Aggression
Definition
Aggression is any physical or verbal behavior intended to harm or destroy.
Analogy
Think of aggression like a fire. It can be sparked by various sources, it can cause damage if not controlled, and it can manifest in different forms - sometimes as a small flame (verbal insult), other times as a raging inferno (physical violence).
Related terms
Instrumental Aggression: Instrumental aggression refers to harmful behavior enacted in order to achieve a specific goal.
Hostile Aggression: Hostile aggression is aggressive behavior driven by anger and performed as an end in itself.
Passive Aggression: Passive-aggressive behavior is indirect expression of hostility such as procrastination, stubbornness, or deliberate/repeated failure to accomplish requested tasks for which one is responsible.
"Aggression" appears in:
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Practice Questions (20+)
- What kind of experimental design could effectively study the influence of neighborhood environment on genetic predispositions for aggression?
- What reflects how our understanding of hormonal influences on aggression has evolved?
- Which innovative procedure might best examine the link between brain structure and aggression in humans?
- Billy shows anger and aggression issues in school; what type of therapy might help him deal with this issue?
- How does observational learning contribute to aggression according to Albert Bandura's Bobo doll experiment?
- Which term describes aggression as an innate, unlearned behavior pattern exhibited by all members of a species?
- What does the social learning theory suggest about aggression?
- Which psychological theory would explain aggression as a learned behavior?
- Which theory explains aggression as a learned behavior?
- If an individual displays aggression consistently, which psychological approach would most likely attribute this behavior to learned responses?
- According to the social learning theory, how might aggression be learned within a family?
- What explains why certain situations trigger aggression more than others?
- Which model proposes aggression as an instinctual behavior with survival value?
- How might evolutionary psychology explain aggression as a survival tool?
- How did Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theory alter our understanding of aggression?
- Why could a psychological experiment employing aggression as a tool be considered ethically questionable?
- Why might using aggression as a therapeutic technique in psychological practice be ethically problematic?
- Which of these describes an application of psychoanalytic theories about aggression in society?
- In terms of aggression, what does Bandura's social learning theory primarily emphasize?
- How does anthropological research on cross-cultural variations impact our understanding of aggression?
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