Frustration-aggression hypothesis

• Supporting evidence

  Buss (1963)- They found that all types of frustration led to aggression and all led to higher levels than a control group who experienced no frustration.
• Practical applications

   Understanding that aggression is caused by frustration and aggressive behaviour can be cathartic can help psychologists design interventions to help people. For example, there are anger rooms which are rooms where people pay to act aggressively (smash up objects with baseball bats) in a safe place.
• Contradictory evidence

  Bushman (2002)- found that ppts that hit a punch bag after being made angry where more angry after hitting a punch bag compared to a ppt who didn't hit a punch bag.
• Other explanations

  Berkowitz (1989)- Negative affect theory- states that aggression can be triggered by any negative feeling, not just frustration.
• Issues and debates

  Psychic determinism-  assumes that free will is merely an illusion and we are not able to control behaviour.