...Understanding Aggression Handed on February 5, 2014 By: Camille L. Quicho Student no. 11-00131 Psychology (BS), 2nd semester CONTENTS 1 Introduction………………………………………………………………………1 2 What is Aggression………………………………………………………………2 3 Disorders linked from Aggression……………………………………….. ~1~ 1- INTRODUCTION Psychologists classify aggression as instrumental and hostile. Instrumental aggression is aggressive behavior intended to achieve a goal. It is not necessarily intended to hurt another person. For example, a soccer player who knocks a teammate down as they both run to stop the ball from reaching the opposing team's goalpost is not trying to hurt the teammate. Hostile aggression, onthe other hand, is aggressive behavior whose only purpose is to hurt someone.Hostile aggression includes physical or verbal assault and other antisocialbehaviors. Most studies of aggression are geared toward hostile aggression. There are several forms of self-control training, which teaches people to control their own anger and aggression by making verbal statements in which the person tells him/herself to respond to anger and arousal by thinking first and then using less aggressive behavior. Self-control training includes rational restructuring, cognitive self-instruction, and stress inoculation. Self-control training has been proven to work and is being used more and more often. Contingency management, the use of rewards and non-physical punishment to control aggression, has the longest...
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...Introduction Is human aggression learned? Was the cruelty that led to the offenses committed by our grandparents in World War II in their genes? Or did Hitler and the Nazis use the moment of the huge economic crisis and great shame of Germany after the Treaty of Versailles to integrate power, shut down the conflict, and through mass propaganda persuade German people to follow them in their achievement of Europe and the greater Third Reich? In this research paper, I will give an imperative assessment of the extent to which human beings are learned towards aggression, or conditioned for aggression by their environment. My goal is to present evidence that will show that humans are not biologically or inherently aggressive, but the aggression is something that is learned from everyday life experience. The first part of the paper will present theories and evidence that punctuate biological factors as the main causes of aggression in humans. The second part will present theories and evidence that demand that “aggression and hostility are diseases of development,” as Buss (1961: 190) puts it, and are affected by the external environment. Aggression in Human Beings Aggression is defined as physical or verbal behavior intended to harm. Aggression can either be ordered inside by self-mutilation or self-murder, or ordered apparently at another person. There are many things that human aggression has been blamed on, including broken homes, discrimination, poverty, chemical inequalities...
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...However, dog aggression is the most common pet dogs’ behavior problem and it causes a major public health problem in Australia (Voelker, 1997; Schalamon, 2006). According to the Annual Urban Animal Management Conference (2013), average 14,000 Australians are injured due to dog attack each year and about 1,400 of those injuries required medical treatment or hospitalization. Over sixty percent of dog attacks occurred at home, which means an owner or household-members have a higher possibility to be victimized in a dog attack. Over the last three decades, numerous of researches have been indicated that owner attachment levels and dog characteristics are the major factors leading to aggressive responses in pet dogs (Borchelt, 1983; Landsberg, 1991; Hunthausen, 1997; Hsu and Sun, 2010). Although these findings provide evidence for the link between owner-dog interaction and the aggressive behavior problem in pet dogs, surprisingly little research has examined the link between pet dogs-directed aggression in human and the controlling behavior in a relationship. To redress this imbalance, it is important to explore the connection between pet dogs aggressive behavior and domestic violence. Aims and Objectives The aims of this present study are to explore the connection between human directed aggression by pet dogs and controlling behavior in a relationship, to critically examine the circumstances and effects on the victims, and to analyze the comparison between abuse towards human by pet...
