Aggression Social Psychology

Since the beginning of social psychology, psychologist has been trying to analyze how people’s thoughts, feelings, and behavior are impacted by aggression. When an aggressive person gets frustrated or upset, social psychologist tracks down what exactly drives them to commit crimes, atrocities, or even abuse. According to Kassin, Fein, and Markus, aggression is “behavior intended to harm another individual” (2016). Individuals who attain this trait don’t always have to physically abuse someone, aggressive attacks could be verbal, emotional, or mental as well. Although many might argue that people who are viewed as aggressive tend to harm another person because that is their only cure, however, there are alternative motives that drive aggression,

Aggression is a sub-field under social psychology because social psychology is the study of how individual’s thoughts, feelings, and behavior changes in groups while interacting with other people. In comparison, aggression falls directly under this category because psychologist’s main goal is to try to understand how aggressive people tend to change in their behavior and mentality when their objective is to cause pain. People who are aggressive either physically or psychological educe pain and suffering upon an individual by verbally assaulting someone, berating them, spreading vicious rumors, or even name calling. Everyday schoolchildren are getting bullied, spouses are facing domestic violence, families encounter arguments, and the list continues because everyday aggressors react negatively to these scenarios. However, they are levels of extreme aggressive behavior compare to the others, such as violence being the highest form of aggression. Kassin et al. states compared to violence, the other forms of aggression, such as anger and hostility are less harmful compare to violence because “people can be angry with others and regard them with great hostility without ever trying to harm them” (2014). When someone is angry, they are usually experiencing irritation, hate, or other displeasing feelings. Similarly, those who express hostility, which are negative feelings the aggressor

This highlights both the concept of aggression and motives of reactive aggression because not only did he physically abused her, also, because he was provoked by the topics she brought up, it caused him to feel irritated and angry. As a result, he attacked her violently, which exemplifies one of the highest forms of aggression; violence. Edward also emphasized that Franklin “had been in previous relationship and had not been violent, with no previous convictions for domestic violence” (2016), revealing he was never a gruesome attacker, until he entered this specific