15.2.3

Social Psychological Explanation 2

Test yourself

Bushman (2002)

Aggression might not be cathartic as suggested by Bushman (2002).

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Bushman (2002)

  • Bushman (2002) found that participants who vented their anger by repeatedly hitting a punchbag actually became more angry and aggressive rather than less.
  • Doing nothing was more effective at reducing aggression and anger.
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Applicability

  • Bushman argues that using venting to reduce anger is like using petrol to put out fire, yet this is exactly the device many therapists and counsellors give to their clients.
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Negative affect theory

  • The outcome of this study is very different from that predicted by the frustration-aggression hypothesis and casts doubt on the validity of the central assumptions of the hypothesis.
  • Taking these weaknesses into account, Berkowitz reformulated the frustration-aggression hypothesis as negative affect theory.

Negative Affect Theory

Berkowitz reformulated the frustration-aggression hypothesis as negative affect theory.

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Negative affect theory

  • Research indicates that frustration does not always lead to aggression, and that aggression can occur without frustration.
  • Berkowitz therefore reformulated the frustration-aggression hypothesis as negative affect theory.
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Aversive stimuli

  • In his reformulation, Berkowitz (1989) argues that frustration is just one of many aversive stimuli that create negative feelings.
  • Others include:
    • Jealousy.
    • Pain.
    • Loneliness.
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Aggressive behaviour

  • Aggressive behaviour is therefore triggered by negative feelings generally, (such as anger) rather than by frustration specifically.
  • Furthermore the outcome of frustration can be a range of responses, only one of which is aggression.
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Other responses

  • The frustration that someone experiences over getting a low grade for an essay might not necessarily lead to aggression.
  • Instead it could lead to feelings of despair, anxiety, helplessness or determination.
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Dill and Anderson (1995)

  • Dill and Anderson (1995) showed that different kinds of frustration have different effects.
  • In one study, an experimenter showed participants how to perform a paper folding task.
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Conditions

  • The experimenter made the demonstration difficult to follow by going too quickly.
  • In the unjustified condition he said he had to hurry because his girlfriend was waiting for him.
  • In the justified condition he said his boss had told him to finish quickly.
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Findings

  • The unjustified frustration produced the most aggression (measured in terms of negative judgements of the experimenter).
  • But, more importantly, justified frustration produced more aggression than the control condition involving absence of frustration.

Berkowitz (1989)

Berkowitz (1989) argued that aggressive cues are an additional element of the frustration aggression hypothesis.

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Aggressive cues

  • Even if we become angry, we still might not behave aggressively.
  • According to Berkowitz (1989), frustration merely creates a readiness for aggression.
  • It is the presence of aggressive cues in the environment that make acting upon this is much more likely.
  • Therefore, cues are an additional element of the frustration aggression hypothesis.
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Berkowitz and LePage (1967)

  • Berkowitz and LePage (1967) demonstrated this in a famous study.
  • They arranged for student participants to being given electric shocks by a confederate in a laboratory situation, creating anger and frustration.
  • The participants were then given the opportunity to turn the tables and give electric shocks to the confederate.
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Berkowitz and LePage (1967) findings

  • The number of shocks given depended on the presence or absence of weapons in the lab:
    • In one condition, two guns were present on the table next to the shock machine. The average number of shocks given in this condition was 6.07.
    • When no guns were present, the average number of shocks was significantly fewer at 4.67.
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Berkowitz and LePage (1967) conclusion

  • This so-called weapons effect supports Berkowitz’s notion that the presence of aggressive environmental cues stimulates aggression.
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Application

  • Berkowitz’s weapons effect has featured in the gun control debate in the United States.
  • Some states allow open carry, where a gun does not have to be concealed.
  • There is concern, bolstered by many research studies, that this can act as a cue to aggression, making its use more likely.

Jump to other topics

1Social Influence

2Memory

3Attachment

4Psychopathology

5Approaches in Psychology

6Biopsychology

7Research Methods

8Issues & Debates in Psychology (A2 only)

9Option 1: Relationships (A2 only)

10Option 1: Gender (A2 only)

11Option 1: Cognition & Development (A2 only)

12Option 2: Schizophrenia (A2 only)

13Option 2: Eating Behaviour (A2 only)

14Option 2: Stress (A2 only)

15Option 3: Aggression (A2 only)

16Option 3: Forensic Psychology (A2 only)

17Option 3: Addiction (A2 only)

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