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...While generations of scientists have debated whether human aggression and violence is learned or innate, Brain (pp. 9, 1985) most likely summarizes the best and shortest answer to this question by stating that Human violence is too complicated to be interpreted in simple terms”. Empirical data and theories from both sides will be presented in this essay which will illustrate that while humans are genetically equipped to be violent and in some cases even have a genetic predisposition towards violence, social factors play key role in facilitating and enhancing aggressive behavior or suppressing and inhibiting it. Cesar Lombroso in the 20th century claimed that long arms, jutting chins and sloping foreheads were signs of born criminals, while Sigmund Freud (1930) later claimed that the drive to aggress is rooted deep in the psyche, independent of circumstances and as a result people have an innate need to inflict harm which must be satisfied periodically. A similar catharsis view was held by Lorenz (1963) who suggested that aggression being a natural instinct that accumulates over time especially in response to environmental stress, needs to be periodically released much like the periodic orgasm that helps diminish sex drive. In the 1960’s some scientists proposed that men who carried an XYY chromosome pattern were predisposed to become criminals (Ramirez, 1996). These were some of the early views on the innate nature of aggression and violence. Recent studies conducted on rats that...
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...Aggression: Biological or Learned? Abstract Aggression is any hostile behavior by an individual person that inflicts physical or psychological damage onto another individual. It can take on a physical form, such as physical acts of violence. It can also take on psychological forms, such as verbal threats or verbal abuse. There are many different theories which aim to explain how aggressive personalities are developed. Theorists who adhere to the Biological Approach to Personality believe that genetics play a large part. They argue that there are biological indicators which make certain people more prone to aggressive personalities. They argue that aggression is not necessarily inherited, but certain predispositions pared with certain factors in an individual’s upbringing can spawn aggressive adults. Theorists such as Albert Bandura believe that personality characteristics such as aggression are learned. According to the Behavioral/Social Learning Approach to Personality, individual personalities are developed through observation and experience. Specifically, aggressive personalities are learned much like other behaviors are learned as a child grows and experiences different things.Research has shows that children predisposed to violence and aggression grow up to be aggressive adults. Aggression, as defined by Merriam-Webster is “a forceful action or procedure (as an unprovoked attack) especially when intended to dominate or master” (Aggression, 2012). It is “hostile...
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.... ABPsychologyIII Aggression and Group Membership: A social Representations Approach to the study of Aggression By Joseph H. Puyat University of the Philippines, Diliman Philippine Journal of Psychology Vol.32 Nos.2(1999)34-52 Majority of social Psychological studies conducted on aggression focused on neurobiological and situational determinants of aggressive behavior. In many of these studies, however, cognitive processes were almost treated as an individual phenomenon; virtually immune to the influences of group membership. A different stance was taken in this study. Here, cognitive processes were presumed to be frequently subject to the influences of group shared knowledge structures. By studying the elements and structure of these hared cognitions, a better understanding of how individuals process information that influence their aggressive action would be gained. This exploratory study was carried out with this objective mind. Group based on gender and memberships in fraternities/sororities were used for comparison. To determine the elements of shared cognition, respondents were asked to write down everything that comes to their mind when they hear or see the word aggression. The data collected from this word association task were subjected to correspondence analysis to determine the elements were structured. Results reveled the respondents thoughts were organized using the individual- intergroup...
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...Trait Theory and Aggression Abstract This paper reviews how trait theories account for anger and aggression and it provides an opinion on whether or not the anger management programs provided at San Quentin prison can be effective in changing offender's behaviors. Keywords: Trait Theory. Trait theory states that our personality traits, and our genetics can predispose us to crime. The theory states that some individuals are born criminal and can be identified by primitive physical traits. There are several theories that were developed early on. In this paper we will briefly discuss early studies in the field of criminal anthropology led by Cesare Lambroso. The content of this paper will then focus on psychological trait theories, and biosocial trait theories of crime. Lastly, this paper will provide my opinion on the video that was presented to us in this week's assignment, "Inside San Quentin – Anger Management Behind Bars", and the effectiveness of anger management programs provided to inmates in an attempt to control their anger and aggression. There are several studies that were conducted by many renowned scientists in the field of personality traits and how they account for anger, aggression, and criminality. The earliest research into criminality and psychological, as well as physical traits was conducted by Cesare Lambroso. Born in 18th century, Lambroso was an Italian university professor and a criminologist. His early...
