Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 23, 2026
09:12
The Resident-intruder Paradigm: A Standardized Test for Aggression, Violence and Social Stress
Published on: July 4, 2013
The nature of human aggression
1School of Psychology, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, Lancashire, PR1 3TQ, UK. jarcher@uclan.ac.uk
International Journal of Law and Psychiatry
|May 5, 2009
Summary
Human aggression has adaptive value and evolutionary roots. Development shows early physical aggression is later inhibited by learning, with motivations ranging from reflexes to rational decisions.
Area of Science:
- Ethology
- Evolutionary Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Human aggression is a complex behavior with roots in the animal kingdom.
- Understanding aggression requires examining its adaptive value, evolutionary origins, developmental trajectory, and motivational mechanisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore human aggression through four ethological explanatory perspectives.
- To contrast evolutionary developmental conclusions with social learning perspectives.
- To analyze the spectrum of motivational mechanisms underlying aggression.
Main Methods:
- Review of ethological theories on aggression.
- Evolutionary developmental analysis.
- Examination of neurobiological correlates of anger and inhibition.
- Exploration of motivational control mechanisms.
Main Results:
- Aggression serves adaptive functions, including resource competition and protection, analyzed via cost-benefit.
- Phylogenetic origins involve brain mechanisms for anger and inhibition.
- Early physical aggression is followed by learned inhibition, challenging social learning theories.
- Motivational mechanisms span from reflexive to rational decision-making.
Conclusions:
- Aggression is a multifaceted behavior with significant adaptive and evolutionary underpinnings.
- Developmental trajectory of aggression is characterized by early emergence and subsequent learned inhibition.
- Understanding aggression necessitates integrating ethological, evolutionary, and developmental perspectives.
Related Concept Videos
01:47Aggression
Humans engage in aggression when they seek to cause harm or pain to another person. Aggression takes two forms depending on one’s motives: hostile or instrumental. Hostile aggression is motivated by feelings of anger with intent to cause pain; a fight in a bar with a stranger is an example of hostile aggression. In contrast, instrumental aggression is motivated by achieving a goal and does not necessarily involve intent to cause pain (Berkowitz, 1993); a contract killer who murders for hire...
01:21Secondary Motives: Affiliation Motivation and Aggression Motivation
Affiliation motivation is the intrinsic desire to connect with others and belong to a social group, which plays a crucial role in forming and maintaining personal relationships. This type of motivation is essential for psychological well-being, as it provides individuals with a sense of community and support. An example of this is a student who joins a study group in order to feel a sense of connection. People with high affiliation motivation actively seek social approval, take satisfaction in...
01:29Instinct Theory
Instinct theory proposes that innate biological instincts, like animal behavioral patterns, primarily drive human behavior. These instincts are inborn, not learned, and are fundamental to decision-making and action. Just as animals rely on instincts for critical survival functions such as migration, nest building, and defense, humans are also believed to exhibit behaviors rooted in evolutionary needs. For example, the instinct to reproduce motivates sexual behavior, while territorial instincts...
01:20Evolutionary Psychology
Evolutionary psychology explores the origins of human behavior and mental processes by framing them within the context of natural selection, a theory famously propounded by Charles Darwin. This field asserts that many behaviors common across human societies — ranging from instinctive fear reactions to complex social interactions — arose as evolutionary adaptations. These adaptations enhanced the survival and reproductive success of our ancestors, thereby becoming embedded in the human psyche...
01:28Causes of Social Behavior III: Biological and Environmental Influences
Social behavior is a complex phenomenon that arises from the interaction between biological predispositions and environmental influences. This intricate interplay shapes how individuals think, feel, and act in various social contexts. Understanding these mechanisms requires insights from psychology, neuroscience, genetics, and evolutionary theory.Environmental Influences on Social BehaviorEnvironmental factors, including temperature, odors, and visual stimuli, play a crucial role in shaping...
01:24Humanistic Psychology
Humanistic psychology emerged in the mid-20th century as a response to the deterministic and pessimistic nature of behaviorism and psychoanalysis. While behaviorism focused on observable behaviors influenced by the environment and psychoanalysis delved into unconscious motivations, both theories suggested that human actions lacked free will. In contrast, humanistic psychology offers a perspective that emphasizes the innate potential for goodness and growth within every individual.
This approach...
This approach...