Aggression is a term psychologists use to refer to behavior intended to hurt others. Aggression may take a direct form, such as verbal abuse or a physical attack against people or their possessions. Indirect methods of aggression include spreading rumors and stealing.
People become aggressive for various reasons. Experiencing pain or danger can lead to aggression. In other cases, people behave aggressively to gain status, money, pleasure, or control over others.
Different approaches to understanding aggression emphasize different determining factors (causes). Biological factors, such as genes and hormones, and personality characteristics, such as dominance or hostility, can lead to aggressive behavior. So can a person’s developmental history—that is, how the person was raised. Social factors, including the presence of an audience and the sex, race, or other characteristics of the target, can also influence aggression.
Most theories of aggression recognize the relationship between emotions and aggression. People who experience frustration, anger, or fear may act aggressively. Some theories focus on social learning, the process by which individuals learn the behavior society expects of them. According to these theories, people may learn to be aggressive by witnessing aggressive behavior, such as family arguments and violent television programs. They may also learn aggression through direct rewards (getting what they want after acting aggressively). Social learning theories also emphasize the importance of gender roles, society’s expectations about appropriate behavior for males and females.
