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Aggression - Coggle Diagram
Aggression
Genetic explanations
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If aggression is innate we should see a concordance rate between monozygotic twins who share 100% of their DNA and DZ twins who shares 50%.
Coccaro (1997) found up to 50% concordance rate in MZ twins and violent crime suggesting an element of genetic inheritance in aggression
Family studies will show the closer the biological relationship the higher in concordance rate of aggression - however more likely to share the same environment therefore the aggression may be caused by their environment
Adoption studies eliminates the environmental/nurture factor - Mednick and Hutchings 10.5% of Danish adoptees with non-criminal fathers showed aggressive behaviour compared to 21.4% with criminal fathers
Testosterone is produced in the testis - hormonal gland development is affected by genetic makeup could be responsible for high levels of testosterone leading to aggression
Serotonin production, breakdown and the receptors on neurons are all influenced by genes and can alter serotonins influence on the brain
Gene candidates for aggression are genetic codes (Genotype) that are associated with the display of genetic behaviour (phenotype)
XYY
Early genetic research suggested the chromosomal disorder XYY syndrome - only affects males as they have an extra Y chromosome - early theories suggested these were "super males"(taller more aggressive and low empathy) - Early research was flawed and this theory is now rejected
MAOA - L
MAOA is an enzyme that breaks down the neurotransmitter serotonin - the low activity variant (MAOA - L) is associated with aggression and results in low production of the MAOA enzyme leading to higher levels of serotonin in the brain
Found in 1/3rd of western men and 60% of some communities - not all are aggressive but most commonly aggression in these males is found in men who have a history of child abuse - Diathesis stress model
Eval: :check: Brunner 1993 conduced a case study on a family in the Netherlands - the males can a history of impulsive aggression and attempted rape - males in the family had low activities of the MAOA gene suggesting extreme levels of aggression can have a genetic origin
:check: Stuart et al researched 97 men who had committed intimate partner violence - genetic analysis revealed the effective MAOA gene was present in the most physically and psychologically aggressive offenders
:no_entry: MAOA-L shows a correlation between efficiency and aggression - correlation does not show causation
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Ethology and Evolution
Ethology is the scientific study of animal behaviour - studying the reasons animals display aggression could be used to understand aspects of human aggression
Animal behaviour is thought to provide evolutionary advantages - animal aggression can keep it on top of the social hierarchy protecting out from threats and attracting mates
Behaviour is mostly ritualistic - the same species will respond with the same set of behaviours to threats/stimuli
Lorenz argues aggressive energy builds up in animals but a set of inherited neural circuits called innate releasing mechanisms stops the expression of aggression
Innate releasing mechanisms are triggered by a stimulus in the environment and the animal then performs predictable aggressive behaviours called a fixed action pattern - thought to be innate in all members of a species without learning it from the members of the species
Eval: :check: Tinbergen - male sticklebacks showed highly ritualised attack patterns to males of the same species - presented with realistic wooden versions of a stickleback without the red undersides and non-realistic versions with the red undersides - found the males only attached the unrealistic versions with the red undersides - suggests male sticklebacks do have innate releasing mechanisms for aggression triggered by the red bellies of other male sticklebacks resulting in fixed action plan for aggression :no_entry: Animal studies cannot be generalised to humans - human aggression not instinctual but premeditated such as in warfare
Evolutionary theory suggests that if genes give a survival advantage then the individual is more likely to reproduce passing on these genes to the next generation
Human aggressive behaviour would have been beneficial to the reproductive success of our ancestors - can help survive predators, compete for resources and mates may see an aggressive mate as being able to protect them and their offspring
Genes can mutate and mutations would increase aggressive behaviours - increased reproductive success would lead to mutated genes that promote aggression being selected for so people with these genes are more likely to have a larger number of viable children passing on aggressive genes (survival of the fittest)
Human aggressive behaviours like male sexual jealousy can be explained by the evolutionary theory - males can not be sure of paternity but mothers can be sure of maternity - high levels of male violence against partners could be an attempt to ensure faithfulness and certainty that they are investing resources into their own children
Males may also use psychologically aggressive mate retention strategies such as mate guarding and threats warning against infidelity
Eval: :check: Daly and Wilson compared a range of murder rates in families for blood/ non-blood relatives. It was found across a large range of cultures that family members are far more likely to kill family members who they are not genetically related too (partners/ step-children or parents) - one data set showed infants in the US are 100 times more likely to be killed if living with one or more step parent - evolutionary theory suggests this is because step-parents are resistant to spending limited resources on children that are not their own
:no_entry: Ethical implications as it suggests male aggression is innate so justifying male abuse as innate - these men may claim that they are unable to control their aggression
Institutional aggression
Dispositional factors - Suggests that a high level of aggression in prisons is due to the personal characteristics of the prisoners in the prison not the environment itself
Individual internal characteristics of aggressive prisoners are higher levels of anger, impulsivity, experience of using violence to solve problems and deviant socialisation
Importation model - suggest aggression is imported into the prison environment from the outside world due to the prisoners personality
Gang membership is also common in prisoners - these prisoners bring their prior gang alliances, feuds and street culture in with them into the prison environment - can result in instrumental violence, premeditated aggression used as a tool perhaps to settle scores or assert authority
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Case study - Kane and Janus -Measured aggression levels amongst prison inmates and found that non-white and young get in mates were more likely to behave aggressively as they were often not part of mainstream society :no_entry: Socially sensitive research :check: may lead to support for communities
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Situational factors - Suggests a high level of aggression in prisons is due to the environment of the prison
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Physical factors of a prisons design such as poor layout, excessive noise, access to improvised weapons and CCTV blind spots lead to fear of attack - lack of or poor facilities like gyms, libraries and workshops can cause boredom and frustration
Large numbers of poorly trained and inexperienced staff are less able to difuse aggressive situations - racial and gender differences can also cause tension between prisoners and staff
Deprivation model suggests that depriving prisoners of their freedom but also their sense of safety, relationships and autonomy leads to stress
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Case study - Abu Ghraib - Iraq dar 2004 the prison had been taken over my American forces used for imprisonment of Iraqi suspects - subjected to torture and humiliated by the guards - during the trial of one of the guards, Zimbardo served as an expert witness and argued that the guard had behaved aggressively as a result of situational factors - insufficient training, stressed and being close to the battle field, seperated from relationships for a prolonged period of time
Eval:
:no_entry: Socially sensitive research
:check: Zimbardo's prison experiment supports the idea of situational factors leading to aggression - 1/3rd of the guards acted aggressively
:check: Interactionalist approach - both dispositional and situational factors working together lead to institutional aggression