PS270 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Rape Myth, Amygdala, Prefrontal Cortex
Document Summary
Aggression is physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt someone. This excludes the unintentional harm or harm that aims to help (dentists) Hostile aggression springs from anger, its goal is to injure. Instrumental aggression is the means to another end. Instrumental aggression include terrorism, they do it because of another goal, they are doing it to protect views. As are wars these also are doing things to protect, therefore instrumental aggression. Murders on the other hand have straight intent to injure this is called hostile aggression. Some believe that aggression is an instinctive behavior, it is unlearned and in everybody. This serves problems as there is some variability here. Evolution also says that aggression has it benefits to reduce risk of death. Neural evidence from the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex (reduced activity) For genes there seems to be an interaction effect with nature. Alcohol tends to make people more aggressive.
