A03

• What are the strengths of the frustration-aggression hypothesis?

  1. Research support for displaced aggression
  2. Real-world application
• What are the limitations of the frustration-aggression hypothesis?

  1. Aggression is not cathartic
  2. Complexity of the frustration-aggression link
• Strength = research support for displaced aggression

  • Marcus-Newhall et al. (2000) conducted a meta-analysis of 49 studies of displaced aggression
  • These studies investigated situations in which aggressive behaviour had to be directed against a ‘human target’ other than the one who caused the frustration
  • Found that frustrated participants who were provoked, but unable to retaliate directly against the source of frustration, were more likely to aggression against an innocent party, than people who were not provoked
  • Depicts displaced aggression as a reliable phenomenon
• Strength = real-world application

  • Frustration-aggression hypothesis has been used as an explanation for historical instances of genocide and mass killings
  • Staub (1996) found that mass killings are often rooted in the frustration caused by rapid societal change, political turmoil, economic difficulties, conflict within a society between dominant and subordinate groups
  • This then leads to scapegoating in the form of displaced aggression
  • e.g. following WW1 many Germans blamed Jews for the loss of the war and the severe economic problems that followed, leading to significant violence
• Limitation = aggression is not cathartic

  • Idea of catharsis suggests that aggression reduces arousal so that people are less likely to aggress further but this has not been supported by research
  • Bushman (2002) found that participants who vented their anger by repeatedly hitting a punching bag actually became more aggressive than less
  • Doing nothing was more effective at reducing aggression than venting anger
  • Bushman argues that using venting to reduce anger is akin to using petrol to put out a fire
  • Suggests one core assumption of this hypothesis lacks validity in practice
• Limitation = complexity of frustration-aggression hypothesis

  • Found that frustration does not always lead to aggression and that aggression can occur without frustration
  • Reifman et al. (1991) investigated the established ‘heat-aggression relationship’ in the context of US baseball games
  • Found as temperatures increased, so did the numbers of players hit by a pitch
  • Suggests that the hypothesis isn’t a wholly comprehensive explanation as it can only explain how aggression arises in select situations