Aggression

Aggression is any behavior or action intended to harm others. While multiple definitions exist in the literature, it is generally described as any behavior directed toward a living being with the intention of causing harm.

Types of Aggressive Behavior

• Physical Aggression: Refers to behaviors that cause physical harm to the target individual, such as hitting or injuring.
• Verbal Aggression: Involves using verbal means to harm the target, such as insults or demeaning statements.
• Hostile Aggression: Actions carried out with malicious intent and the purpose of causing harm, which are not sanctioned by law or society. Murder and assassination are cited as examples.
• Prosocial Aggression: Aggression that is socially approved when carried out within the moral standards of a group. Parental discipline is an example.
• Permitted Aggression: Aggressive acts that are not required by social norms but do not violate them. Self-defense is an example.

Sources of Aggressive Feelings

Aggressive feeling is an internal state that cannot be directly observed. It arises in different forms and from various sources. Some of these sources include:

• Instinct: This theory, once accepted by psychologists, has been largely abandoned.
• Frustration: Individuals who are disturbed or attacked by third parties tend to feel aggression toward the source of the disturbance.
• Blocking: One of the fundamental propositions in psychology is that “blocking tends to provoke aggressive feelings.” Aggression is especially likely when blocking is perceived as arbitrary.
• Emotional Arousal: When individuals react to behaviors in their environment by interpreting them as hostile, they experience anger, which may then lead to aggression depending on the context.

Based on these examples, the causes of aggression are examined in two categories: internal and external. Instinct and sociobiological factors represent internal causes, while social factors such as learning are prominent external causes. Both overly controlled and overly uncontrolled behaviors, as well as certain illnesses, increase the likelihood of aggression. From a sociological perspective, economic poverty and social unrest are among the main causes of aggression. The ecological model developed by World Health Organization identifies poverty and economic inequality as social factors contributing to violence. According to this model, poverty hinders efforts to prevent violence and exacerbates the divide between social groups. Half of the world’s poor population lives in conflict zones, with examples including Somalia and Afghanistan.

Factors Influencing Aggressive Behavior

Individuals are more likely to display aggressive behavior when they feel angry. However, not all anger results in aggression. People often become angry yet behave peacefully or refrain from aggression altogether. In summary, anger alone is not sufficient to cause aggression. Examples of influencing factors include:

• Learning: Unlike in animals, aggression in humans is not instinctual; it emerges based on how it is learned.
• Reinforcement: When aggression is rewarded, individuals are more likely to repeat it.
• Modeling: Individuals, especially children, tend to imitate those they perceive as powerful.
• Provocation: Frequent exposure to cues that trigger aggression is also considered a contributing factor.

The characteristics of the aggressor influence the act of aggression, but sometimes the characteristics of the victim can also serve as contributing factors. For example, the target’s gender, sexual orientation, religious identity, race, and ethnic background may play a role.

Reducing Aggression

The origin, development, manifestation, and influencing factors of aggression are highly complex, and social psychologists have yet to reach consensus on many aspects. One area of agreement is the need to reduce aggression and its effects. This behavior, which constitutes a global challenge, must be mitigated for vital reasons.

According to Freud’s catharsis theory, aggression is similar to eating. When a person is hungry and eats, their hunger gradually diminishes and ends. Aggression, similarly, is thought to follow this pattern. Fear of punishment is also one of the factors that reduce aggression. The presence of a credible deterrent lowers an individual’s level of aggression.

Relying solely on external factors to reduce aggression is certainly not entirely effective. Therefore, self-control is crucial. Individuals must possess the ability to regulate their own behavior. Signs of distress displayed by the victim—Bitter—tend to inhibit further aggression, except in cases of extreme anger. On the other hand, increased economic well-being also contributes to reducing aggression.