Aggression Definitions and Perspectives Why study Aggression A
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Aggression: Definitions and Perspectives
Why study Aggression? • A crime is committed – every • A violent crime is committed – every • • Assault every A robbery every A rape every A murder every • Regions of the US – – South West Midwest Northeast • Lets look at “today” - CNN. com
Past • Court Records – Not all still exist – Most pertain to homicide • Long downward trend since midfourteenth century – From 20/100, 000 in 1200 – To 1. 5/100, 000 in 1800 • Continued to drop until 1950 s –. 3/100, 000 in 1951 • Creep back up in last 50 years – 1/100, 000 in 1981
Serious violent crime levels declined since 1993
What is Aggression? • The scientific study of affect, behavior, cognition, and physiology/biology. - Cognition: Internal mental processes of the individual - Affect: Subjective feeling states - Behavior: Any action that can be observed and recorded - Physiology/Biology: How body/brain influence above • The scientific study of “people” in “situations”. • Aggression encompasses many different types of behaviors in many different kinds of situations
What is Aggression? • • Physical, emotional, psychological Minor, severe Human, animal, natural forces Accidental, intentional Socially approved, disapproved Legally approved, illegal Justification, no justification Each person perceiving it differently, why?
What is violence? • Violence » • Aggression »
What causes Aggression? • Biology/Physiology? (including neurotransmitters, hormones, personality traits, evolution, genetics • Cognition? (including thoughts, attributional bias, threatened egotism, cognitive priming • Affect? (emotional reactions including frustration-aggression, excitationtransfer • Behavior • Situation? (external factors such as culture, social learning, media,
