Aggression in sport
Home learning
 Rugby is a team game that has high psychological
and physiological demands. During rugby match
there is considerable physical contact, but incidents
of aggression are relatively rare.

 Explain the terms hostile aggression and
instrumental aggression. Explain how frustration
may lead to aggression and how might a coach try to
reduce the aggressive tendencies of one of their
players? (14 marks)
Outcomes
 All will be able to define and describe,
channeled/instrumental and hostile aggression
 All will be able to explain the difference between aggression
and assertion
 All will be able to describe and explain the four theories of
aggression and suggest strategies to control aggression
 Some will be able to evaluate each of the four theories
Definition
 Psychologists define aggression as;
“any form of behaviour directed toward the goal
of harming or injuring another living being who
is motivated to avoid such treatment”
(Baron, 1977, p. 7).
Types of aggression
 Hostile aggression
 Instrumental aggression / Channeled aggression
 Assertive behaviour
 Page 166 (167 new books) – Discuss the video.
Aggression in Sport
 Some assertive behaviours
are tolerated by officials in
sports such as the ‘Haka’the provocative display
performed by the NZ ‘all blacks’
rugby team
 Other behaviours that are violent but are neither
assertive (aim to influence/dominate) nor
aggressive (intent to harm) are not tolerated e.g.,
bad language, equipment abuse
Types of Aggression
Assertive behaviour
1. No intent to harm
2. Legitimate force
3. Unusual effort and
energy expenditure
Hostile aggression
1. Intent to harm
2. Goal to harm
3. Unusual effort and
energy expenditure
Instrumental
aggression
1. Intent to harm
2. Goal to win
3. No anger
Source: Silva (1980)
Assertive behaviour
What many people call examples of good
aggression (aggressively driving a golf ball or
killing a shot in volleyball) are labelled
assertive behaviours.
Assertive behaviour is playing within the rules
with high intensity, high arousal, without
intention to do harm.
Aggression is not....
 Doing destructive damage to an inanimate
object such as a door.
 Unintentionally injuring another person during
athletic competition.
 Aggressive behaviour where there is no chance
for the intended victim to be injured (e.g.,
aggressor and victim separated by bars or teammates).
Which of these are aggressive
behaviours?
1. Question: A basketball coach breaks a chair in protesting to a
disputed call?
Answer: Not aggressive behaviour as violence is directed
at an object and not a person.
2. Question: Alan, a hockey player, uses his stick to purposely hit
his opponent in the shin in retaliation for his opponent’s doing
the same thing to him.
Answer: Aggressive behaviour. The behaviour was
aimed at injuring another player.
3. Question: A race car driver kills a fellow competitor by running
into the competitors stalled car coming out of a turn.
Answer: Not an aggressive action as there was no intent.
.......continued
4. Question: Barry knows that John is very sensitive and
self-conscious about his ability to putt under pressure, so
he tells John that the coach said that if does not putt
better he will be replaced in the line-up. The coach never
said this.
Answer: Aggressive behaviour. There was
deliberate intent to cause psychological damage.
5. Question: Jane bowls a fast ball that hit Tom on the leg.
Answer: Not aggressive behaviour as there was no
intent. A fast ball is part of the game.
Fine line
Summarise the differences
Aggression
Assertion
THEORIES OF AGGRESSION
 Instinct theory
 Frustration – aggression
hypothesis
 Social learning theory
 Aggressive cue theory
When is aggression acceptable?
In 1975, an ice hockey player attacked an opponent with the
butt of his stick. When the player went down bleeding, he
grabbed his hair and repeatedly hit his head on the ice. He
was suspended for 10 games (about 2 weeks). In court he was
not convicted because “fighting is an accepted part of the
game, and so players must assume the risk of being injured in
this way”.
Ice hockey players have been fined for refusing to fight!!!
In basketball Rudy Tomjanovich’s career was ended by an
on-court assault. He was awarded $3.3 million in damages.
In 1997 Latrell Sprewell punched his coach. He was banned
by the NBA for 1 year and sacked by the club.
Practical application of aggression theories
 Watch the video clips and use each of the theories to
explain Water Boy’s aggressive behaviour.
Analysis of Happy
 Instinct theory?
 Frustration – aggression theory?
 Social Learning theory?
 Aggressive cue theory?
Can we identify aggressive people?
People high in trait anger are more likely to become highly
aroused and angry when they are losing than those low in
trait anger
People who have a previously watched or had aggressive
behaviour positively reinforced are more likely to be
aggressive than people where aggression was negatively
reinforced
How can we eliminate aggression?
 Negative reinforcement from the media.
 Positive reinforcement of skilful, non-aggressive players
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(e.g. fair play awards).
Psychological support and guidance.
Professional officiating (as in the NFL).
Clear differentiation of aggression and assertiveness.
Severe punishments for aggressive behaviour.
Governing bodies and law courts should punish offenders.
Society (esp. schools) should highlight non-aggressive
morals
Teach athletes to control aggressive tendencies (relaxation,
thought stopping etc.)
Managing aggressive performers
Strategy
Punish aggressive
behaviour
Avoid aggressive
situations
Individual’s
actions
Coach /
manager’s
actions
Governing body
actions
Summary
 Aggression is a behaviour where there is intention
to harm another living being.
 It is fundamentally different from assertive
behaviour.
 There are a range of theories associated with
aggression.
 Aggressive behaviour can be reduced by teaching
emotional control strategies, by punishing negative
behaviour and reinforcing positive behaviour.
Prove it review
 All will be able to define and describe,
channeled/instrumental and hostile aggression
 Describe an example of hostile aggression
 All will be able to explain the difference between aggression
and assertion
 What is the difference between an aggressive and an
assertive act?
Prove it review
 All will be able to describe and explain the four theories of
aggression and suggest strategies to control aggression
 Outline the instinct theory of aggression
 Some will be able to evaluate each of the four theories
 Outline two criticisms of the frustration-aggression
hypothesis