Zafar 1

Syed Ali Zafar Haider

2020-11-0168

Ms. Aqila Zaman

Writing and Communication

23rd December 2016.

Aggression: A learned response.

Aggression is a pattern of behavior which causes harm to oneself, others or things, either

physically, verbally, emotionally, or mentally and can exist in a secretive or obvious manner. The

aspect of gratifying and idealizing acts of hostility and how they are observed by the immature

minds of children lead to aggressive patterns of behavior. Electronic media is to be held

accountable for screening content which promotes hostility by using it as a tool for entertainment

or justifying it as a means to an end. Repeated exposure to violent content makes children believe

hostility is a survival tool, as shown in shows or movies, and is a part of a “normal” life. On July

20, 2012, at a movie theatre in Aurora, Colorado, where the movie, “The dark knight rises” was

being screened, James Holmes entered the cinema wearing tactical clothing and was fully armed.

After a few warning shots at the ceiling, he opened fire at the audience, killing 12 people and

injuring 70 others. Prior to the shooting, he had rigged his apartment with explosives, which were

diffused later on. This was reported as the most number of casualties in a shooting in USA. The

alleged assailant, James Holmes was imprisoned when he pleaded not guilty by charge of insanity.

It was assumed that he was trying to portray the level of madness projected by the “Joker” of the

Batman universe (Colorado Theatre Shooting Fast Facts). Although many people believe that

aggression is a result of hormonal imbalances or genetic heredity, however, aggression is a learned

 Zafar 2

response which is taught through desensitization, systematic strategies and social influences on

behaviors.

Firstly, desensitization diminishes the emotional responsiveness to a negative stimulus,

which was later discovered to instill aggression by reducing sensitivity towards aggressive

behaviors. Joseph Wolpe developed systematic desensitization in 1950s which was a behavioral

technique to treat phobia and fear. Originally, Wolpe had his clients imagine anxiety provoking

stimulus in an ascending order with the most provoking thought being imagined in the end. This

process took place in steps, the only way to proceed to the next step was to reach a sense of

normality or relaxation with the current anxiety provoking stimulus. As the process proceeded, it

exposed clients to the stimulus rather than having them imagine it. The stages followed an order,

for example, initially the participant would be asked to imagine a spider, then asked to look at a

picture of a spider, then asked to look at a spider confined in a box and in the last stage asked to

hold the spider with his or her bare hands. As the clients worked their way up the fear hierarchy,

increased exposure to the stimulus made them less sensitive towards it and hence they were able

to face their fears (McLeod). Systematic desensitization can also be applied to the case of

aggression. Media makes children passive recipients of aggressive behavior and violent content

every day. In America, televisions are also commonly present in bedrooms, with 19% of infants,

29% of 2- to 3-year-olds, 43% of 4- to 6-year-olds, and 68% of children 8 years and older having

a television in their bedrooms (Media Violence). This increases the opportunity to view hostile

content which can lead to learning aggression. According to a study, a child in America who

watches television for an average of 27 hours a week will have viewed 8000 acts of murder and

100000 acts of violence before he graduates elementary school (Slotsve). Graphic imagery, make

up techniques and animation have improved significantly with time, which can increase the impact
 Zafar 3

of violent content on the viewers. The more violence a child views on television, the less

emotionally concerned he or she becomes and the more acceptable it seems. Daniel G. Liz and

Edward Donnerstein conducted a study to investigate the effects of exposure to violent and

sexually explicit content relating to women in degrading terms. A number of male participants

were made to watch two of three films. Either an “R” rated violent film, an “X” rated pornographic

film or an “R” rated nonviolent but sexually explicit film. After the participants had watched the

movies they were asked to fill out questionnaires and view a reenacted sexual assault trial and pass

judgment on the defendant and the alleged victim. Those who had watched the violent movie were

less sympathetic towards the victim and it was found out that repeated exposure was necessary to

decline the general empathy level towards the victim, reinforcing that emotional desensitization

was at play. Moreover, one of electronic media’s largest industry, Pornography, glorifies rape

culture by having a separate genre for it. The videos portraying “no means yes” ideology are

viewed by millions of viewers who are likely to be affect by them. Children who have access to

the internet can also view such content and this will impinge the development of their personality

by making them achieve a state of normalcy with the dreadful act of rape. The case of Jamie

Reynolds, who murdered Georgia Williams, a 17 year old, supports this claim. It has been reported

that he had been watching excessive pornographic videos immediately before Georgia arrived at

his home, where he proceeded to kill her. He took pictures of her, before during and after killing

her. Lord Thomas, the person who convicted Jamie Reynolds, said: “the case left me in no doubt

at all that the peddling of pornography on the internet had a dramatic effect on the individual. What

is available to download and to see is simply horrific and it played a real part in the way in which

this particular murder was carried out” (Daubney).

