Frustration-aggression AO3

• Strength - supporting evidence - newhall et al did a meta analysis and concluded displaced aggression is a reliable phenomenon - supports if they are unable to retaliate they are more likely to aggress against innocent party like the hypothesis predicts - supports the findibcs as reliable and shows the validity
• A limitation is that aggression may not be cathartic. Bushman found that people who vented anger by punching a punching bag became more aggressive rather than less. Those who did nothing reduced aggression more. It is argued that using venting to reduce anger is like using petrol to put out a fire. This suggests that aggression does not lead to catharsis and instead leads to more anger. This brings into question the validity of the frustration aggression hypothesis.
• Frustration does not always lead to aggression and aggression can occur without frustration, the link is not always automatic. Someone who feels frustrated may behave in a range of different ways (e.g., helpless). Someone behaving aggressively may have many reasons for doing so. This suggests that the frustration-aggression hypothesis is inadequate because it only explains how aggression arises in some situations but not in others.
• HOWEVER, Berkowitz reformulated his theory as the negative affect theory. This states that frustration is one of many aversive stimuli (e.g., pain) that cause aggression and frustration (and other aversive stimuli) have various effects. Therefore frustration can form part of a wider explanation of what causes aggression.