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... · [->18] · [->19] · [->20] · [->21] · [->22] · [->23] · digital humanities[->24] · [->25] · [->26] · · [->27] · [->28] · play[->29] · [->30] Home[->31] › Blogs[->32] › SerendipUpdate's blog[->33] › Theories of Aggression && Submitted by SerendipUpdate on Fri, 01/11/2008 - 10:20am · Biology 202[->34] Biology 202[->35] 1999 Final Web Reports[->36] On Serendip Theories of Aggression Alexandra K. Smith "Two Gunman at Colorado School Reportedly Kill Up to 23 Before Dying in a Siege." On Tuesday, April 20, 1999, two students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, of Columbine High School, shocked the nation when they entered the school armed with guns and explosives, killing fellow students and a teacher before...
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...University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Open Access Theses and Dissertations from the College of Education and Human Sciences 11-16-2012 Education and Human Sciences, College of (CEHS) Family Environment and School Environment as Predictors for Physical Aggression in Low-Income Children Xiaoyu Li University of Nebraska-Lincoln, whulucy@gmail.com Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cehsdiss Part of the Pre-Elementary, Early Childhood, Kindergarten Teacher Education Commons Li, Xiaoyu, "Family Environment and School Environment as Predictors for Physical Aggression in Low-Income Children" (2012). Open Access Theses and Dissertations from the College of Education and Human Sciences. Paper 164. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cehsdiss/164 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Education and Human Sciences, College of (CEHS) at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Open Access Theses and Dissertations from the College of Education and Human Sciences by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. FAMILY ENVIRONMENT AND SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT AS PREDICTORS FOR PHYSICAL AGGRESSION IN LOW-INCOME CHILDREN by Xiaoyu Li A THESIS Presented to the Faculty of The Graduate College at the University of Nebraska In Partial Fulfillment of Requirements For the Degree of Master of Science Major:...
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...Psychology of Aggression & Violence: Aggression: Behavior perpetrated or attempted with the intention of harming another individual physically or psychologically or to destroy an object. Violence: Actual, attempted, or threatened physical harm that is deliberate and non-consenting: * Includes violence against victims who cannot give full, informed consent * Includes fear-inducing behavior, where threats may be implicit or directed at third parties Types of Aggression: Hostile (or expressive) aggression: Occurs in response to anger-inducing conditions, such as real or perceived insults, physical attacks, or one’s own failures. (Goal = to make victim suffer. Intense and disorganized emotion) Instrumental aggression: Begins with competition or the desire for some object or status possessed by another person. Goal = obtain desired object. No intent to harm, although indifferent. Violence as a Choice: The proximal cause of violence is a decision to act violently .The decision is influenced by a host of biological, psychological, and social factors .Neurological insult, hormonal abnormality, psychosis, personality disorder, exposure to violent models, attitudes that condone violence. Cognitive Models of Aggression: Most research supports the notion that human aggression is primarily learned (early learning and socialization). Hostile attribution bias: Individual’s prone to violence are more likely to interpret ambiguous actions as hostile and threatening ...
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...Conceptual 1 According to Aronson’s analysis of the Challenger disaster, which of the following most likely did not contribute to the disaster? NASA engineers assured management that all safety measures had been taken. According to Aaronson’s theory of social behavior, people’s behaviors and personal beliefs tend to be greatly influenced by the society or the majorities beliefs. In the challenger disaster case, a lot of outside pressure was involved. Previous experiments such as the successful launch and landing of the first reusable space shuttle Columbia, had been conduced successfully hence NASA was inclined to think that those statistics were a testament for the outcome of the launch. Additionally, the challenger launch was one of its kind since it was the first to have an ordinary American, McAuliffe, on board. Also the program had taken a lot of time to materialize owing to the bad weather and the time needed to train McAuliffe on space travel. All this factors convinced NASA to bow to social psychology and let societal pressure influence their judgment despite clear warning from the engineers about the impending doom if temperature conditions were not favorable (Disaster, 2016). Applied This is a case of Internalization compliance. Though, the child does not like the lima beans, she does so because she believes that by doing so she will become like the figure she idolizes. In the Internalization type of conformity, subjects adopt a belief and make it their own...
