressive way. 4. Affective State & Primed Cognitions - Can play a role. i. When you're in a negative mood, negative concepts are more accessible. Positive mood, positive concepts are more accessible. ii. Mood congruent constructs E. Provocation -> Reciprocation i. If someone provokes me, I believe social norms entitle me to be aggressive also. F. Media Violence

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Multiple Methods: Experimental, correlational, & longitudinal studies 2. Multiple Mediators: Modeling, desensitization 3. Bush and Anderson, the effect is there, about half as strong as smoking on cancer. 4. Catharsis Hypothesis - doesn't work, vicarious blow off steam G. Arousal 1. Excitation Transfer Theory / Cognitive Labeling Theory i. Run around the track, physiological response, forget about residual arousal, person gets insulted a couple hours later, interprets as "I am angry" ii. Working out/chopping wood, etc., will increase aggression sometimes iii. Relabel with what seems plausible to the current situation 2. Arousal as Distracter - not thinking clearly, suppress initial reaction if you have time to think about it and walk away. H. Sexual Arousal -> Aggression 1. Curvilinear Relationship: Valence - Arousal Model (Zillman, 1984) - suggests that moderate levels of sexual arousal decrease aggression. High sexual arousal makes you more aggressive, low sexual arousal is increased but not as high as high SA. i. Criticism: Manipulating intensity of arousal, confound distinction between regular porn and hardcore porn. People likely found hardcore porn much more offensive than regular porn. ii. Reason people are so aggressive is because they're offended by the pornography. iii. Valence of the material, interpretations,

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evaluations iv. Variables are complicated. 2. Violent Porn -> Willingness to aggress toward females, desensitization, acceptance of myths Sexual Jealousy: perception of threat to relationship due to rival (e.g., your partner flirts with another) 1. Most Anger directed to partner, not the relationship intruder. 2. Gender difference - men more likely to become upset to treats to sexual exclusivity, women more likely to react negatively to potential loss of attention or time with partner. Cultural Norms: "culture of honor" norms indicate aggression is appropriate response to insults to one's honor (e.g., cowboy movies) - aggressive when honor is threatened, retaliation, etc. 1. Can amplify aggressive response to romantic infidelity Personality - Individual Differences 1. Type A Personality - the opposite of being laid back, impatient, irritated, more likely to be aggressive 2. Narcissistic Personality (Narcissism) - more likely to be aggressive, expect everyone to worship them, more easily insulted 3. Sensation Seeking Personality - adrenaline junkies, everyday life is boring! Some people are just genetically born this way. 4. Hostile Attribution Bias Gender Effects - a lot has to do with childhood socialization 1. Males report more aggression (except in cases of sexual jealousy) 2. Males more aggressive only in absence of provocation 3 Males more likely to directly aggress Females

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Males more likely to directly aggress Females more likely to indirectly aggress 4. Social gender roles or biology (e.g., testosterone)? M. Other Determinants of Aggression 1. Temperature 2. Alcohol N. General Aggression Model (GAM) Anderson, 1997 1. Input Variables - independent variables, causes i. aspects of situation (e.g., frustration) ii. individual differences 2. Mediators i. Arousal ii. Affective state iii. Cognitive responses 3. Outcome - dependent variable i. Aggression PREVENTING & CONTROLLING AGGRESSION Punishment & Controlling Aggression A. Punishment works, but only if… i. Prompt ii. 100% probability iii. Strong enough iv. Seen as justified v. Don't use corporal punishment, a more popular, modern view vi. 33% of those in prison in the world are in the US B. Self regulation (self-control) i. Requires cognitive resources ii. Self-control depletion (e.g., resisting donut increases subsequent aggression) C. Forgiveness i. Engendered by empathy for other, generous attribution for other's action, avoiding rumination upon transgression D. Catharsis Hypothesis i Vigorous Activity can have temporary effect but

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Vigorous Activity can have temporary effect, but anger reappears when think about anger-eliciting incident ii. TV Violence increases aggression Cognitive Intervention i. Excuses & Apologies reduce attribution to malicious intent ii. Pre-Attribution - set up to think someone is a certain way, then surprised when they're not (NOT SURE IF THIS IS CORRECT, I WASN'T LISTENING) iii. Distraction from Rumination Non-Violent Models - positive role models, Ghandi, MLK Incompatible Affective Response - Generate an incompatible state, find peace, etc. Mediation, yoga, mindfulness, serene music, etc. When aggressive, find calmness...