Topic > Are humans aggressive by nature? - 1495

If sexuality was the main issue that worried psychologists at the beginning of the 20th century, aggression is the main concern of the 21st century. Aggression has been studied a lot especially in terms of its social meaning. The most contradictory discussions of human aggression focused on the innate acquired core relationship. Some theories emphasize that aggression is fixed in our genetic code, while others argue that factors such as education, environment, life experiences leave a mark on our behavior, sometimes leading to aggression. Anderson and Bushman describe human aggression as "any behavior directed toward another individual that is carried out with the proximate (immediate) intent of causing harm. Furthermore, the offender must believe that the behavior will cause harm and that the target is motivated to avoid the behavior." Regarding the origin of human aggression, two main theories. have been developed: on the one hand there is the innate character of aggression, in the form of instinctive aggression, and on the other hand it is believed that aggressive behavior is acquired through social determination. Both ethologists and psychoanalysts argued that aggression was innate, and the answer to their claims came from behaviorists. The innate theories of aggression were supported by various arguments, biological, ethological and psychoanalytic concepts and among the promoters there are McDougall, Lorenz, Freud, Brown, Conner. Ethology or behavioral biology is the science that studies the behavior of creatures, relating to habits and customs, relationships between species and responses to environmental stimuli. Through studies carried out over time, ethologists have tried to better understand the innate part of the differences between the two genders, electrically stimulating some parts of the cortex to which an individual is linked. to more easily engage in aggressive behavior, high levels of alcohol or low blood sugar levels increase aggression. In conclusion, although Sigmund Freud and Konrad Lorentz share the belief that aggression is, by nature, present in all of us, in Freud's theory aggression appears to be primarily destructive, while Lorentz supports the idea that aggressive behavior is essential for our survival. Although the innate theory is easy to imagine, I believe it is also false, because all the studies conducted so far show clear evidence of external stimulation leading to aggression (imitation-experiment of the “Bodo doll” -, frustration - Dollard's theory, social learning - Berkowitz's studies -), but no one demonstrates an internal origin of this behavior.