Aggression (1).pptx

SOCI 2150A Social Psychology Discussion Question • Last week we watched the film “A Class Divided”. How was Jane Elliot’s experiment an example of a social psychological study? Which concepts from last week’s lecture does the experiment illustrate? Chapter 11 Aggression Lecture Overview • How...

SOCI 2150A Social Psychology Discussion Question • Last week we watched the film “A Class Divided”. How was Jane Elliot’s experiment an example of a social psychological study? Which concepts from last week’s lecture does the experiment illustrate? Chapter 11 Aggression Lecture Overview • How do biological factors influence aggression? • How do social psychological factors influence aggression? • How does the media influence aggression? • How can we reduce aggression? • How does culture influence aggression? Definition of Aggression • Aggression: Physical or verbal behaviour intended to harm another who is motivated to avoid such treatment • Emotional/hostile aggression: Inflict harm for its own sake • Instrumental aggression: Inflict harm in order to obtain something of value How Do Biological Factors Influence Aggression? • Biological factors that predict aggression: ◦ Instinct ◦ Evolution ◦ Genetics ◦ Hormones Instinct and Evolutionary Theories • Aggression is an innate, “built-in”, hardwired part of who we are • 2 famous theories ◦ Freud’s death wish ◦ Lorenz’s instinct theory Freud’s Death Wish • Freud believed we have a death wish or drive ◦ To cope with this, we channel energy inwards or outwards (aggression toward others) • Catharsis: Aggression is energy that builds up over time until it is released ◦ Not generally an effective way of dealing with aggressive feelings Lorenz’s Instinct Theory • Our innate drive to live leads to our desire to aggress against others ◦ Adaptive: Those who are aggressive are more likely to survive (so are their offspring) Lorenz’s Instinct Theory (Continued) • Approximately one third of Canadians experienced childhood maltreatment • It is estimated that 1 billion children experience abuse each year • Violence against children is most often by the hands of a parent or caregiver • 84% of violence is perpetrated by parents to their children, most often towards children under one year of age Genetics • Children who are highly aggressive early in life are more likely to be aggressive in later life • Niv et al. (2013): Up to 41% of the variance in aggression may be caused by genetic factors Hormones • In virtually all societies, males are more aggressive than females ◦ May be because of the presence of the male sex hormone testosterone • People who are highly aggressive have higher levels of testosterone than those who are less aggressive ◦ Testosterone rates are also correlated with level of violence in women Hormones (Continued) • Social Learning Theory: We learn behaviour by observing/modelling others’ behaviour as well as by the presence of punishments and rewards ◦ Males and females are taught different things about costs and benefits of aggression ◦ Males have higher rates of physical aggression ◦ Females are more likely to initiate aggression producing psychological or social harm Hormones (Continued) • High testosterone: ◦ Leads to increased readiness to react aggressively to provocation ◦ Makes people more impatient and irritable • Bi-directional: Testosterone can increase aggression, aggression and aggressive cues can increase levels of testosterone • Neurotransmitter serotonin is also linked to aggression How Do Social Psychological Factors Influence Aggression? • Theories that explain how psychological factors influence aggression: ◦ Frustration-aggression theory ◦ Cognitive-neoassociation theory ◦ Excitation transfer theory ◦ Social learning theory ◦ General aggression model Frustration-Aggression Theory • Frustration always leads to the desire to aggress; all aggression is caused by some form of frustration Displacement • Frustration-aggression theory: When the target of your frustration is not available, you displace your anger on whatever target is available • Tend to displace aggression toward certain people: ◦ Immigrants, the unemployed, welfare recipients, etc. The Impact of Relative Deprivation • Relative deprivation: Discontent caused by belief that you fare poorly compared to people in other groups ◦ Leads to perceived injustice and frustration ◦ People displace their economic frustrations onto minorities Critiques of Frustration-Aggression Theory • Frustration may not lead to aggression, but instead to other emotions, such as disappointment, sadness, and depression • Not all aggression stems from frustration ◦ Frustration is more likely to lead to emotional/hostile aggression rather than instrumental aggression Cognitive-Neoassociation Theory • Any event that leads to negative affect (e.g., heat, pain, unpleasant noises, odors, crowding) can lead to aggression • Aggressive behaviour could include observing the following types of aggression: ◦ Aggression in daily life ◦ Aggression in the media ◦ Reading a story containing aggressive acts Hot Temperatures • As the temperature increases, so does the incidence of aggressive acts (murder, sexual assault, domestic violence, assault) • Heat leads to increased physiological arousal and hostile feelings and thoughts Other Unpleasant Conditions • Aggression is also produced when people experience other bad conditions (pollution, threatened self-esteem, crowding, pain, noise, poverty, etc.) Cues to Aggression • The mere presence of an object associated with aggression can trigger aggressive behaviour Excitation Transfer Theory • Arousal-affect/excitation transfer model: Aggression is influenced by intensity of arousal and type of emotion produced by the stimulus • We misattribute our feelings of arousal caused by other sources to the situation ◦ If there are cues to aggression in the situation, we interpret our arousal as aggression Social Learning Theory • Behaviour is learned by observing or modelling others’ behaviour as well as by the presence of punishments and rewards, or reinforcements ◦ Both of these factors can lead to aggressive behaviour Modelling • Children can learn to engage in aggressive behaviour through watching such behaviour ◦ In real life or through television and movies • Classic experiment: Children who had watched an adult aggress against a Bobo doll replicated much of that behaviour, using the exact same words and actions (Bandura et al., 1963) Reinforcement • Children can receive positive reinforcement for being aggressive ◦ Learning aggression leads to a good outcome makes it more likely that child will engage in aggressive behaviour again in the future General Aggression Model • Both individual differences (genetics, personality, hostility) and situational factors (frustration, aggression cues) lead to aggression-related thoughts, feelings and/or physiological arousal General Aggression Model (Continued) • People vary in their general tendency towards aggression • Exposure to cues to aggression (aggressive word, photo of a weapon, violent movie or video game, songs with violent lyrics) can trigger aggressive thoughts and feelings • Activation of aggressive thoughts and feelings can lead to aggressive behaviour How Does the Media Influence Aggression? • Several factors contribute to the link between media violence and aggression: ◦ Modelling aggression ◦ Priming aggressive thoughts and emotions ◦ Creating physiological arousal ◦ Reducing reactions to aggression Provides Aggressive Models • One way exposure to violence on television can lead to aggression is via modelling • People exposed to media violence learn aggressive ways to act as well as the rewards for this behaviour • Television shows and movies portray the world as full of people who are evil and violent Primes Aggressive Thoughts and Feelings • Exposure to violence in the media primes aggressive thoughts and feelings, which in turn can lead to aggressive behaviour Creates Physiological Arousal • Watching highly violent television leads to physiological arousal ◦ Increase in heart rate, blood pressure, and skin’s conductance of electricity, which in turn can increase aggression • Arousal can energize, or heighten, whatever a person is already feeling ◦ Increases likelihood a person will act on his/her feelings • Arousal can lead to misattribution of the cause of this arousal ◦ May react more strongly if provoked by another person Reduces Reactions to Aggression • Desensitization/dishinhibition: Repeated exposure to violence over time can reduce people’s psychological and physiological reactions to aggressive images ◦ People who are repeatedly exposed to violence in the media show lower levels of arousal in response to aggression images • Desensitization can also reduce people’s inhibitions about engaging in aggressive behaviour How Can We Reduce Aggression? • Ways of reducing aggression: ◦ Punish aggressive behaviour ◦ Model nonaggressive responses ◦ Train in communication and problem-solving skills ◦ Increase empathy Punishing Aggressive Behaviour • Punishment: Provision of unpleasant consequences to try to reduce a negative behaviour ◦ May reduce aggression, but also models the use of aggression Modelling Non-Aggressive Responses • Children can learn and model nonaggressive responses • Parents can also discuss problems of television modelling Training in Communication and Problem Solving Skills • Show people how to respond constructively (rather than aggressively) to frustrating situations • Apologize ◦ Acknowledges wrong-doing and expresses regret • Let the person know you are angry • Distract yourself Increasing Empathy • If we feel empathy towards others, we feel guilty if we hurt them, so we find it harder to aggress against them • Learning information indicating that a person should not be held fully responsible for his/her actions can also reduce our desire for aggression How Does Culture Influence Aggression? • Not all cultures value non-violence to the same degree • Cultural norms and values toward aggression may change over time Prevalence of Aggression • Canada is among the countries with low homicide rates • The U.S. is one of the most violent Western countries • Collectivistic countries tend to have higher rates of aggression ◦ But peer-directed aggression is lower in collectivistic cultures • Child-rearing norms can influence the acceptability of aggression Prevalence of Domestic Violence • Domestic violence is higher in collectivistic cultures ◦ Women in collectivistic countries are more likely to experience physical violence by their husbands • Power-distance: Extent to which status and hierarchical relationships are valued in a culture • Collectivistic cultures often hold more traditional values ◦ Emphasize loyalty and self-sacrifice Sub-Cultural Differences in Aggression • Peaceful societies are found throughout the world ◦ Intense focus on intergroup cooperation ◦ Avoidance of competition ◦ Inhibition of emotions • In the U.S. rates of some types of aggression are higher in the South than those in the Northeast and Midwest ◦ Culture of honour in the American South promotes certain types of aggressive acts (those that serve to protect oneself and defend one’s honour)