Social psychological explanations of aggression

Angel is often aggressive at school. At playtime, she pushes other children off the play equipment and snatches toys away from them. In the dinner queue, she pushes other children out of the way. At home, she sees her two older sisters fighting and listens to her mum yelling at the neighbours. When the sisters all play outside, they race around with their hoods up, hitting other children and shouting at them.

Discuss one or more social psychological explanations for aggression. Refer to Angel in your answer.

Describe how de-individuation is involved in aggression.

Evaluate the role of de-individuation in aggression.

Discuss the frustration-aggression hypothesis as an explanation for human aggression.

John was arrested for fighting with supporters of a rival team after a football match. He explained to the police officer why he was aggressive. The police officer noted John’s comments in her notebook. Table 5 below shows some of John’s comments.

Discuss one or more social psychological explanations for aggression. Refer to some of the comments in Table 5 in your answer.