Aggression is a difficult behaviour to predict but also it is often hard to control. It comes in many physical, verbal and non-verbal forms. Physical aggression can appear from as little as slapping/ hitting a person to firing a gun at someone. Verbal aggression can be someone screaming or using abusive/racist language and non-verbal can include things like using offensive gestures or invading an individual’s personal space. A person may express this kind of behaviour if they are either distressed or if they want to communicate an unmet need. It is classified in 2 groups:
Instrumental aggression: aggressive behaviour which is aimed at achieving/gaining an objective
Hostile aggression: aggressive behaviour that is only done to hurt others.
Aggressive behaviour can take place as a result of an individual wanting to have their own way/get what they want or as a response to stress i.e. too much noise surrounding their environment.
Anger is a normal and necessary human emotion but can also have an effect on an individual’s aggressive behaviour. Anger is a person’s response to things such as threats and it can bring strong, aggressive feelings as a defence mechanism when being attacked. When the anger begins to get out of control it can become damaging and this can then lead to continuous challenging behaviour. Being assertive is the healthiest way of dealing with anger; it enables people to suppress their anger and enables them make and meet their needs clearly and without hurting other people. Anger can also be supressed by allowing the person to calm themselves down i.e. walking or focus on positive things, however this can create a person to turn their anger inwards and hurt themselves physically i.e. high blood pressure, depression etc., develop a pessimistic/aggressive personality or even indirectly attack others.
There are many different theories about what causes aggression.