16.2.3

Social Psychological Explanation 2

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Bushman (2002)

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

__Bushman (2002)__

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.
Applicability

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.
Negative affect theory

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.

Negative affect theory

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.
Aversive stimuli

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.
Aggressive behaviour

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.
Other responses

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.
__Dill and Anderson (1995)__

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.
Conditions

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.
Findings

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.

Aggressive cues

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.
__Berkowitz and LePage (1967)__

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.
__Berkowitz and LePage (1967)__ findings

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.
__Berkowitz and LePage (1967)__ conclusion

Berkowitz and LePage (1967) conclusion

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

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
1

Social Influence

2

Memory

3

Attachment

4

(2026 Exams) Psychopathology

5

(2027 Exams) Clinical Psychology & Mental Health

6

Approaches in Psychology

7

Biopsychology

8

Research Methods

8.1

Research Methods

8.2

Scientific Processes

8.3

Data Handling & Analysis

8.4

Inferential Testing

9

Issues & Debates in Psychology (A2 only)

10

Option 1: Relationships (A2 only)

10.1

Relationships: Sexual Relationships (A2 only)

10.2

Relationships: Romantic Relationships (A2 only)

10.3

(2026 Exams) Relationships: Virtual (A2 only)

10.4

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11

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Option 1: Cognition & Development (A2 only)

13

Option 2: Schizophrenia (A2 only)

14

Option 2: Eating Behaviour (A2 only)

15

Option 2: Stress (A2 only)

16

Option 3: Aggression (A2 only)

17

Option 3: Forensic Psychology (A2 only)

18

Option 3: Addiction (A2 only)

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