Aggression Overview of the Day The nature of aggression Theories of aggression Male aggression Female aggression

What is aggression? zAggression: the intentional infliction of harm on another or others zHow does aggression differ from conflict? yConflict: hostility that arises when one party attempts to thwart an other’s goals. It may or may not involve aggression.

Aggression in nature zPredator-prey relationships ythe food chain, in general zMale-male competition in many species zMothers defending their young (against predators of other and the same species) zFemale insects killing and eating males after mating with them

What is unique about human aggression? zHumans (and chimps) are the only known species to form male coalitions that initiate intense territorial aggression against members of their own species zAmong humans, the scale of aggression toward members of their own species is unrivaled in the animal kingdom

Theories of aggression zLearning theory ypeople learn to be aggressive through rewards and punishments and observation yTV, Bandura’s Bobo doll experiments zCultures of aggression yNisbett’s theory of cultural transmission zInstinct theory zFrustration-aggression hypothesis

EP perspective on aggression zAggression as a solution to adaptive problems. Psychological mechanisms are likely to trigger aggression in contexts where it has been adaptive to be aggressive: ygetting others’ resources ydefending against attack ydealing with intrasexual rivals ynegotiating power & status hierarchies y deterring rivals from aggression ydeterring LT mates from sexual infidelity

Males are substantially more aggressive than females z1972 murder statistics in Detroit (non- family): MP,MV 164; MP,FV 19; FP,MV 18; FP,FV 11 zMale vs. female behavior in prisons zWarfare is primarily a male enterprise. No known record of females banding together to raid and kill people in another group.

Some questions about male aggression zWhy are males so aggressive? zAre all males highly aggressive or just certain ones? zIf so, which ones? zWhy is most male violence directed against other males?

Male-male aggression zParental investment zReproductive variance zRisky strategies zMale-male competition yThe greater the reproductive variance, the greater selection favors risky strategies

The “young male” syndrome zIntense competition over status zRisk and status (displays to impress women) zSensitivity to affronts (affects status & reputation) zThe proportion of young men in the population is one of the best predictors of violence zUnmarried and unemployed young males are particularly at risk to engage in violent aggression

A brief digression: sports and aggression zWhat about sports and aggression? zMale coalitions, hierarchical, coordinated, “raids” into other’s “territory” zPrimarily played by young males zIs a function of sports the sublimation of violent aggression? yWhy are aggressive male team sports so popular?

Female aggression zLess physically violent, often takes the form of verbal derogation zYounger women engage in more aggressive acts than older women zBased more on competition over resources (and defense of young) rather than on status competition

Costs of female aggression zTypically higher costs to female ythere is a greater survival cost to offspring if a female is injured or dies than if her mate is injured or dies zHence, females tend to be more fearful of bodily injury than males and more risk averse.

Aggression and revenge in The Schoolteacher’s Guest zWhat concepts from EP could explain why Ines killed the man who killed her son? zIs revenge a cause of aggression? zWhat is the basis of revenge? zHow can you explain all of the villagers’ complicity in the cover-up?

Summary and Projects zThe nature of aggression zTheories of aggression zMale aggression zFemale aggression zYour projects (time is moving fast): yFocus yQuestion that can be addressed with data yWhat type of data will you collect? yHow will your data answer your question?