Connections between Self-View and Aggression - Essay Example

? Module 6 Quiz Questions What are the connections between self-view and aggression? Give a specific example to support your answer. The assumption that low self – views are associated with higher aggression has been held for a long time; and research evidence has also been found for the same. Studies like the one conducted by Donnellan et al. (2005) have found a negative relationship shared by Self Esteem with various measures of Aggression. Thus, in samples of college students, there seems to be a tendency for students with lower Self Esteem to exhibit higher anger, physical aggression and hostile feeling towards others (Donnellan et al., 2005). This may be explained as a balancing strategy, wherein the individual uses aggression as a means of relieving distress and feeling better about themselves (Toch, 1993). A person with a lower Self Image may also believe that he/she has no place in society and thus wishes to reject the said society and its social rules. Aggression would be one way of exhibiting these emotions. An example would be of a person who believes that he/she is not capable of coping with the stresses of life. They would be over-whelmed by events, and would harbor anger about mistakes and negative experiences. Since they feel incapable of resolving the situations at hand; they may become defensive when mistakes are pointed out; and may respond aggressively (Toch, 1993). On the other hand, an individual who has high self esteem and self view is more likely to associate with positive behavior to maintain this self view; and thus is less likely to act aggressively (Toch, 1993). References Donnellan, M. B., Trzesniewski, K. H., Robins, R. W., Moffitt, T. E., & Caspi, A. (2005). Low self-esteem is related to aggression, antisocial behavior, and delinquency. Psychological Science, 16, 328-335. Toch, H. (1993). Violent men: An inquiry into the psychology of violence. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.? 2. Analyze the effect of emotions on health with reference to the biological component of stress. Although the stress response of an individual is often described with respect to its cognitive and emotional aspects; it has a strong physical component as well. When a person experiences stress, the brain triggers a pituitary and adrenal response that floods the body with corticosteroids; which in turn triggers the flight or fight response by triggering the release of Epinephrine(Aldwin, 2007). The hypothalamus and Amygdala are also triggered, and the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis monitors the levels of Cortisol that are released and sustained (Ron de Kloet, Joels & Holsboer, 2005). When a stress response is extended or chronic, the high levels of Cortisol can cause the breakdown of the smooth functioning of various bodily systems like the cardiovascular system, musculoskeletal system, digestive system, and the immune system (Ron de Kloet, Joels & Holsboer, 2005). Emotions are controlled by the Amygdala, which plays a valuable role in the stress control pathway or the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis (Aldwin, 2007). Emotional arousal can trigger the stress-response and thus, trigger the production of Cortisol. When a person experiences a stressful situation for a long time; they are likely to have high levels of Cortisol in the body (Aldwin, 2007). Thus, emotionally charged situations can lead to physical symptoms associated with various bodily systems and can include stomach upsets, aches and pains, reduced energy and immunity and an experience of exhaustion (Ron de Kloet, Joels & Holsboer, 2005). References Aldwin, C. (2007). Stress, Coping, and Development, (2nd ed). New York: The Guilford Press. Ron de Kloet, E; Joels, M. & Holsboer, F. (2005). Stress and the brain: from adaptation to disease. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 6 (6): 463–475.? 3. Assess the learned component of anxiety with reference to at least two major theories. Anxiety is an emotional response to stressful situations; but some people are more likely to feel anxious in stressful situations as compared to others. Individual differences in anxiety are evident in the study of anxiety disorders; and there have been a number of attempts to understand the mechanism that governs anxiety (Conger & Galambos, 1997). There is evidence for a distinct learned component in the way people experience and display anxiety. Research by Ginsburg (2009) has provided evidence for the role of social learning. The Theory of Social Learning described by Bandura states that individuals and particularly children learn behaviors and thought patterns by modeling those depicted by significant others. Evidence for the social learning of anxiety has been found that children of parents with anxiety related conditions are far more likely than other children to display heightened anxiety since they see their parents also doing so. Another possibility is that anxiety is a learned response to difficult situations, and people can become conditioned to respond with anxiety in similar situations (Conger & Galambos, 1997). Skinner’s theory of instrumental conditioning states that people make associations between stimuli and responses; and learn to display certain behavior when particular stimuli are produced. Thus, an individual who experiences anxiety during a stressful situation a number of times and then the situation gets resolved; is likely to exhibit the same anxiety each time a similar situation comes up (Conger & Galambos, 1997). References Conger J.J. & Galambos N.L. (1997). Adolescence and youth: psychological development in a changing world. Cornell University: Longman publications. Ginsburg, G. S. (in press). The Child Anxiety Prevention Study (CAPS): Intervention model and primary outcomes. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. ? 4. What are the implications of Lazarus’s conception of happiness? Lazarus proposed that emotions played a very important role in human functioning; and should be considered when trying to understand how people respond to different situations (Lazarus, 1991). According to Lazarus, happiness was a state that an individual achieved when they believed that they had made important progress towards a particular goal state. Thus, happiness was a positive by-product of having chosen successful actions that brought the individual closer to the goal; and thus helped the individual decide to favor the said action in future situations (Oatley, Kelter & Jenkins, 2006). Happiness conceived in this manner has certain implications in human learning. Primarily, it helps in identifying relationships between the person and the environment (Lazarus, 1991). Happiness is a response to a positive environment in which goals are met, and a response to activities and events that produce positive responses. Thus it also helps in identifying valuable events and behaviors that lead to goal fulfillment (Oatley, Kelter & Jenkins, 2006). Happiness also helps in defining the personal belief system and the way a person views themselves in context to the environment (Lazarus, 1991). If an individual has more positive experiences, they are likely to view themselves in a positive manner. And finally, it provides feedback about the importance of the situation and a reference point for further choices such that situations leading to happiness are preferred to those that do not produce happiness (Oatley, Kelter & Jenkins, 2006). References Lazarus, R.S. (1991). Emotion and Adaptation. New York, NY: Oxford Press. Oatley, K., Kelter, D. & Jenkins, J.M. (2006). Understanding Emotions. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.? 5. How does Dember and Earl’s theory of exploratory behavior explain children’s preference for complexity? Dember and Earl have discussed the relationship between individuals’ curiosity, and manipulation and exploration of a stimulus and the complexity of that stimulus. According to them, people are more intrigued with stimulus that are more complex; and show more curiosity about and pay more attention to stimuli that show higher complexity as compared to those with los complexity (Switzky, Haywood & Isett, 1974). But as complexity increases and exceeds the person’s ability to process it; they lose interest again (Wohlwill, 1975). Studies that evaluated how children reacted to complexity showed that 4 – 7 year old children spent more time playing with objects that provided more complexity and less with simple objects (Switzky, Haywood & Isett, 1974). Two year olds showed a curvilinear response, as did participants in a study by Wholwill (1975). In Wholwill’s study, children paid more attention as a function of complexity; and preferred stimuli with a moderate level of complexity. It may be that children use the opportunity to explore complex stimuli as this helps them in skill and cognitive development. When an object poses very high complexity; the child may not be able to process all the information; and thus becomes confused (Switzky, Haywood & Isett, 1974). If the child feels that it is unable to work out the object, it may choose to leave it and move onto another object in order to reduce distress. References Switzky, H.N., Haywood, H.C. & Isett, R. (1974). Exploration, curiosity, and play in young children: Effects of stimulus complexity. Developmental Psychology, 10(3), 321-329. Wohlwill, J.F. (1975). Children's responses to meaningful pictures varying in diversity: Exploration time vs. preference, Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 20(2), 341-351. Read More