What is aggression?
There have been many attempts at trying to define aggression however, there is no definite definition since one person may perceive aggression as verbal threats and insults while another may view it as actual physical harm. Bandura (1973) defined aggression as “behaviour that results in personal injury or destruction of property”. Additionally, Anderson and Huesmann (2003) considered aggression to be “behaviour directed towards another individual carried out with the proximate (immediate) intent to cause harm” (Hogg & Vaughan. 2011. P.454). For the purpose of this essay the use of the word aggression will refer to any form of intended violence or actual harm towards another individual. In addition to this, it is impossible to considerate or explain all the causes of aggressive since the triggers which cause aggressive behaviour varies from each individual. Due to this, the essay will look at pornography and the causes of male aggression towards females. The essay will cover theories of aggression, gender stereotypes, male dominance, and how pornography influences negative attitudes and violence towards women.
theories of aggression,
There are a number of theories when it comes to looking at the cause of aggression, some consider aggression is due to evolutionary, biological or ethological (combination of both) reasons. Others believe it is due to social or biosocial causes (mixture of biological and social). In support of the biological and evolutionary theories, Lorenz (1967) ethological theory of aggression considers both Freud and Darwin's theories. Freud’s psychodynamic theory, suggests that there is a natural build-up of aggressive energies within the individual that at some point needs to be released. In addition to this, Lorenz added that, in order for the aggression to be released, the aggressive behaviour is provoked by “specific stimuli in the environment known as releasers” (Hogg & Vaughan. P.457). Moreover, Darwin theory of natural selection claims, aggression allows for the survival of the strongest genes since the strongest genes rise above the meeker, eradicating them over the course of evolution, producing a stronger and healthier population. (Sutton & Douglas, 2013, p.563).
In contrast, social theorists have come up with a number of concepts on the cause of aggression. Dollard et al (1939) developed the Frustration-Aggression Hypothesis (FAH). This idea states: if a person is prevented from achieving something they want or a goal, the result is frustration which leads to an act of aggression (Sutton, Douglas, 2013. P.10/11). Additionally, social theorist: Zillmann (1979.1988) introduced the idea of the Excitation transfer model, this concept suggests, arousal transfers from one situation (being stuck in traffic, mildly annoyed) and is amplified and transferred to another, in a way, in which, aggression is probable (another driver makes foul hand gestures towards you, exacerbates your annoyance into aggression) (Hogg &Vaughan. 2011. p.461). what’s more, it is considered that aggression is a learnt behaviour. The Social learning theory proposes that aggression is learnt, through modelling /imitating and observational behaviour: this is when a person replicates the “action, attitudes and emotional responses” displayed “by a real life or symbolic model” (Hogg and Vaughan. 2011. p.463).
When considering aggression, there is a common belief that men are more aggressive than women. ….
Gender and aggression.
The Beliefs and expectations of (Basow, 1992) gender differences are instilled in a persons from a young age, both directly and indirectly by their peers and society. (Fagot, 1995) individuals learn how they are expected to live up to their gender stereotypes, (Ashmore et al., 1986 and Deaux and Lewis, 1984) in relation to “physical appearance, attitudes, interests, psychological traits, social relationships, and occupations”. As young children, females are given,
