The purpose of the chapter is to highlight the various approaches used by scholars to understand the causes of aggressive behavior. The author admits that many types of research have been conducted on the topic because it is believed that it is the first step toward eliminating aggressive behavior. Therefore, the author provides the diversity in the different disciplines that have explained aggressive behavior and the theoretical constructs that can be applied to interpret various forms of aggression based on the area of life.  Therefore, this section provides a summary of the chapter by defining the key variables and examples in personal experience.

The author defines aggression as an unpleasant behavior that leads to harm to both individuals and groups. It incurs material and social costs. To explain aggression, scientists use biological and psychological explanations. Biological explanations include ethological view, sociological view, behavior genetics, and the relationship between hormones and aggression. The psychological explanation for aggression includes Freudian psychoanalysis and the influence of frustrations.

According to the author, the ethological view provides that aggression is based on internal energy. Konrad Lorenz created this model because he believed that aggressive behavior in animals and human beings is connected to energy. Hence, the aggressive energy is released based on the time it has taken for the energy to build up and the ability of the external stimuli to trigger the subject. The sociological view provides that aggression is promoted and shaped through generations, which means, aggressive members of a species pass the genes to the next generation. The behavior genetics approach provides that aggression is found in the genetic make-up of an individual hence people who are related have similar aggressive tendencies.  The approach based on the relationship between hormones and aggression provides that the likelihood of aggressiveness depends on the presence of testosterone which contains flight impulses in men. Therefore, the flight impulses either enables avoidance behavior or flight inhibition.

According to the Freudian psychoanalysis, aggressive is a destructive instinct which occurs because of intrapsychic conflict between life and death instincts. However, there is limited empirical evidence to support the approach hence it is rarely used in quantitative studies in the modern day. In explaining the influence of frustrations, the author provides that aggression occurs because of an internal force that functions alongside external events.

I believe that my experience of aggressive energy is based on the ethological view. Although I do not consider myself an aggressive person, I have sometimes involved in aggressive behavior especially confrontations of people that have different opinions and express them using insults or demeaning language. There was a time we had a group discussion and one of the members challenged by contributions through getting personal. The person expressed that I was close-minded and was not willing to accept that other people could have more meaningful contributions. I felt that he insulted me and pushed him.

Consequently, we started physically attacking each other. Luckily, the other members broke the fight, and we ended the discussion. I believe that he triggered the aggressive behavior in me by being mean during many group discussions. Similarly, there was a time I had a big fight with my sister because she kept on reporting information that I confided in her to my mother. Although I realized that she had been doing this for a long time, I kept silence. However, when I realized that she was purposefully doing this to make me appear indiscipline to my mother, I could no longer hold my frustrations. Consequently, we got fought.

The Numbers

The chapter explains the frequency of violent behavior in the modern world through highlighting the methodological issues that occur in counting violence, sources of crime statistics, assault, homicide, juvenile violence, domestic violence, spouse abuse, dating violence, elder abuse, pan-violence, and types of violent men.

According to the author, there are many misconceptions regarding the places and rate of violence. Most Americans believe violence occurs in the streets and committed by strangers. However, based on the numerous reports from the media, surveys, and research, people often experience violence within their homes from people they know like relatives, spouse, or friends.  Currently, information regarding the rate of crime is acquired from the Uniform Crime Reports which is composed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. However, it is believed that the FBI only has estimates since it is almost impossible for them to detect and record all the crimes. Hence, sources like the National Crime Victimization survey and family violence surveys.

Also, the chapter provides the trend of assault. The author admits that cases of assault have decreased for the last decade. However, there are still frequent incidents of violent, and its cause has not been established. According to statistics from family violence survey, almost half of assault cases are committed by people not known to victims. However, it is believed that the number does not represent cases on the ground since most victims are either afraid or unwilling to reveal the identities of the culprits.   Information on homicide is contained in the Uniform Crime Reports. While the information is not readily available to the public, published reports show that females are more likely to be the victims of homicide. Also, the report indicates that homicide, just like assault, is committed by people who have been intimate with the victim.

The chapter provides that juvenile violence has decreased compared to the last decade.  Nevertheless, there are still frequent cases of children committing severe crimes to either peers or adults. Most juvenile crime offenders commit crime because of having suffering abuse from the victim for a long time. Juvenile violence has raised concerns related to domestic violence directed at children in the form of physical, emotional, or psychological or verbal. Similarly, spouse abuse can be in emotional, physical, psychological, and verbal. However, unlike juvenile violence, it involves marital rape. Further, contrary to the common belief that dating is exciting and only consists of socializing, it can turn violent and involve rape.

According to the author, although elder abuse still exists, it is difficult to measure because there is no clear way to measure the nature of elder abuse and it is rarely seen. Pan violence involves violent behavior both at home and outside like workplaces. According to statistics, most men are common offenders of cases related to pan-violence, battering, and street violence.

While I have not personally experienced any form of the violence provided by the chapters, I have interacted with peers who grew up in homes where the fathers were physically and emotionally violent to their mothers. Also, I have interacted with a friend at school whose brother is locked up in a juvenile prison because of raping a child when he was fifteen years old.

 
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