1

Aggression: intent is to injure another who

does not want to be injured.
Even

if you dont succeed

Words count

Instrumental Aggression: Harm inflicted as a

means to a desired end.

Emotional Aggression: Harm inflicted for its

own sake.

Direct

Emotional

Instrumental

Indirect

An employee gets
angry and throws a
chair at his/her
boss

At night, an angry
tenant deflates the
tires of his/her
landlords car

A bank robber
shoots a guard who
intervenes in the
robbery

A woman interested
in dating a man asks
a friend to tell him a
vicious rumor about
his current girlfriend.
4

Violence: Extreme acts of (usually physical)

aggression (behavioral).

Anger: Feelings of displeasure in response to

a perceived injury (affective).

Hostility: Negative, antagonistic attitude

toward a person or group (cognitive).

Ages 14-24 most involved in violent crime.

Most violent crime (especially murder) is

intraracial.

The South, followed by the West, has a

higher murder rate than the East.

Men both kill and are murdered more than

women.

Physical aggression is higher for males, even

in children ages 3 to 6.

Verbal and relational aggression higher for

females (even preschoolers)
socially

manipulating others, gossip, and

backstabbing
In young adulthood, men increase verbal and
relational aggression reduce physical

Situations affect the sex difference in

physical aggression:
Neutral

conditions males are more aggressive

When provoked, differences disappear
Men are quicker to aggress
If women can hide aggression (i.e.,
anonymity), rates are comparable to mens

Evolutionary Psychology: emphasizes genetic

survival
Male

to male violence status or power challenges.

Male to female violence sexual jealousy.

Behavioral Genetics : innate aggressive

personality is stable trait from age 8 on.

10

Do male hormones cause aggression?

Correlation b/w testosterone and physical

aggression

Transsexuals taking hormones to change

sex aggression increased w/ more
testosterone

11

Serotonin: neurotransmitter that sends

messages to brain to restrain acts of
aggression.
Low

levels of serotonin associated with high

levels of aggression.
Drugs containing it dampen aggression.

12

Aggressive behavior is strongly affected by

learning.
Positive

reinforcement: Aggression produces

desired outcomes.
Negative reinforcement: Aggression prevents or
stops undesirable outcomes.

13

Punishment decrease aggression when it:

Immediately

follows the aggressive behavior

Is strong enough to deter the aggressor and
Is consistently applied and perceived as
fair/legitimate by the aggressor.

But, it also provides a model and can

increase aggressiveness

14

Social Learning Theory: We learn from models,

not just directly.
Models

who are rewarded are most powerful

But...punishment may also increase a models

power. How?

15

By watching aggressive models, people:

Learn

specific aggressive behaviors.

Develop more positive attitudes/beliefs about
aggression.
Construct aggressive scripts.

Non-aggressive models decrease aggressive

behavior.

16

Social roles influence sex differences in

aggression.
Physical

aggression socially approved for boys

Indirect, relational aggression socially
approved for girls

If social norms are relaxed, females are as

aggressive as males.

17

Culture of Honor: Emphasize honor and

status for men role of aggression in
protecting that honor.
Machismo

18

More than 1 in 10 teens experience physical

violence in their dating relationships.
Between 91-95% of all documented reports of
adult domestic violence are women abused
by their male partners.
The rate of violence in gay and lesbian
relationships is estimated to be about the
same as in heterosexual couples (around 2030%)
30% of all women are murdered in the U.S.
are killed by their husbands or boyfriend.

19

Almost 25% of pregnant women seeking

prenatal care have been battered during
pregnancy.
1/3 of reported relationship violence assaults
include the use of a weapon and/or result in
serious bodily injury.
Although alcohol is not necessarily a
determining factor, it often acts as an excuse
for batterers.
1 out of every 6 college women reported
experiencing forceful attempts at sexual
intercourse.
20

1 out of every 15 male college students

reported committing a rape or attempting to
commit rape during the preceding year.
1/3 of college men said that they would have
sex with an unwilling partner if they thought
they could get away with it.
55% of men who raped said they had sex again
with their victim.
84% of college men whose behavior meets the
legal definition of sexual assault do not think
of what they did as sexual assault.

21

75-90% of acquaintance rapes on college

campuses involve alcohol.
3 per 1,000 college students are HIV positive and
over 1,000,000 teens get pregnant annually.
Less than 3% of all sexual assault allegations turn
out to be false.
Of the college rapes and sexual assaults reported
to police, only 10% result in criminal
prosecution.
Over 70% of teens who are sexually assaulted will
not tell their parents, but will tell a friend
42% of college women who are raped tell no one
about their assault
22

Lowest in dating, engaged, and married

couples.
Highest in cohabitating couples. Why?

Multiple Causes:
1.
Alcohol/drug abuse
2.
Stress
3.
Conflict
4.
Social isolation
5.
Violent family
6.
Attitudes about violence
23

Fear
Economic dependence
Confusion
Lack of info about differences b/w
control, jealousy and love
Hope/belief that person will change
Risk of
Not being taken seriously or believed
Being judged a bad partner

24

Severe abuse is most likely inflicted by

family.
Boys suffer more physical abuse than girls
mothers physically abuse more than fathers.
Girls suffer more sexual abuse that boys
fathers sexually abuse more than mothers.

25

26

A. inhibition.
B. catharsis.
C. social

learning.
D. reactance.

27

A.
B.
C.
D.

displacement.
pluralistic ignorance.
habituation.
catharsis.

28

A.
B.
C.
D.

vicarious aggression.
inhibition.
displacement.
instrumental aggression.

29

A.
B.
C.
D.

instrumental aggression
negative reinforcement
incompatible responses
emotional aggression

30

A.
B.
C.
D.

stems primarily from aggressive drives

passed along through genes.
Is based almost completely on a societys
orientation toward aggression.
is influenced by biological factors
interacting with sociocultural factors.
develops from sociocultural factors, and is
passed on genetically through a process of
evolution.

31

A.
B.
C.
D.

increases anxiety and increases attention

to cues.
increases anxiety and decreases attention
to cues.
decreases anxiety and increases attention
to cues.
decreases anxiety and decreases
attention to cues.
32

A.
B.
C.
D.

women, men
men, women
men, men
women, women

33

A.
B.
C.
D.

low levels of testosterone.

high levels of dopamine.
low levels of serotonin.
high levels of estrogen.

34

A.
B.
C.
D.

emotional aggression.
instrumental aggression.
prosocial modeling.
gender differences in aggression.

35

A.
B.
C.
D.

males acceptance of rape myths.

males use of alcohol.
males acceptance of sex-role
stereotyping.
all of the above.

36

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

B
C
C
D
C
D
C
C
B
D
37