 Zafar 4

However, according to the biological theories of aggression we have within us a natural

reservoir of aggressive energy. Konard Lorenz, an Austrian zoologist derived the theory that

aggression is instinctual and a product of evolution. He based his theory on the observation that

some breeds are comparatively passive while others are aggressive. He contended that

aggressiveness is beneficial and allows the survival and success of populations having an

aggressive nature since the strongest animals would eliminate weaker ones and over the course of

evolution, the result would be an ultimately stronger and healthier population (Smith). In his

theory, Konard Lorenz draws lessons from animal behaviors to explain our own behavior which

is a risk because unlike animals our behaviors are prone to be affected by social pressures and

social situations. Humans also have the ability to reflect on their actions and change them

accordingly whereas animals only act on instinct, therefore the validity of drawing conclusions

from animal behavior is undermined. Furthermore, animals are not as aggressive as they are

perceived. In the case of animals, killing other animals to acquire food should not be considered

as an aggressive pattern of behavior because it is actually a survival tool. Scientist have conducted

research to prove that if the way they are reared and the environment in which they are brought up

are changed, it would have a profound impact on their level of aggressiveness (Kohn). This claim

is supported by the increasing number of exotic animals, such as lions or cheetahs, being adopted

as pets. Such a situation is only possible when the owners are sure that they can maintain a passive

relationship with the animal.

Secondly, systematic strategies were used to teach aggression by creating the will to kill.

During the Second World War it was observed that only a small proportion of the army was willing

to fire at an exposed enemy. The allies met this problem by designing a systematic way of solving

it through brutalization, classical conditioning and role models. Dave Grossman states that
 Zafar 5

brutalization also known as “values inculcation,” takes place at boot camp, where the heads of new

recruits are shaved, they are herded together naked, and dressed alike, which makes them lose all

vestiges of individuality. They are then trained relentlessly in an immersive environment. In the

end they accept violence and discipline as a normal and essential survival skill. Brutalization is

designed to break down originally held norms and make individuals accept a new set of values.

Classical conditioning took place during World War II, when the Japanese would make some of

their young soldiers bayonet (stab with knives attached to their rifles) innocent prisoners to death

as their comrades would cheer them on. Afterwards, all these soldiers would be treated to the best

meal they've had in months and allowed the company of girls. This resulted in teaching them to

associate violence with pleasure. Grossman, argued that just as a person enters the military, he is

met by a role model, a person who personifies violence and aggression. Military heroes are the

people who have been most successful in their missions, which is an indirect way of saying that

they have killed the most people. These violent personalities have been used to influence the

impressionable minds of young recruits (Grossman). Grossman, further contends that these

functions of instilling aggression and creating killers are also being provided by electronic media.

He uses the case of Michael Corneal of Kentucky, USA, a 14 year old who had never used a gun

but managed to steal a 0.22 mm pistol bring it to school and shoot 8 students, killing 3 of them and

fatally injuring 5 (Holland). Brutalization takes place in media when children, who do not have

the cognitive complexity to differentiate between the fantasy of television and the reality of life,

view someone being raped, murdered, injured, brutalized or degraded and believe it to be true and,

therefore, are forced to accept violence as a normal part of their lives and aggression as a necessary

survival tool. Classical conditioning occurs when children or teenagers associate cheers and

laughter with violence while playing video games. The response of winning in a video game is
 Zafar 6

happiness; even if the game involves killing people to achieve that. Initially, this response of

happiness is unrelated to the act of killing in the video games. However, if the winning is associated

with killing enough times then killing would drive the same response of happiness as did winning

the game. Media has provided children with many role models who kill others and use violence

and aggression as a means to justify their “heroism” and prevail over others. Wrestling is a sport

prominently watched by young boys where they aspire to be like their favorite wrestlers. They

look upto people who fight each other for a living. Despite the fact that these channels show public

messages in which the famous wrestlers inform the public that they are professional athletes and

they fight under supervision and ask the public to “not try this”, it still impacts the immature minds

of children.

Nevertheless, according to the psychoanalytical theory of Sigmund Freud human

aggression is driven which means that it is related to the person and not based on the situation,

hence, it is unavoidable. Freud argued that from birth humans possess two drives: the drive for

aggression, Thanatos, and the drive for pleasure, Eros, that contribute to their personality

development and behavior. He argues that these urges seek expression and they compete against

each other. According to Freud, the tension that develops due to this conflict is the origin of all

aggressive behavior (Causes of Aggression: A Psychological Perspective). He, therefore, stated

that aggression cannot be avoid and has to be channeled. But, he based his theory on the unseen

psychological processes which are impossible to judge, therefore, lacks credibility. The

psychoanalytic theory has been tested in clinical, observational, and experimental studies; and it

is at these levels that the psychoanalytic theory has managed badly. This indicates that there is not

enough evidence to back the theory’s claims. Furthermore, the claim that behavior is driven by the

need to satisfy certain desires can be refuted by the fact that people voluntarily remain celibate or
 Zafar 7

fast. This shows that even physiological needs, such as hunger and sex, can be overridden, thus,

the same can be done with aggression. Hence, aggression is not natural.

