Agression Breeds Agression - Essay Example

Aggression breeds Aggression Number Number Teacher’s Due Aggression breeds Aggression Aggression as a social problem is a well-documented phenomenon. Theorists of psychology have worked extensively upon aggression and its ramifications in general and its effects upon the society in particular. The effects that aggression has on the individual are also an important part of the study of aggression and this must be done in relation to the effects of social nurture upon the individual. The forces of the society often induce aggression in people and this may then lead to a chain reaction where aggression leads to aggression.

This paper shall seek to provide an analysis of this phenomenon and provide a few causes for it. According to Kamal E. Morsy, aggression is often viewed in a negative way as a result of its anti-social nature. Aggression, he says, is of three kinds- “anti-social” (against the individual and the society), “pro-social” (warding off aggression against oneself and one’s country through aggression) and “sanctioned” (retaliation or revenge). An understanding of these three forms of aggression is necessary as they are inter-related.

The first form of aggression in the list is often cited as the reason for the other two (Morsy, n.d.). This shows one how the different forms of aggression are related and lead t each other. Aggression thus, leads to aggression. For instance, an act of aggression against oneself or one’s own country would lead to the development of an aggressive mentality. This would then be the seed from which aggressive actions can develop. These actions may be the result of a threat of aggression or retaliation against actual violence that is perpetrated.

In the case of the latter, violence that may be perpetrated against oneself or against members of one’s own community may lead to further aggression. The process of the genesis of aggression is thus a complex process and not something that is based merely on bodily harm. Aggression is as much a mental process as it is a physical process and this increases the chances of it shaping itself into a chain reaction. Tendencies towards aggression develop early. Researches into these have been conducted and have revealed the effects of physical violence on children as a cause for further violence.

Spanking, researchers found out, was one of the main causes that led to the development of anxiety in children. This anxiety would then lead to aggressive tendencies. The research was conducted over a wide range through interviews of parents of different countries and social backgrounds. This proves that aggression is caused by the initial aggression that is practiced upon children by parents as a part of a process of disciplining. Verbal punishment, which is not aggression of a physical kind but a mental kind, reveals no such effects (Society for Research in Child Development, 2005).

Disciplining children through practices of aggression are thus the result of further aggression that may be the result of the child feeling that aggression is sanctioned by the parent. Spanking and other forms of physical punishment are thus, not effective forms of disciplining children and they cause long-term damage to the psyche of the child. James P. Morgan in his book, Psychology of Aggression talks of the inter-related causes of aggression. The roots of aggression are located in the familial, social and other forces.

All of these are related to each other and are the causes of “modern war to squabbles between individuals”. The fact that each of these causes are related prove the assumption that aggression is a complex phenomenon and the forces that lead to it are a part of a complex web where each reinforces the other (Morgan, 2005). One can safely say that aggression leads to aggression whereby one act provides the impetus for the other. Unearthing the different networks that are a part of this web and tracing their roots is important.

As has been seen in the past, acts of aggression that have been committed against people and communities have often ended with disastrous consequences. The two World Wars are a proof of this whereby aggression fed off earlier aggression, pulling the countries of the world into violence of an escalating level. The levels of violence went on increasing, having started from small incidents that were not addressed at local and national levels. The need to curb aggression is what led to the creation of the United Nations.

Even at an individual level, the prevention of aggression can be achieved through an understanding of the complexity of the phenomenon and knowledge of the fact that the phenomenon operates as a chain. References Morgan, James P. (2005). Psychology of Aggression. Ed. Morgan, James. New York, Nova Science. Morsy, Kamal E. “Psychology of Aggression”. Journal of Social Sciences. Retrieved May 22, 2012, from http://www.pubcouncil.kuniv.edu.kw/jss/english/showarticle.asp?id=1179 Society for Research in Child Development (2005, November 14).

Spanking Leads To Child Aggression And Anxiety, Regardless Of Cultural Norm. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 22, 2012, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2005/11/051114110820.htm