Research Analysis and Proposal: What Causes Aggression
What Causes Aggression? An Analysis of the Data
Cody Rogers
Psychology 264, Social Psychology
April 4, 2013
Paul Rabideau
What causes Aggression? An Analysis of the Data According to statistics from the American Justice Department, in 2011, there were nearly 16,000 violent crimes committed in America on a daily basis. These violent crimes include aggravated assault, which is defined as “attempting to cause, purposely, or knowingly cause bodily injury to another with a deadly weapon,” but does not include non-aggravated assault, such as third degree assault, which is “causing bodily harm to another person either on purpose or because of reckless acts…which could be caused by their own negligence or even by accident.” This staggering statistic leaves the general public wondering: what causes the aggression behind these crimes. Aggression is “intentional action aimed at doing harm or causing pain.” The action could be either physical or verbal, whether the action is successful or not, it would still be defined as aggression. Over the years, many psychologists have tried to find a solid answer to this question. Some have proposed that aggression is instinctual, because in the past, aggression may have been an attractive trait to females because aggressive males could provide greater protection (Aronson, 2010, p.353). Others have claimed that aggression is situational, or caused by priming, such as watching a violent movie or television show (Aronson, 2010, p.354). Yet some claim that aggression is an optional strategy, and that it is determined by past experiences as well as the current situational context (Aronson, 2010, p.355). Does culture have an effect on aggression? There have been countless experiments conducted to attempt to determine the true cause of aggressive behaviors. First, I will analyze the research and experiments related to instinctual aggression, situational aggression, and optional aggression. Second, I will
Cody Rogers
Psychology 264, Social Psychology
April 4, 2013
Paul Rabideau
What causes Aggression? An Analysis of the Data According to statistics from the American Justice Department, in 2011, there were nearly 16,000 violent crimes committed in America on a daily basis. These violent crimes include aggravated assault, which is defined as “attempting to cause, purposely, or knowingly cause bodily injury to another with a deadly weapon,” but does not include non-aggravated assault, such as third degree assault, which is “causing bodily harm to another person either on purpose or because of reckless acts…which could be caused by their own negligence or even by accident.” This staggering statistic leaves the general public wondering: what causes the aggression behind these crimes. Aggression is “intentional action aimed at doing harm or causing pain.” The action could be either physical or verbal, whether the action is successful or not, it would still be defined as aggression. Over the years, many psychologists have tried to find a solid answer to this question. Some have proposed that aggression is instinctual, because in the past, aggression may have been an attractive trait to females because aggressive males could provide greater protection (Aronson, 2010, p.353). Others have claimed that aggression is situational, or caused by priming, such as watching a violent movie or television show (Aronson, 2010, p.354). Yet some claim that aggression is an optional strategy, and that it is determined by past experiences as well as the current situational context (Aronson, 2010, p.355). Does culture have an effect on aggression? There have been countless experiments conducted to attempt to determine the true cause of aggressive behaviors. First, I will analyze the research and experiments related to instinctual aggression, situational aggression, and optional aggression. Second, I will