Theories of Aggressive Behavior Research Paper

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Aggression

There are a number of theories of aggression, which is a serious issue for a significant percentage of the population. While some people are much more aggressive than others, the reasons why they have become this way and what can be done to help them have less aggression toward themselves and others is very important to consider. There are Drive Theories, along with the General Aggression Model (GAM) and the Frustration-Aggression Hypothesis that all have to be addressed in order to have a complete understanding of aggression and its many related issues. While it may be easier to simply tell the person to "get over it," that is really not the way to handle any kind of aggressive behavior. Depending on the particular, specific issue the person is facing, he or she may not be able to "get over" whatever the problem is.

The Drive Theories

The Drive Theories of Aggression suggest that external conditions are the cause of aggression (Anderson, Buckley, & Carnagey, 2008). These conditions create a motive that makes a person want to injure or harm other people. When that occurs, people look for ways in which they can do bodily or emotional harm to individuals around them. There are many reasons why a person would want to do this, and there are several different types of Drive Theories that are worthy of note. When external conditions become too much of an issue and a person tries to harm others, it is because he or she has too much pent-up, overt aggression that has to go somewhere (Feenstra, 2013).

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This can be why a person "snaps," because so much aggression has built up over time that the person finally simply cannot take it any longer. At that point, he or she loses control, and has to do something to make sure he or she is able to reduce the pain, anger, or frustration that is being felt. Lashing out at another person is one of the ways in which those problems can be reduced, so as to make the person who is struggling feel better.

The Frustration-Aggression Hypothesis

Among the most famous Drive Theories is the Frustration-Aggression Hypothesis. This states that frustration does not always lead to aggression, and aggression does not always come about because of frustration, but that the two are strongly linked to one another, and often intertwined (Dill & Anderson, 1995). In short, many times when a person is aggressive, it is because he or she is frustrated to the point of not feeling as though it is possible to react in any other way. That frustration can become too much to handle, and lashing out at another person in an aggressive way can come from that. This does not mean that being aggressive as a response to frustration is a good idea, of course, or that there are not many other, healthier ways to react, but only that people can struggle with the idea of how they respond to others when they are already frustrated by people or events (Anderson, Buckley, & Carnagey, 2008). By doing this,….....

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