Comparing and contrasting the major theories of aggression - Essay Example

Comparing and contrasting the major theories of aggression Comparing and contrasting the major theories of aggression Aggression is a quality of anger and determination that makes a person ready to attack other people. It is a violent and attacking behaviour intended to harm other people. Aggression is an emotional reaction of the mind and is common in all human beings. It is an act of hostility that inflicts pain either physically or emotionally. There are two distinct, types of aggression. Hostile or hot aggression involves doing something out of anger to get satisfaction.

Instrumental aggression involves doing something aggressively to get an environmental reward (Anderson, 2004). Aggression has five theories, which include frustration-aggression theory, social learning theory, biological theory, cognitive theory and instinct theory. This paper will review the comparisons and contrasts of major theories of aggression.Frustration-aggression theory occurs when someone fails to achieve a certain goal. This leads to frustration. Social theory holds that people learn behaviours through direct experience and observation.

Social learning demonstration occurs when children learn aggressive behaviours by observing and copying adult with aggressive behaviours (Joseph, 2011). Biological theory states that biological factors expose some people toward aggression and that an aggressive tendency cannot be inherited. Cognitive theory holds that aggression comes from cognitive factors like attributions and memories. Instinct theory holds that aggression levels vary in different societies.Aggression could be caused and triggered by factors like alcohol, watching horror movies, heat and gender.

Watching horror movies make people get aggressive ideas (Barbara, 2001). In respect to gender analysis, males are easily aggressive compared to their female counterparts. Alcohol impairs a person’s judgement capacity and reasoning capabilities which mostly provoke aggression. People exposed to hot weather tend to be more aggressive. Overcrowding attributes to rise in aggression levels. People in overcrowded areas tend to get angry easily. This can be explained by traffic jams where people tend to raise their aggression levels while stuck in heavy traffic.

Noise is another contributing factor to aggression. Unwanted and unpredictable loud noise causes negative effects. Drive theory also known as Drive Reduction Theory occurs when people get an internal stimulation to act in order to satisfy a need. The theory holds that aggression develops from external conditions that compel an individual to harm others. Drive theory involves tension created when needs of certain organisms, born psychologically impaired become unsatisfied. This drives one to look for help in satisfying the need.

Primary reactions drive one to perceive basic needs and procreation. Secondary reactions drive one to look for help in social and identity factors. People act to satisfy needs and in the process form habits and unconscious response to conditions. This brings about behaviour change (Hull, 2003). When enforcing of drives become frustrated or the expected action fails to satisfy, needs, anxiety and other negative emotions might be experienced. Drive theory suggests that when the drive is low, performance decreases and will increase when the drive is high.

John D and his colleagues, in their theory, stated that frustration causes aggression. In addition, the frustration–aggression hypothesis theory stated that aggression gets displaced onto an innocent person when the cause of frustration goes unchallenged. General Aggression Model (GAM) being a mental process of leaning and understanding includes self and biological factors working together to achieve physiological, emotional and behavioural changes. In conclusion, all factors that relate to any form of aggression are as a result of the frustrations that one experiences from time to time.

ReferencesAnderson, C. A., & Charlotte, N. L. (2004). The Social psychology of good and evil. New York: Guilford Publications. Barbara, K. (2001). The Social psychology of aggression. Chicago: Bantam Books.Hull, C. (2003). Principles of Behavior. New York: Free Press. Joseph, P. F. (2011).The Psychology of social conflict and aggression: Atlanta: Psychology Press.