Aggression A Social Psychological Analysis

This book provides an up-to-date integration of some of the most recent developments in social psychological research on social conflict and aggression, one of the most perennial and puzzling topics in all of psychology. It offers an informative, scholarly yet readable overview of recent advances in research on the nature, antecedents, management, and consequences of interpersonal and intergroup conflict and aggression. The chapters share a broad integrative orientation, and argue that human conflict is best understood through the careful analysis of the cognitive, affective, and motivational processes of those involved in conflict situations, supplemented by a broadly-based understanding of the evolutionary, biological, as well as the social and cultural contexts within which social conflict occurs.

The term "aggression", though it seems at first sight to have a very clear meaning, is really open to a number of different interpretations. "Aggression," in other words, has been a global term, much like "anxiety" or "frustration" and as such has meant many different things to many people. It is explained in this book.

Albert Bandura is the most cited living psychologist, and is regularly named as one of the most influential figures ever to have worked in his field. Much of his reputation stems from the theories and experiments described in his 1973 study Aggression: A Social Learning Analysis – a book that is both a classic of psychological study and a masterclass in the analytical skills central to good critical thinking. Bandura’s central contention is that much human learning is fundamentally social. As children imitate the behavior of those around them, and as their behaviors are reinforced by modelling, they entrench cognitive functions that more or less become part of their core personalities. The experiments that Bandura designed in order to prove his contentions with regard to learned aggressive tendencies show the powers of critical thinking analysis and evaluation at their best. Having set up a play environment for children in which they could be exposed to aggressive behavior (inflicted on a bobo doll), he was able to systematically examine their responses and learned behaviors, working out their functions and understanding the relationships between different aspects of behavior that combined to form a whole. Carefully evaluating at each stage the different extent to which children’s own aggressive behavior was affected by and modelled on what they saw. Bandura produced results that revolutionized psychology’s whole approach to human learning and behavior.

This book provides a broad and contemporary overview of aggression and violence by some of the most internationally renowned researchers in the field. It begins with an integrative theoretical understanding of aggression and shows how animal models shed light on human aggression and violence. Individual risk factors for aggression and violence from different research perspectives are then examined. First, there is a cognitive neuroscientific, neuropsychological, and psychophysiological study of the brain. It then explores the developmental psychological factors in aggressive behavior, incorporating work on gender and the family. Other perspectives include the role of testosterone, individual differences, and whether humans are innately wired for violence. The following sections moves from the individual to the contextual risk factors for aggression, including work on the effects of adverse events and ostracism, guns and other aggressive cues including violent media, and drugs and alcohol. Targets of aggression and violence are covered in the next section, including violence against women and loved ones; aggression between social groups; and the two very contemporary issues of cyberbullying and terrorism. The book concludes with work showing how we may make the world a more peaceful place by preventing and reducing aggression and violence. The volume is essential reading for upper-level students and researchers of psychology and related disciplines interested in a rigorous and multi-perspective overview of work on aggression and violence.

The second edition of this textbook provides a thoroughly revised, updated and expanded overview of social psychological research on aggression. The first part of the book covers the definition and measurement of aggression, presents major theories and examines the development of aggression. It also covers the role of situational factors in eliciting aggression, and the impact of using violent media. The second part of the book focuses on specific forms and manifestations of aggression. It includes chapters on aggression in everyday life, sexual aggression and domestic violence against children, intimate partners and elders. There are two new chapters in this part addressing intergroup aggression and terrorism. The concluding chapter explores strategies for reducing and preventing aggression. The book will be essential reading for students and researchers in psychology and related disciplines. It will also be of interest to practitioners working with aggressive individuals and groups, and to policy makers dealing with aggression as a social problem.