Aggression
Behaviour with the intention to harm another person who does not want to be harmed.
What does Aggression Look like?
Have you ever flared up at someone without realizing it? You may have acted impulsively out of anger or other intense emotions. This type of reaction is called aggression, or specifically, hostile aggression. It occurs when you react violently often as a result of an emotional outburst. Maybe someone wronged you, or provoked you to act that way. Or perhaps you acted aggressively because you wanted to gain something (instrumental aggression). Whatever the cause may be, being aware of the common factors that lead to aggression and methods to avoid reacting aggressively can lead to more positive interactions with others.
The Aggressive Behaviour Assessment
Types of Aggression
Instrumental
Planned aggression with the purpose of achieving a goal.
Hostile
Often manifests as an emotional and/or impulsive outburst. Motivated by feelings of anger.
Environmental Causes of Aggression
1. Dehumanization
Dehumanization can be described as viewing a certain group of people as less of a human than they are by denying them of human qualities or attributing nonhuman qualities to them. Dehumanization is a way for people to ignore the humanity of a certain group and create a distance from them through their perceived lack of humanity in the other group. When someone dehumanizes a group, they are more likely to act aggressively towards them because they don't view them as humans, and treat them like so. Not only will dehumanization increase engagement in aggressive behaviour, but also push people to condone violence towards the dehumanized groups.
2. Social Rejection
Being ignored or rejected never feels good. It activates a stress response that can increase aggression in some people through aggressive thoughts and actions.
3. Exposure to Aggressive Cues
Aggressive cues are things in your environment that are associated with violent or aggressive concepts that increases (generally by a small amount) the possibility of aggressive behaviour. The presence of anger or frustration when exposed to aggressive cues is a key factor for increased aggression.
A typical example is the weapons effect: a situation where aggression is increased because of exposure to an object that is associated with aggression and violence (such as weapons).
It is important to also keep in mind that aggressive cues are unique to each individual, as associations have to be made. Someone who watches many horror or thriller movies might view kitchen knives as violent objects, but a professional chef who uses them daily for cooking would (likely) not.
4. Exposure to Violent Media
People who are already prone to aggressive behaviour are more likely to have increased aggression after exposure to violent media. This can be explained by how increased arousal through violent media can lead to increased aggressive thoughts that can then lead to aggressive actions. If the audience perceives the violence as justified, or identifies with the person committing the violent acts, then they are more likely to act aggressively after watching the violent media.
Though the general influence of violent media is small, there is still a relationship between aggression and violent media; further studies need to be conducted to confirm any cause and effect in the relationship.
5. Frustration/Aggression Hypothesis
The frustration/aggression hypothesis describes the idea where if you think that you are being prevented from reaching a goal, then the chances of (hostile) aggressive behaviour increases. This hypothesis ties the relationship between disappointment and investment, as the more you invest into a goal, the more disappointed you will be if you are prevented from reaching it (especially if you were close to obtaining it), thus reacting more aggressively since your efforts went to waste.
This hypothesis also applies to situations where you think you were not given what you deserve (relative deprivation). Since you were given less than you expected, you are likely to act aggressively since you feel that you were treated wrongly. It is especially true for situations when someone similar to you, such as your peer, was given what you think you deserve as well.
6. Misattribution of Physiological Arousal
Sometimes, when we are not aware of it, we blame the cause of our pain or discomfort on the wrong thing, leading to increased aggression towards the incorrect target. It's normal to feel irritable when we are feeling unpleasant sensations, but if we're not aware of why we are feeling discomfort, we may mistakenly direct our anger on others.
What makes that group any less human than you are?
It's best to welcome others (or at least be polite)!
Are you really feeling violent, or is there something in your environment provoking you?
Are you acting violently because there is a need to act aggressively, or are you influenced by violent media?
Expect the unexpected! There might be better things in store in the future.
Are you really mad at X, or are you just physically uncomfortable because the weather is so hot today?
Ways to Reduce Aggresion
Below are a few ways of reducing aggressive behaviour. Of course, any method not mentioned below that works for you or others you know are totally valid! Let us know about your technique for reducing aggression and we'll include it in our list!
Thinking from Different Perspectives
Helps to understand other peoples' behaviour and intention (or lack thereof), thereby reducing the likelihood of reacting aggressively
Improving Problem-solving Skills
Working on our analytical skills helps us look at logical ways of solving problems, and helps curb frustration.
Adopting Nonaggressive Responses
Learning to react - especially when provoked by others - in nonaggressive ways increases the chances of acting less aggressively in the future
Improving Communication Skills
Open communication is key to resolving many conflicts!