Frustration-Aggression Theory

Why is it that so many people find themselves getting mad over things that others would consider trivial? It may be the little things that cause us to become angry and perhaps even act out aggressively, such as something someone said or did over twitter or in the media. This topic is psychologically complex to answer since there are many theories that govern such an emotion. Howver, a theory such as the frustration-aggression hypothesis may help in explaining aggressive behavior.

According to Craig A. Anderson and Brad J. Bushman, aggression can be defined as an individual's behavior directed towards another that is intended to inflict harm. In addition, they state that the individual displaying aggressive behavior must believe in his actions
Perhaps the broadest and most recent theory on aggression is the general aggression model (GAM), a theory explained by C. Nathan DeWall and Craig A. Anderson. It is a biosocial-cognitive model designed to account for both short- and long-term effects of a range of variables on aggression. Thus, it is believed that the frontal lobes, amygdala and a neurotransmitter serotonin is responsible for aggressive behavior. However, the understanding behind this is limited since psychological experiments that may cause individuals harm directly conflicts with ethical
In a study performed by Craig A. Anderson, it was found that hot temperatures may increase aggression by directly increasing feelings of hostility and indirectly increasing aggressive ideation. Therefore, in hot environments one can expect increases in aggressive behaviors in situations that seem inconsequential.

Focusing more on the frustration-aggression hypothesis, which illustrates the interaction between frustration and aggression, defined as the state that emerges when circumstances interfere with a goal response, which leads to aggression. There are several occasions in which something may frustrate an individual however in some cases, it is difficult to do anything about these frustrations and thus, it results in displaced aggression. This is when something is frustrating you however you cannot respond to it since the means of doing so is unavailable thus, it is often transferred to less deserving targets.

Becoming angry or acting aggressive over inconsequential things is what a majority of people do, and it may be because it's the simplest or most automatic way of expressing our frustrations, through acting