Block 1

• Aggressive behaviour can come in several forms

  • Predation Jiang et al. (2022): Physical, verbal, anger, hostility
  • Anderson & Bushman (2002): Hostile vs. instrumental aggression
• Aggressive tendencies and behaviours differ across:

  • Sexes
  • Geographic regions & cultures
  • Socioeconomic status, personalities, and more
• variation - Sexes

  • nature - nurture debate → socialisation
  • men = higher - unprovoked, physical, direct
  • women = relational, indirect? → e.g damage social standings
  • some studies = no difference
• variation - geographic regions & cultures (Cohen et al 1996)


  • male undergraduates, north v south USA comparison
  • southern = appear more angry
  • northern = more amused or ignore
• Drive theories of aggression 


  Aggression stems from external conditions that arose the motive to harm or injure others

  • but not everyone who is aggressive is frustrated before & not everyone who is frustrated acts aggressively
• Drive theories - Frustration-aggression hypothesis


  • Frustration leads to arousal of a drive
  • primary goal of which is to harm another person or object
  • particularly the cause of the frustration
  • Frustration is the strongest, and possibly only, cause of aggression
  • replaced by Cognitive Neoassociation Theory (Berkowitx, 1990)
• Social learning theory of aggression (Bandura, 1997)


  • not born with innate aggressive drives or behaviours
  • learn aggressive behaviour from others (modelling, vicarious reinforcement)

  Whether somebody responds with aggression is determined by:

  • Past experience
  • Rewards associated with past or present aggression
  • Attitudes and values relating to appropriateness of aggression & impact of the behaviour
• General Aggression Model (Anderson & Bushman, 2002)


  • inputs - Person (personal situation) & Situation (cues)

  influence

  • routes - present internal state - affect, cognition, arousal

  influence

  • outcomes - appraisal & decision processes
  • result in thoughtful action & impulsive action

  results in social encounter which influences inputs
• Situational factors that affect aggression


  • Provocation: Frequent cause of aggressive behaviour (condescension, teasing etc., Weidler et al., 2019)
  • Alcohol: (reduce impulse control) Strong connection (Duke et al., 2018)
  • Alcohol & serotonin: Additive effect? (Pihl & Lemarquand, 1998)

  & more
• Person-specific traits that affect aggression


  • Trait aggression - predicts more aggressive responses
  • Empathy: Surprisingly not
  • impulse control: Strongly associated - better impulse control = less likely to start aggression
• Person-specific traits that affect aggression - Big 5

  1. neuroticism - strong correlation, higher
  2. extraversion - higher = less likely - not very predictive
  3. open to experience - higher, slight increase, not very predictive
  4. agreeableness - more = less aggressive
  5. conscientiousness - uncertain - slight negative
• Person-specific traits: The dark triad/ tetrad


  • fall outside big 5?
  • relate together more than big 5

  1. narcissism
  2. machiavellianism
  3. psychopathy
  4. sadism
• Dark Triad/tetrad - narcissism 


  • Highly prone to anger & aggression when their self-image (weak foundations) is threatened (Bushman & Baumeiester, 1998)
  • sense of superiority over others
• Dark Triad/tetrad - Machiavellianism


  • Individuals high in Machiavellianism are more prone to hostility (Jones & Neria, 2015) - provoke others
  • high = self-interested, manipulative, cold + calculative, lie, deceit, poor morals
  • low in physical aggression - cunning?
• Dark triad/tetrad - Psychopathy


  • Psychopathy is consistently & strongly linked to aggression
  • Self-interested, impulsive, little concern for others
• Dark triad/tetrad - Sadism 


  • completes tetrad
  • associated with cyberbullying
  • enjoyment in others pain + discomfort
  • connected in some forms of aggression