Instrumental Aggression
Definition
Instrumental aggression refers to harmful behavior enacted in order to achieve a specific goal.
Analogy
Consider instrumental aggression as using boxing gloves in a match. The punches thrown are aggressive and may hurt the opponent, but they're done with the aim of winning the match rather than causing harm for harm's sake.
Related terms
Aggression: Aggression is any physical or verbal behavior intended to harm or destroy.
Relational Aggression: Relational aggression involves harming others through damaging their relationships or social status.
Proactive Aggression: Proactive aggression involves initiating aggressive acts without provocation in order to achieve personal goals.
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