AGGRESSION
There seems to be a clear divide between the
word “aggression” in everyday life, its
meaning in sports and the working definition
that sociologists use.
SOCIETY
 Drive
 Ambition
 Determination
EXAMPLE; An
aggressive
salesman
SPORTS
 Extreme
effort
 Playing hard
EXAMPLE;
aggressive
baserunning
SOCIOLOGISTS
“Behaviour
designed to harm
another”
The harm can be
either PHYSICAL or
PSYCHOLOGICAL
The key is INTENT!
Types of Aggressive Behaviour
A) INSTRUMENTAL
- Behavior in which the ultimate goal is NOT
injury to another person
- The intent to harm is still there, but not for
the sole purpose of harming
- Goal is some other external reward such as
winning, praise from fans and/or coach etc
B) REACTIVE/INSTRUMENTAL
- Behavior in which the ultimate goal IS
injury to another person
- Usually resultant of anger or frustration
…and often confused with aggression is…..
ASSERTIVENESS  behaviors that are purposeful
and goal-directed in which performers, often
striving for competitive success, make forcefully
decisive plays, WITH NO INTENT TO HARM.
- Play within the rules
What types of aggression are these
A)
B)
C)
D)
E)
F)
G)
Throwing your elbows to clear some room for
yourself after getting a rebound in basketball;
Running hard to save a ball from going out of
bounds, diving into the first row as you do so,
knocking out a fan in the process
Throwing at a batter in baseball to get them to
stop crowding the plate
A baseball player gets hit by a pitch and charges
the mound
Karlee Deacon has scored three goals to give
her team a 3-1 lead. She is the only skilled
player on her team. An opposing player, known
by her nickname, “The Parents”, goes out and
kicks Deacon on the side of the knee, shredding
all her ligaments
A hockey player gets annoyed by a player
skating behind him poking him, hooking him etc.
He has had enough – turns around and swings
his stick at him with two hands
An open ice, bone rattling hit in hockey
It is very difficult to gather accurate
information for aggression in sport.
Sociologists have used several different
methods to collect data……
Interview athletes and/or coaches
Watch sporting contest, gathering data
form their own observations
They study penalty statistics
What are the pros and cons of each of these
methods?
THEORIES OF AGGRESSION
Theory #1 – The Instinct explanation
 “he was born bad”
Premise: Aggression is innate. We have a
fighting and death instinct.
EVIDENCE: None. It is simply a theory.
Although there seems to be historical trends
that support it. (examples; gladiatorial
contests, popularity of MMA)
Theory #2 – The PHYSIOLOGICAL
explanation
 “he is a weirdo”
Premise: Because of blood chemistry
and/or brain dysfunction individuals
become aggressive
EVIDENCE: Testosterone is associated
with aggression in males. Also it has
been documented that individuals with
brain tumors exhibit violent behaviours
PROBLEM: Does not explain why people
with these physiological conditions
aggress in one situation but not
another – which suggests there must be
other factors in play.
Theory #3 – The Frustration
explanation
 “things were not going well for
him”
Premise: When individuals are kept
from obtaining a goal they feel
frustrated. This feeling of frustration
leads to feelings of anger which, in turn,
leads to feelings of wanting to hurt another
EVIDENCE: Study results – kids with
room full of new toys. ½ kids got to
play right away, ½ had to watch. The
kids that had to watch exhibited WAY
more aggression when it was there turn
to play.
PROBLEM: Some people aggress without
being frustrated. Examples?
Theory #4 – The social learning
explanation
Premise: Individuals have learned that
by engaging in aggression, they can
obtain rewards by
a) Direct reinforcement
b) Modelled behavior (see someone get
rewarded for aggressive behavior)
EVIDENCE: The Bobo Doll Experiment
Consequences of Aggression in Sport
For the Receipient:
A) Injury
B) Pyschological Harm
C) Altered Arousal Level
Consequences for the Aggressor:
A) Penalty (suspension, fine)
B) become a target
C) altered arousal level
D) injury to self
E) direct catharsis
Consequences to OBSERVER of
aggression
A) Entertained
B) The learning of aggression
C) Indirect catharsis