Aggression Is It Nature or Nurture

Aggression is it �Nature’ or �Nurture’

During our lifetime every one of us feels anger and aggression occasionally, some more than others, maybe as a child in the play ground or later as an adult when somebody cuts you up when you are driving along. But what causes anger and aggression and why do we all suffer from it? Well there are lots of different theories to what causes aggression and where aggressive behaviour comes from. So throughout this essay I will examine the different concepts and theories from different psychologist and develop and show an understanding of Aggression

Aggression is defined as behaviour directed towards another living being with the intent of harming or injuring them in someway, and can be defined as either Hostile Aggression or Instrumental Aggression. The difference being that Hostile Aggression is aggressive behaviour which its main focus is, on causing or bringing harm to someone. For example, a parent yelling at a child to make them feel bad. It is usually driven by arousal, impulsivity, and immediate to situational provocation. It may be closer to the kinds of aggression identified by instinct theories. It includes irritable aggression. While Instrumental aggression is a learned response, and aggression is used, for achieving certain goals, for example a parent yelling at a child to prevent them running in the road and been hit by a car. In this mode aggression is just another way of getting what you want or avoiding being criticised by authority (obedience based aggression as in the Milgram study), or gaining normal awards. (1)

There has always been a long-standing debate within social psychology whether interpersonal aggression is �nature’ orientated from a biological aspect or �nurture’ a social learning process, brought on by the environment, family, etc.

The seventeenth century philosopher Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) quoted �People are naturally competitive and hostile, interested only in their own power and gaining advantage over others.’ (McIlveen, Gross, Social Psychology, pp123) like Hobbes, Sigmund Freud and Konrad Lorenz also believed in the Instinct Theory and both believed that aggression was a natural instinct present in all animals. This including humans, but just weakened down and it is used as a survival tool with this aggressive energy needing to be released at regular intervals, to prevent it building up to, dangerously high levels and they referred to this as the start of the hydraulic model. McIlveen, Gross (1998, pp123)

Although they share similar views, their theory’s are in fact very different as Freud believed in something he referred to as Thanatos and Eros, and that aggression stems from this innate �Death Instinct’ called Thanatos. This is in opposition to a �Life Instinct’ which is the human drive for self – preservation and pleasure and he called this Eros. Freud believed that this Thanatos was initially aimed at self-destruction, death and the return to inanimate lifeless state, the idyllic feeling we enjoyed in the womb and at our mothers breast. But later during development it becomes redirected outwards at others. He called this Catharsis which is a build up in the aggression fluid called libido, which then needs to be released. Hogg, Vaughan (2005, pp448)

Where as from an Ethological theory, Konrad Lorenz believed that aggression is a natural animal instinct which is present in all animals including humans and through evolution we developed this in order for us to survive, survival of the fittest and strongest. He also studied animal behaviour as a way of understanding how human behaviour might be understood. In all species of animal’s aggression is a way of survival, protecting their young and fighting for territory or dominance. The weaker of the two animals, usually becoming submissive, and will either lie on its back or show its jugular vein, as a way of showing defeat and ending the conflict. This evolutionary theory of aggression is one of many biological theories. This kind of alpha male dominant leadership role is still seen today in males within street gangs and prisons. Males will either fight the current alpha male for the role of leadership or submit to him and become a follower of that gang and follows the orders of the alpha male (gang leader) for fear of reprisals. Humans are likely to develop similar behaviour patterns to that of other animals, Lorenz listed the four main drives which are what makes us do what we do and these are: (hunger, reproduction, fear, and aggression). McIlveen, Gross (1998, pp124) Hogg, Vaughan (2002, pp449)

The trouble with these two theories is that they are both very hard to prove through research, for example Freud’s theory is difficult to test empirically. As Mummendey (1996) has quoted �the essential concepts