Aggression

 

Humans engage in aggression when they seek to cause harm or pain to another person. Aggression takes three forms depending on one’s motives: hostile, relational 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 displays instrumental aggression. Third, relational aggression occurs when efforts are made to damage another person’s relationships and could include spreading rumours, name calling, ignoring a person, or social exclusion.

Aggression is a behaviour that is intended to harm another individual who does not wish to be harmed (Baron & Richardson, 1994)

Aggression can be defined as any behaviour, whether physical or verbal, that is carried out with the intent to harm another person. The key here is determining the intention or motive for the aggressive behaviour. Aggression should also be distinguished from being angry, which is an emotional reaction to an event but can just stay that – an emotion. Just because someone is angry does not mean they will necessarily act on it and engage in aggressive behaviour. On the extreme side are violent acts or violence. The World Health Organization (WHO) defined violence in their 2002 World Report on Violence and Health, as “The intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, that either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment or deprivation”.