Psychology 101: Aggression Essay - Social Factors and Impacts

This essay examines the multifaceted nature of aggression, arguing that social factors are the most significant determinants. It explores various aspects, including the influence of personal relationships, cultural norms, and religious beliefs on aggressive behavior. The paper highlights how experiences like divorce, parenting styles, and societal values can contribute to an individual's propensity for aggression. It draws on research to illustrate that men, individuals with mental health issues, and those who abuse alcohol are more prone to aggressive actions. The essay emphasizes the need for further research to pinpoint the specific factors that make certain individuals susceptible to aggression, with the ultimate goal of developing effective preventative measures. The essay concludes by stressing the importance of avoiding aggressive behavior due to its lack of advantages and negative impact on well-being. The essay follows APA guidelines with a title page, references, and proper formatting.

Aggression
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation

Aggression
Aggression refers to the emotion of anger. This emotion makes people involve
themselves in violent behaviour. There are different factors that may cause aggression. Some
are environmental. A person who has been raised in an environment that is characterized with
aggression has more chances of having aggression when compared to those who have been
raised in an environment that is peaceful (Berkowitz and Turner, 2017). Environments that
contain many cases of aggression are usually those where crime levels are high. Aggression
could also be caused by certain diseases. An example is epilepsy. People who suffer from
epilepsy are biologically predisposed to aggression (Cherry and Flanagan, 2017). There are
also social factors that cause aggression. These include divorce and sour personal
relationships. There are several instances in which I have encountered aggression. Most of
these cases were perpetrated by people who either have mental illnesses or are under the
influence of alcohol. This paper is going to discuss the most aggressive populations and the
factors that cause aggression. The most important cause of aggression are social factors.
Numerous researches have been carried out in the area of aggression. Through
research, it has been found that there are certain populations that are more likely to be
aggressive than others. For instance, men have been found to be three more likely to
demonstrate aggression when compared to women. Studies have shown that in most
populations, about 69% of all cases of aggression are attributed to men while only 22.6% are
attributed to women (Fernandez and Johnson, 2016). Aggression has also been found to be
higher among people who abuse alcohol and other drugs. Studies have found that a person
who abuses alcohol is twice as likely to be aggressive when compared to those who do not
abuse alcohol. Among the people who consume alcohol, 70% have engaged in aggressive
behaviour at least once (Cherry and Flanagan, 2017). The mentally ill have also been found

to demonstrate higher levels of aggression when compared to the normal members of the
populations.
Social factors are the strongest determinant of aggression. It is worth noting that
human beings are social beings. Therefore, they form various kinds of relationships with
others. These include love relationships, friendships and work relationships. Extensive
evidence reveals that aggression is likely to be experienced if these relationships go sour. For
instance, research has found that about 50% of the people who have been divorced have
engaged in aggressive behaviour of some sort (Fernandez and Johnson, 2016). Psychologists
argue that this behaviour may result from anger that may have accumulate as a result of the
divorce. Another social factor that has been shown to contribute significantly to aggression is
parenting. Research shows that almost 90% of children raised by aggressive parents are likely
to develop to aggressive adults (Taft, Creech and Murphy, 2017). A child who experienced
aggression, say domestic violence, is twice as likely to be aggressive to their marriage partner
later in life. These findings have proved important when it comes to explain the aggressive
nature of most individuals.
Another social factor that may predispose one to aggression is culture. There are
cultures that teach one gender to be aggressive towards the other. In most of the cases, it is
the men who are taught to be aggressive against women. Such cultural values have
contributed to making men more aggressive. Religion is also a social factor that may
predispose one to aggression. Research has shown that certain sects of the Muslims are likely
to engage in acts of aggression when compared to other sects or religions (Taft, Creech and
Murphy, 2017). The Al Qaeda and its affiliated terrorist groups illustrate how religion can
contribute to aggression. More than 70% of members of these terror organizations are radical
Muslims who believe to be fighting a holy war (Taft, Creech and Murphy, 2017). It is
important to note that the Muslim religion does not support terror activities. It is a section of

individuals who decide to misinterpret religion is a radical manner. In the light of these
factors, it would be true to conclude that social factors are the strongest determinant of
aggression.
In conclusion, social factors are the most important determinants of aggression. These
factors include personal relationships, culture and religion. Although great research has been
carried out on the topic of aggression, there is need for more. New research should focus on
identifying what predisposes some people and not others to aggression. If these factors were
to be identified, it would be possible to identify appropriate ways of preventing aggrsession.
Aggressive behaviour is unhealthy and should be avoided at all costs. There is no single
advantage that is associated with being aggressive.

References
Berkowitz, L., & Turner, C. (2017). 13 Perceived Anger Level, Instigating Agent, and
Aggression. Thought and Feeling: Cognitive Alteration of Feeling States, 13.
Cherry, M., & Flanagan, O. (2017). The Moral Psychology of Anger (3rd ed). New York:
Routledge.
Fernandez, E., & Johnson, S. L. (2016). Anger in psychological disorders: Prevalence,
presentation, etiology and prognostic implications. Clinical Psychology Review, 46,
124-135.
Taft, C. T., Creech, S. K., & Murphy, C. M. (2017). Anger and aggression in PTSD. Current
opinion in psychology, 14, 67-71.