Human behavior can try to cause physical or psychological injury to other people {aggression, behavior}|. Aggressive behavior is either fear/submission behavior or preparation to fight.
purposes
Aggression exercises or tests power. Aggression is also for defense and self-protection. In animals, aggression settles status, dominance order, and possession of, or access to, objects and territories.
causes
Direct aggression causes include consciously desiring to kill or harm someone, feeling anger, feeling fear, feeling anxiety, feeling inadequate, wanting approval from one's group, being blocked or delayed during goal-directed behavior, being denied gratification, being threatened, facing disrespect, having one's dignity or pride threatened or reduced, having group or personal symbols desecrated, having internal conflicts, committing crime already, and competing with others.
causes: competition
Competition causes aggression. Human males compete for females. Children fight to obtain or retain objects, positions, or activities. Children defend against adult aggression.
causes: frustration
Aggression results from frustration, but frustration can have other results {frustration-aggression hypothesis}. Removing or altering frustration cause can reduce aggression.
causes: arousal
Aggression level relates to activity level. Lowering arousal, acquisitiveness, or assertiveness lowers aggressiveness.
causes: biology
Hormones directly affect aggressive behavior. Aggression level in boys stays constant from age three to adulthood.
responses
Aggressive behavior typically causes withdrawal behavior in people aggressed against.
People can diffuse aggression by diverting attention, leaving people alone, substituting for behavior cause, removing behavior cause, or ignoring behavior.
Coaxing, soothing, reasoning, scolding, and giving up do not lessen aggression. Allowing aggression increases it. Low punishment encourages aggression. Fear of retaliation or punishment inhibits aggression.
Successful aggression causes imitation by others, even if they have no frustration.
aggression between groups
Group aggression against another group depends on member feelings about their group, knowledge of other group, approval from their group, and reinforcement.
aggression in group
In groups with aggressive individuals, stability can happen only at specific proportions of conventional and vicious fighters.
Aggressive acts reduce urge to aggress {catharsis, aggression}|.
People can direct aggression toward something that cannot retaliate or punish them {displacement, aggression}|.
Animals look into each other's eyes {eye contact}| {mutual gaze}, often for aggression. Animals can avert gaze after eye contact, to show submission. Animals can have eyespots, which can be threats.
Postures {threat posture}| can elaborate or ritualize into symbols, to show aggression.
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Date Modified: 2022.0225