Aggression and violence may seem synonymous, but there are key differences between the two that should be understood. Both are seen as a bane of modern societies, with individuals causing harm to themselves and others through violent behavior. Psychologists and law enforcement are working to determine the reasons for this aggression in order to address the issue.
Key Takeaways
- Aggression is a human behavior that can potentially harm others, while violence is aggression in action, defined as physical assault with intent to harm or injure others.
- Aggression can be found in all cultures and is often the result of feelings such as anger, distrust, hopelessness, injustice, superiority, and vulnerability. Not all aggression, however, leads to violence.
- Violence can be a result of various factors working together, rather than a single cause such as child abuse or anger.
Aggression is a human behavior found in all individuals and is exhibited through abusive language, damage to objects and property, assault on oneself and others, and violent threats to others. It can cause harm at either the physical or psychological level and can even result in damage to property. Aggression is more about intention than action, meaning that intended behavior to harm others is the main aspect of aggression. For example, when an angry dog bares its teeth, it is not engaging in violence, but rather using aggression to scare away another dog.
Aggression is present in all cultures, but is accepted in some and frowned upon in others. It is often a result of anger, which can arise from feelings such as distrust, hopelessness, injustice, superiority, and vulnerability. Aggression is also linked to brain chemicals like serotonin and testosterone, with low levels of serotonin being associated with violent behavior and higher secretion of testosterone being correlated with violent behavior.
Violence, on the other hand, is aggression in action and is defined as physical assault with the intent to harm or injure others. Not all aggression leads to violence, but the intent to harm others remains at the root of violence. Examples of violence include predators hunting their prey, which is not a result of anger, and child abuse, a destructive form of violent behavior perpetrated by parents and caregivers. This has led to an increase in violent behavior among youth, which psychologists attribute to a combination of factors rather than just child abuse.
In summary, while aggression is a human behavior that can potentially harm others and is often the result of anger, violence is aggression in action and can be caused by a multitude of factors. Understanding these differences can help in addressing the issue of violence and aggressive behavior in modern society.
