Are Humans Innately Aggressive?

In the 1920s, Sigmund Freud established what he called the “pleasure principle”- the idea that all human action is based on sexual drive and the principle of humans pursuing pleasure and avoiding pain. He elaborated on this pleasure principle later, suggesting that humanity is also governed by a “death drive.” This so-called death drive is Freud’s belief that inside all of us lies a force that is violent, aggressive, and destructive- even sometimes being directed towards one’s self. Through these principles, he suggests that we want to die and destroy as much as we want to live and to love. Thus is his theory on the dual nature of man, making life and death two sides of one coin inside of us. His influence is seen in both 1984 and Brave New World through considerable emphasis on sexuality, the desire to escape pain, and the destructive force of man, although these influences and ideas are displayed on opposite spectrums and in vastly different ways.

Why some children are more aggressive than others? Bandura & Walters (1959) defines aggression as any behaviour harbouring the goal or intention to cause hurt, harm to another human, or destruction to an object. Nativists like Noam Chomsky would answer this question according to the theory of nativism – that a person’s character traits and learning abilities are inborn and hard-coded in his genes, hence ascribing it to Nature. On the contrary, environmentalists like Albert Bandura and B.F. Skinner argue that it is the environment which influence a person’s learning and behaviour- the Nurture aspect. Others who refuse to adopt an either-or radical approach, attempt to amalgamate both schools of thought and look at how our genetic makeup and environment influence and interact with each other. In this paper, we shall explore the influences of Nature and Nurture on children aggression.

Given scientific prominence by Charles Darwin, instinct theory “views aggressive behavior as an evolutionary adaptation that had enabled creatures to survive better” (Baumeister, & Bushman, 2015, p. 338-339). Darwin’s theory of evolution supported the development of instinctually aggressive behavior as a means for passing strong genes to future generations. Sigmund Freud further articulated instinct as constructive and life-giving. (Baumeiste & Bushman, 2015, p. 339) However, as Baumeister and Bushman (2015) noted, after observing World War I, Freud attributed the carnage to a destructive, death instinct (aggression), which he termed Thanatos. This view later influenced Konrad Lorenz who theorized that a buildup of aggressive urges that,

Bearing in mind the systemic complexity of how aggression functions within the nervous system, it is reasonable to question whether human aggression and violence has changed as the complexity of it has evolved in our nervous system (this is apparent as aggression predates human as shown in previously discussed phylogenetic studies). It is difficult to compile concrete data displaying human patterns of aggression over evolution, but one study, The phylogenetic roots of human lethal violence by Jose Maria Gomez, Miguel Verdu, Adela Gonzalez- Megias, and Marcos Mendez, made estimations using a linear model, which “provides a detailed phylogenetic and historical context against which to compare levels of lethal violence observed throughout our

Violence is a primal instinct. From a baboon that attacks another baboon for encroaching on its food; to a mother bear that mauls a wolf for approaching its cubs, animals possess violence as a natural response. Despite all of their technological advances and societal standards, people too are genetically predisposed to violence. From the thief that shoots a store clerk for a few dollars in a cash register; to a politician that buries blackmail by killing someone, people respond with violence.

Aggression can be defined as any behaviour directed toward an individual that is carried out with the immediate intent to create harm (Bushman & Anderson, 2001). Buss (1961) also proposed that the acts of human aggression can be classified as physical, verbal, direct, indirect, active and passive. However, the way in which we measure aggression differs with each method, as they have both strengths and limitations. In this essay I will outline the problems that psychologists face using research methods to measure aggression and which methods exceed in doing so compared to the others.

311). The most famous supporter of this theory was Sigmund Freud who stated that aggression comes mainly from a powerful death wish that we all possess (Baron, 2016, p. 311). According to Freud, this instinct is initially aimed at self-destruction, but is soon directed outward, toward others (Baron, 2016, p. 311). Also, Konrad Lorenz proposed a similar view and suggested that aggression springs from a fighting instinct, which states that only the strongest males will obtain mates and pass their genes on to the next generation (Lorenz,1996, 1974). The majority of social psychologists rejected these views for a couple of reasons. One, human beings aggress against each other in different ways, with a huge range of different behaviors from excluding others from social groups to overt acts of violence against them. Two, the frequency of these actions differs enormously among societies, where some are more likely to occur than in others. Despite these objections to a biologically based view, the evolutionary perspective has changed this staunch objection. Although most social psychologists still reject the notion that aggression stems largely from genetic factors, there are those who now say genetic factors may indeed play some role in human aggression (Baron, 2016, p. 311). In the past, males seeking mates found it necessary to eliminate their competition

Freud considered the role of aggression, and the aggressive tendencies that people possess, as instinctual. He believed that aggression is innate, and people are born with the ability to feel pain and suffering. He argued that aggression is not favorable to a society (80-82), and this understood aggression will inevitably lead to a heightened sense of guilt (Freud, 80-82). In Freud’s system, he built around the psychological agencies of the id, ego, and superego. The id serves

Aggression is defined as the overt behavior of initiating hostilities or launching attacks. In psychology, aggression relates to many different types of behavior. Originally, aggressive behavior is defined as one person is intended to injure or irritate another people. However, it is difficult to know or to measure if a person's behavior is intentional, especially in children. Hence, when researchers carry out studies on aggression, the operational definition of aggression is often referred to the behavior that injures or irritates another person. Aggression behaviors are caused by many factors, such as social and environmental. People often associate aggression with the nature of human. There were two arguments on this nature; one

Chances are, you’ve heard of the term “natural aggression”. Usually its used to refer to certain breeds of dogs which are believed to be more prone to instigating attacks. The most common breeds to fall under this belief are Pit Bulls, Dobermans, Rottweilers, and German Shepherds, among others. Basically, “natural aggression” suggests that certain breeds are predisposed to aggressive, violent behavior. However, is natural aggression real? First, it’s important to understand what aggression is.

Violence is one of humanity’s oldest problems, but the neural pathways that underlie violence are not well understood. Aggression stems from evolutionary roots, ranging from simplistic behaviors such as defending offspring to potentially more complicated human mental disorders. The study of aggression should improve not only our understanding of the properly-functioning mind, but also characterize poorly-understood mental disorders.1

Do you know that some people says men and women are equally when they show aggressive behavior! This change is be more acceptable; especially, after scientists define relational or indirect aggression that women like to exhibit. However, the old studies believe that men are more likely to be aggressive. The question is what is the motivation to make people behave aggressively? The expression of aggression is related to gender because social roles and media influences have a hugely significant impact on.

“Aggression” is a common term and a key concept when it comes to the study of human behaviour. Aggression is different from anger. It is with no doubt that everyone will have experienced anger at some point in their lifetime and this anger may have been channelled into various forms including violence. The level of violence is variable and can even at times lead to murder.

Human aggression means different things to different people, that depend from the field where the aggression is shown. In the sports world, the political arena or the business community, assertive behavior is often taken to be synonymous with aggression (Gordon W. Russel 2008)

Freud later made a more detailed model of the mind made with the entities of the id, ego and superego. These are mental areas within the brain that make up of important mental functions. Freud says that the id was an unconscious part of the mind that operated with the pleasure principle. The id is made up of two kinds of instincts that he named as Eros and Thanatos. Eros was made up as more of an instinct on life were it helps people to survive and it is involved with things like breathing, eating, and sex. Freud also says that it makes an energy from this life instinct called libido. On the other side of this instinct you would have Thanatos also known as the death instinct that drives the destructive instincts in people. The energy in this