The frustration-aggression theory is an interesting concept in psychology that helps us understand why people develop aggressive behavior when they experience frustration. First proposed by Dollard and Miller in the 20th century, this theory reveals a strong link between frustration and aggression by studying patterns of human behavior.
Hi there my friend, I'm Yu the Heart Exploration Coach, and today I want to have a lighthearted conversation with you about this topic, and hopefully it will bring you some inspiration.
Have you ever been in a similar situation in your life:
For example, you invited a few good friends to the house party, cheerfully took out a bottle of treasured 82 years of red wine, but when you use the corkscrew to try to open the corkscrew, the oak cork is cracked into a few petals, but still stuck in the mouth of the bottle, you threw the corkscrew into the garbage in a fit of pique.
Or, you are buried in writing the end of the month summary of the work, and analysis of target achievement, and dismantling the business structure, but also do the personnel matching assessment, graphic and content-rich, suddenly the computer blue screen, reboot and found that the document is only left with the title, you are burning with rage, directly to the mouse on the ground.
In fact, you may usually be a mild-mannered person who seldom uses foul language, and even less often gets physical, but for some reason, at times like these, you explode in anger instantly. Why is this?
From a psychological perspective, this is the central point of the theory of the frustration-aggression hypothesis proposed by Dollard and Miller. Simply put, aggression is often the result of frustration, and whenever frustration exists, it is likely to trigger some form of aggression.
Let's talk about three topics related to psychoanalysis: the relationship between frustration and aggression, the manifestations of alternative aggression, and the effect of catharsis on aggression.
The frustration-aggression hypothesis states that frustration may trigger aggressive behavior, which is common in our daily lives. For example, children who are neglected or controlled at home are prone to pushing and hitting, and then there is an increase in violent crime when unemployment rises.
Why do we develop internal or external aggression when we experience frustration? Freud, the founder of the psychoanalytic school, gave the answer: because we feel unpleasant!
When we encounter a frustrating event, the instinctive pleasure principle is blocked, life energy cannot be released, stress ensues, and we react against this sense of unpleasantness.
Thinking back to the waiting room of the Spring Festival more than a decade ago, crowded with people, noisy, the air mixed with the smell of smoke, sweat and other strange odors, ears full of yells, horns and cries, everyone looked anxious, the slightest friction could trigger a verbal altercation or even a fight. So the key is not whether the thing itself is frustrating, but the degree to which it is unpleasant, and it is the unpleasant experience that triggers the attack.
In addition, thoughts that elicit negative emotions make the experience more unpleasant, thus increasing the likelihood of aggression, while thoughts that diminish negative emotions decrease the tendency to aggression.
The frustration-aggression hypothesis also predicts that we don't always attack the source of our frustration directly, sometimes turning our anger toward unrelated people or events, as seen in many social events.
In the first two years of the New Crown epidemic, there were frequent incidents of cyber-violence, which did even more damage than the epidemic itself. Because the epidemic was a psychological stress event for ordinary people, some people failed to invest, some people lost their jobs, some people lost their loved ones, some people got divorced ...... Almost everyone felt frustration, and cyber violence became the aggressive behavior after the frustration.
Attacking these indirect targets is often easier and safer than attacking the epidemic directly. This is well illustrated by the psychological "cat-kicking effect". But not all people who are attacked instead are completely innocent; sometimes they may have done something to annoy their attackers.
The frustration-aggression hypothesis suggests that aggression releases stress through catharsis, and catharsis in turn makes the need for aggression decrease.
While this statement can be found in life and is popularly accepted, research shows that it may not be true. Many scholars have found that instead of reducing aggression, catharsis may increase aggressive tendencies.
There are two common types of catharsis: direct catharsis and indirect catharsis.
Direct catharsis refers to attacking alternative people or objects, such as scolding a child, hitting a sandbag, or abusing an animal. Because these objects are weaker, such attack situations stimulate us to become more aggressive.
Indirect catharsis involves attacking through fantasies, such as playing online gun games or fighting games, and imagining oneself as a hero defeating the object of anger. Violent scenarios may evoke other aggressive memories and emotions that bring pleasure and reinforce aggressive behavior.
Whether cathartic directly or indirectly, aggressive actions can break inhibitions. Most of us will instinctively control ourselves from hurting others, but once we break the inhibitions, we are more likely to attack others.
Frustration is inevitable in life, and there will be ups and downs in emotions. It is important to learn how to correctly deal with frustration and rationally handle emotions. The key is to care for yourself, accept yourself, enrich your heart, face it positively, and keep working hard.
You can also seek out support groups or counselors for in-depth conversations about this topic, both to learn methods and to gain new ideas.
