social

• conformity to social norms as we want to be accepted and if aggression is the norm, we behave aggressively to be accepted
• gender role norms dictate that women should not be aggressive but men should be physically aggressive
• cultural norms such as family honour show that aggression is accepted in some cultures and in particular situations types of aggression are acceptable
• racial and ethnic stereotypes are that black people are often stereotyped as aggressive
• gender stereotypes in that aggression is very strongly associated with stereotyped masculinity
• disinhibition is the lack of restraint from social norms. e.g. at a football event when aggressive behaviour of a small group can have a domino effect on more people because they feel disinhibition from social rules
• desensitisation is to become less reactive in situations- to violence. individuals may become more likely to accept aggression and more likely to respond violently or aggressively
• institutional aggression refers to aggressive behaviours adopted by members of an institution e.g. armed forces, prisoners etc.