The study of aggression in human is guided by diverse theoretical perspectives that stress different aspects ranging from social context to biological aspects. The concepts can be categorized into three; assault related to human nature, as a natural response to frustration and learned (Cavalcanti, & Pimentel, 2016). An attack is used by the different species in the example like the praying mantis, lions, birds, crickets to maintain their territory and at times, they have to fight to survive. While animal species have been used in the examples, several definitions for aggression are used, and we can use the models to understand aggression in human (Alcock, 2013).
In people, aggression can be used to describe a willful attempt to injure another who is wishing to avoid the injury. Similarly, the term can be used to describe an intent to have dominion over others at their expense. The term has also been used to describe a central behavior exhibited by humans present across different cultures and can be traced back to human generations. Negatively used, aggression is an unwanted characteristic of human behavior. According to Ferguson and Beaver 2009, assertiveness has been created for assault, and the words are used interchangeably. Research on aggression has been controversial due to its innate nature of the human condition and its connotation as a morally negative term (Ferguson Dyck, 2012).
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Methods
Scholars have been under pressure from the society to provide an understanding of the origin of aggression in human and how the vice can be prevented. Human aggression results from several factors, and according to the General Aggression Model, personality is a key variable used to understand personal factors that influence such behaviors. Aggression can be learned, instinctual or it can be a natural reaction to conditions (Ferguson Dyck, 2012).
Different species of animals were observed to understand their behavior and relate it to people. The samples under study are selected and kept under various conditions to determine their response when some variables like light, time and space are adjusted for the survey. The studies involved animals that were captured from the natural environment and some that were bred for the sample. Additionally, some species under normal conditions and environment were observed, and their behavior noted. Secondary data was used to support observations made in the studies (Alcock, 2013).
Findings
According to Alcock 2013, instinctual aggression is demonstrated by the behavior of different species to maintain territory, and in some instances, fighting is necessary for survival. Such type of aggression cannot be eliminated but can only be controlled. It is associated with an innate biological drive similar to sex or hunger. From the studies, some species demonstrated this type of aggression by trying to maintain their status or defending themselves.
The above occurrences can also be used in human whereby aggression is used to defend their territory through military interventions or self-defence. In other situations, some species reacted to the changing conditions. Changing of lighting hours changed the biological clocks of the crickets and the male praying mantis coupled with the female even though it did not have its head. In this, aggression can be used to adapt to changing conditions. Some of the species under study showed signs of learning. Bees, for example, can quickly adjust to different roles depending on the situation. Birds under study also showed signs of learning when the conditions changed, and they had to adapt to the new circumstances (Alcock, 2013).
| no |
Questionnaire |
Ratting |
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| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 1 | A spider eats a fly | 1 | ||||
| 2 | Two wolves fight for leadership of the pack | 1 | ||||
| 3 | A soldier shoots an enemy at the front line | 1 | ||||
| 4 | The warden of a prison executes a convicted criminal | 2 | ||||
| 5 | A juvenile gang attacks members of another gang | 1 | ||||
| 6 | Two people fight for a piece of bread | 1 | ||||
| 7 | A person viciously kicks a cat | 1 | ||||
| 8 | A man while cleaning a window knows over a flowerpot which, in falling injures a pedestrian | 5 | ||||
| 9 | A girl kicks a wastebasket | 3 | ||||
| 10 | Mr. Bradley, a notorious gossip, speaks disparagingly of many people of his acquaintance | 4 | ||||
| 11 | A woman mentally rehearses a murder she is about to commit | 5 | ||||
| 12 | An angry daughter purposely fails to write to her mother who is expecting a letter and will be hurt if none arrives | 1 | ||||
| 13 | An enraged boy tries with all his might to inflict injury on his agonist, a bigger boy but is not successful in doing so. His efforts merely amuse the bigger boy | 1 | ||||
| 14 | A woman dreams of harming her antagonist but has no hope of doing so | 5 | ||||
| 15 | A senator does not protect the escalation of bombing to which she is morally opposed | 3 | ||||
| 16 | A farmer beheads a chicken and prepares it for supper | 4 | ||||
| 17 | A hunter kills an animal and mounts it as a trophy | 2 | ||||
| 18 | Dog snarls at a mail carrier but does not bite | 1 | ||||
| 19 | A physician gives a flu shot to a screaming child | 5 | ||||
| 20 | A boxer gives his opponent a bloody nose | 3 | ||||
| 21 | A girl scout tries to assist a senior woman but trips her by accident | 3 | ||||
| 22 | A bank robber is shot in the back while trying to escape | 2 | ||||
| 23 | A tennis player smashes his racket after missing a volley | 1 | ||||
| 24 | A person commits suicide | 1 | ||||
| 25 | A cat kills a mouse, parades around with it and then discards it | 2 | ||||
| 26 | A high school student running to the cafeteria for lunch bumps into a classmate, causing her to fall | 4 | ||||
Conclusion
There is no one single definition of aggression as different factors affect it. Many authors have tried to define aggression, but no single definition has been accepted. An understanding of the behavior of different species can help one develop an insight into what aggression is and what it is no. Various models have been developed to understand the topic, but no single model is conclusive. Aggression can be instinctual, a natural reaction to conditions or it can be innate. From the above definitions, aggression can be defined as the willingness to inflict pain on others directly or indirectly with the intention of benefiting from the harm.
References
Alcock, J. (2013). Animal Behavior: an Evolutionary Approach . Sunderland: Sinauer Associates.
Cavalcanti, J. G., & Pimentel, C. E. (2016). Personality and aggression: A contribution of the General Aggression Model , 33 (3), 443-451. doi:10.1590/1982-02752016000300008
Ferguson, C. J., & Beaver, K. M. (2009). Natural born killers: The genetic origins of extreme violence. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 14(5), 286–294.
Ferguson, C. J., & Dyck, D. (2012). Paradigm change in aggression research: The time has come to retire the General Aggression Model. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 17 (3), 220-228. doi:10.1016/j.avb.2012.02.007