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...to test for gene-environment interaction relating to adverse childhood environment. (Reif, Roster, Freitag, Scheider, Eujen, Kissling, & Retz 2007) Each person was assigned to either a violent group or a nonviolent group. High environmental adversity during childhood was associated scientifically with violent behavior while 45% were violent and 30% were nonviolent people that carried the low-activity, short MAOA allele. (Reif, Roster, Freitag, Scheider, Eujen, Kissling, & Retz 2007) Violent behavior was somewhat less common in older subject years and people with a history of drug abuse were more violent compared to those without a history of drug abuse. . (Reif, Roster, Freitag, Scheider, Eujen, Kissling, & Retz 2007) The major findings of the present study are MAOA genotype and adverse childhood environment independently of each other increased the risk for later-life violent behavior and the 5HTT polymorphism was associated with violence in a gene-environment-dependent manner. . (Reif, Roster, Freitag, Scheider, Eujen, Kissling, & Retz 2007) Violent behavior observed during puberty might constitute something different than abiding violent behavior in adulthood; furthermore, its well known that genetic influences become more important with increasing age which may, in part explain the contrasting findings. (Reif, Roster, Freitag, Scheider, Eujen, Kissling, & Retz 2007) I do agree with their results. I agree because the article mentioned that the...
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...A psychological theory is a type of biological theory who states that individuals commit criminal behavior against others because is derived from heredity. According to the author “Under this model, violent or criminal behavior is beyond the control of the individual and is cause by the persons biology” (Gosselin, 2014, p. 69). This theory assets that impulsive behavior is caused by genetic uncontrollable behavior that has been passed from generation from generation. Research on evolutionary psychology asserts that universally males are more aggressive because since ancient times males needed to commit violent-aggressive for protection of resources and intrasexual competition (same sex competition). In addition, evolutionist argues that humans have inherited biological and...
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...Term Paper: Aggression and the Brain Aggression as a general term refers to the act of inflicting physical or verbal harm with the intentions of causing pain. It is very questionable why people choose to harm each other especially if there is no reason, such as self defense, involved, but research has been evolving on that issue to show how the biology of the brain is related to aggression and how different the neurochemistry of the brain of an aggressive person to a non aggressive one. “Violent behavior never erupts from a single cause, rather it results from a combination of risk factors — among them inherited tendencies, a traumatic childhood and other negative experiences — that interact and aggravate one another” (Strueber). Basically putting together this combination of likely explanations of aggression may let one see the whole picture of why people become so aggressive. The biology of the brain and aggression seek to be explained in two different ways, in terms of androgens which are male hormones and the level of serotonin in the brain. In general it is important to talk about aggression and understand its possible manifestations because aggression is important in human existence therefore being aware of its likely biological causes will help us understand better why there is a high rate of aggression, violence and suicide and make us perceive it from the biological aspect rather than from the cultural or the individual context. First of all, the first linkage...
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...biologists and sociologists to psychologists. Three books I used to understand this question are “The Third Chimpanzee: The evolution and future of the human animal” by Jared Diamond, “Same Difference: How gender, myths are hurting our relationships, our children, and our jobs” by Rosalind C. Barnett, and “Our Kind” by Marvin Harris. Some questions aren’t just about the biological and cultural aspect but about the social norms as well. In what ways are males and females different? Also what ways are they similar? These questions all can be answered going back to the beginning of time. Evolution is something we need to understand because it is responsible for the observable differences between males and females. A question that everyone wonders is, how did we get here? Jared Diamond’s “The Third Chimpanzee” answers this question. A strong theory comes from Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection and adaptation. Even though species are all different in its own nature they play a special role in life. The species that have the traits to allow them to survive in the environment will be able to reproduce which is mutation, or “survival of the fittest”. Humans take for granted that we aren’t the species of the world. We share this wonderful place with many other species, even though we are considered the dominant species. Humans started agriculture, and mainly began and expressed some kind of language. This allowed us to better understand...
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