How To Control Aggression

In today’s society aggression is more prevalent then it has been in the past.  There are so many parts of the media that display violence as part of the main form of entertainment and the most important news.  Aggression shows it’s ugly face in many forms and everyone experiences it differently.  One might be the victim of aggression or one might be displaying aggression towards another.  Aggression is around from when we are born till when we die.  It occurs during competitive sports, during friendly board games, and even in romantic relationships.  Aggression is everywhere and affects everyone.

In doing some research on aggression, I found some very interesting information about types of aggression and ways to control it. According to Susan T. Fiske, Daniel T. Gilbert, and Gardner Lindzey (2010), aggression can be caused by something called the “drive theory”.  This theory has to do with the needs that people require throughout their lives.  For example, one needs money and if one were to no longer receive a paycheck, this might cause aggression in them.  They may show aggression towards a boss that fired them, or towards a colleague that they blame for the loss of a job and so on.  Fiske et al., (2010), states that aggressions continue to grow as one goes through one’s life meaning that one needs more as they get older.  This makes sense because as we get older we require more medical attention; we require a mode of transportation, a job, love, friendship, and more.  One can become angry at the world or angry at the god they believe in and this can therefore cause them to be frustration

which turns into aggression.

According to Leonard Berkowitz (1989), frustration can lead to aggression, but does not always force aggression.  Many that become frustrated will not attack anyone because they do not feel that they could win in attacking another, or they feel that they or someone they know would come to harm, or they believe that there would be serious consequences to do so.  In the article, Berkowitz (1989), talks about how the only time that those that are frustrated do end up striking is when they are at their wits end.  When one has been constantly tugged on for different reasons, including at home, at work, at school and so on, they come to the point where they are being pushed over the edge.  It is the breaking point that causes frustrated people to physically attack another.  He also mentions that it is obvious that those who are unfairly stopped from reaching an objective will be more aggressive.  When one had planned on getting promoted and another colleague steps on their feet to get promoted themselves instead, that person is bound to become more aggressive than they were before. James J. Lindsay and Craig A. Anderson (2000) discuss the “General Affective Aggression Model”.  They talk about the fact that heat has been known to increase aggressive behavior and so has pain.  They discuss studies that were done to prove the existence of aggression when either of these are present. One example of this would be if someone were working at a coffee shop and was experiencing a lot of pain and anguish from a failing kidney.  They may start to act out against their co-workers, even though most days she is the nicest person in the world.  When the temperature rises in a room, people find themselves getting more easily agitated and showing more hostility for no reason.

This was proven in a study done by the Journal of Sport and Exercise (1995).  The participants involved in the study were child athletes and each participant was involved in a video game.  Each child would be placed in a room with a different temperature. It was found that the children that were placed in hotter rooms showed more hostility when they were losing the game then the children who were placed in cooler rooms.  This comes from human needs again.  Humans need to remain at a specific temperature to be comfortable, if that temperature dramatically changes so does their mood.  One becomes very cranky if they are in extremely low temperatures for too long as

well.

In an article by C. A. McKay (2003), the idea of relational aggression is discussed.  This kind of aggression is different from physical aggression.  It is based on physical aggression rather than the physical.  McKay (2003), believes that words affect one more than anything else.  In the article, the Ophelia Project is discussed.  This project is to make a safe place for girls where they are respected and treated well.  The Ophelia Project was put together in order to stop relational aggression before it happens.  Girls are focused on due to the fact that boys often solve their aggression through physical means.  Another part of relational aggression has to do with the fact that peers will talk about each other behind one another’s back and they will try to single out a child and have no one play with that child.  This is a form of abuse and a form of relational aggression.  McKay (2003) mentions that relational aggression can leave a psychological mark that is often times far worse than that of a physical encounter.  When a girl was little she found herselfm  singled out because she wore glasses and because of her glasses all the children made fun of her instead of playing with her.  Now that this person is an adult, she finds herself forever afraid to where her glasses around new people.  For every relationship she starts she has to run through the same few months of not wearing her glasses and not being able to see when out on dates with a new guy. She also has trouble wearing her glasses when she starts a new job.  She is physical proof that relational aggression can have a very strong effect on one’s life.

Aggression affects people in many different ways.  As a person goes through life they may run into many frustrations along the way that cause them to be aggressive.  They may also run into many situations where others are aggressive towards them either verbally or physically.  Aggression starts from when a child has their first interaction with an aggressive personality, this person could be their parent, therefore allowing that child to know aggression long before their other peers. They may not know aggression until they go to school.  If home schooled aggression may not enter their lives until they find themselves college or the work place.  Aggression is all around us and affects everyone and one way to avoid being aggressive towards someone else is to keep in mind that something might be affecting one’s mood in a negative way.  For example, one may be over-heated, not

feeling well, stressed about something else, or frustrated about something else.  If people were to pay more attention to what they are feeling and why, random acts of aggression may be more avoidable in the future.  Another way to help fight aggression would be to take a deep breath, spend some time figuring out why you are angry.  Maybe the problem can be easily fixed.  There are also anger management programs that are an option if the aggression gets out of hand. When I worked at Starbucks there were angry people at the counter sometimes and occasionally I would get things thrown at me. Obviously, their aggression was being taken out on me and I had little to do with the reason for their anger.

References

Berkowitz, L. (1989).

Frustration-Aggression Hypothesis: Examination and Reformation. Psychological Bulletin, 106, 59-73.

Coach Effectiveness is a

Hit. (1995). Journal of Sport &

Exercise Psychology, 458-461.

Fiske, S. T., Gilbert, D.

T., & Lindzey, G. (2010). History of Social Psychology. In Handbook of Social Psychology (p. ).

Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc..

Lindsay, J. J., &

Anderson, C. A. (2000). From Antecedent Conditions to Violent Actions: A

General Affective Aggression Model. Pers

Soc Psychol Bull, 533.

McKay, C. A. (2003).

Relational Aggression in Children: The Ophelia Project Makes a Difference. Camping Magazine, 76, 24-26,28-29.