Aggression
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What roles do nature and nurture play in aggressive tendencies? You'll explore origins of aggression and how acceptance of this behavior may differ among societies.
Are some people 'natural born killers'? Can aggressive behavior be triggered by external factors? Or is it a learned behavior that's modeled by others?
First of all, aggression shouldn't be confused with assertiveness. Aggression is violence against someone or something with intent to harm.
Origins of Aggression
- Biological explanations for aggressive behavior have been proposed, including genetic predisposition or high testosterone levels.
In 1959, Russian geneticist Dmitri Belyaev conducted an experiment to determine whether selective breeding could result in a tamer species of silver fox. Over a period of just ten years, Belyaev was able to domesticate the foxes by breeding only the nice, friendly foxes and turning the unfriendly ones into fur coats. Now, after 50 years of selectively breeding 35 generations of foxes, the experiment has shown that aggression is, in part, genetic.
Other biological reasons might lead to aggressive behavior. For example, an examination of prisoners of violent crimes has linked frontal lobe damage and an inability to control aggression.
- What about external instigators of aggression? Can someone who is genetically docile be provoked to fight? According to the frustration-aggression hypothesis developed by psychologist John Dollard, frustration can lead to aggression when a desired goal isn't reached. Have you ever become angry when, after waiting a long time for a software program to download, your Internet connection fails? Did you pound the desk in frustration? You've demonstrated that frustration can lead to aggression.
- Aggression may also be a response picked up by watching others through a process known as social learning. Will the child of a physically or verbally abusive parent grow up to be abusive themselves? Such a background increases the likelihood. Some studies have demonstrated that exposure to violence in video games, movies or TV shows can make us more aggressive and desensitize us to combative behavior.
- How does self-esteem factor into aggression? Bullies who have inflated egos can become aggressive when they feel that others are threatening their image or to increase their group status. Conversely, social outcasts who repeatedly experience rejection may act in a hostile, defensive way towards others.
Cultural and Gender Differences
What judgments do we place on the word 'aggressive' and do they always apply? Societal views of aggression affect how frequently it's exhibited because of a fear of punishment, whether by social ostracism or legal enforcement. Also, different types of aggression may be more socially acceptable. For example, verbal sparring is more common in Japan, whereas physical aggression is more common in the United States where football is a national past time. In traditional male hunting cultures and in the military, aggression in males may be linked to status, while it may be frowned upon in close-knit urban cultures where peaceful cohabitation is desired.
Social norms may also tolerate higher levels of aggression for males than for females. Aggressive tendencies may also be attributed to some extent to gender roles as well as to testosterone levels and physical strength.
Summary
You've learned that aggressive behavior can come from within or be instigated by environmental factors. External factors can be as simple as the frustration of not completing a task or physical discomfort during a heat wave. Society places limits on how much we have to control our tempers.