Finally, social learning theory states that learning is a cognitive process which takes place

in a social setting primarily through observation. Aggression as a learned response is most

famously supported by Albert Bandura through his social learning theory. In his original study,

Bandura examined a total of 72 children, equally from both genders. Each child was judged on the

level of his/her aggressiveness so that the effect of the process could be judged. The children were

equally divided into two groups, one that would undergo the aggressive model in which the

children would see either a person of the same or different gender interacting aggressively with

the bobo doll whereas in the non-aggressive model, the participants, in the same proportion, would

see a person ignoring the bobo doll. The children took part in this process individually. They were

accompanied by the experimenter and the aggressive model into a room where the child and the

model would sit in different corners, which had toys to play with. After some time, when the

experimenter would leave, the aggressive model would start showing aggression towards the bobo

doll by hitting it with a toy mallet and saying verbal phrases which projected aggression. Whereas

in the non-aggressive model, the person simply ignored the bobo doll and played with the

construction tools. Then the child would be taken into another room which would have fancy toys,

but he/she would be allowed to stay there for a very little time. This was done to increase frustration

among the children. They would then be taken into a third room which had a two way mirrored

glass which would enable Bandura and his colleagues to observe the participants. The participant

was left alone in that room with a bobo doll and some aggressive toys and some non-aggressive

toys. Observations proved that participants who took part in the aggressive model were far more

likely to use the aggressive toys and hit the bobo doll than those who took part in the non-
 Zafar 8

aggressive model. It was further found out that those who were accompanied by the same gender

of aggressive model were more likely to display aggression, but this finding was more significant

in the case of boys rather than girls (McLeod). The example of Mohibullah, a 13 year old Afghan

boy, who fell prey to Taliban and was turned into a suicide bomber signifies how aggression

spreads through social learning. Mohibullah was imprisoned when his mission to destruct a

governor’s office in Kandahar city failed and he was caught. He stated to the authorities that “you

will feel no pain when you detonate your suicide vest” and “you will instantly be in heaven’s

embrace (He is afraid of cats. How can he be a suicide bomber?). A 13 year old child has the will

to kill because he observes that the people around him direct their hatred and anger towards a

certain group of people. Similarly, he observes that the people who follow this path are respected

and revered, therefore, he strives to attain that appreciation and respect. Pornography also plays a

part in the social learning theory. The porn industry is not only expanding but also the different

forms of pornography such as rape, bondage and BDSM, which promote aggression are becoming

mainstream. This increases the need of teenagers to act on what they have seen, in order to achieve

the same kind of sexual stimulation. Andrea Dworkin argues in her book, “Pornography: Men

possessing women” that women are treated as inferior because equality can never exist in the case

of rape. She also argues that the perception that the women involved in porn are voluntarily

participating, only further perpetuates the cowardly and absurd excuse in the minds of men and

boys who tell themselves “this is what she really wants” (Papadaki). Through observance of porn,

which implies that women are to be seen and treated as objects, young boys and teenagers socially

learn that a women can be used in any way a male desires and this way of thinking builds up the

characteristics of a rapist or a murderer.

 Zafar 9

Witnessing gratifying violent acts through electronic media is believed to be directly

proportional to the increasing violence around the world. The violent content which is displayed

through the electronic media or through social interactions is seen by children with cognitive

immaturity as a normal part of their lives, thus teaching them aggressive patterns of behavior

through desensitization which makes people achieve a sense of normality with violent content,

systematic strategies of brutalization, classical conditioning and role models which are employed

by electronic media and social influences that reinforce behaviors through the hope of a false

reward. It is important to educate people to not glorify acts of aggression so that children like

Jeffery Osborne’s 14 year old son who shot and killed his father and went on a shooting rampage

at a nearby elementary school (Collman) have a more viable chance at life and their victims like

14 year old Shubham Jindal of Delhi India, who was beaten to death with an iron rod by two of

his classmates (Roy) do not have to suffer at the expense of the psychopathic ideologies. In order

to establish a society that promotes pacifist attitude, we have to work systematically by restricting

viewership of hostile content, educating people about its true consequences and increasing parental

responsibility. The American Academy of Pediatrics have recommended in their policy on

television viewing (Children, Adolescents, and Television): to discourage television viewing for

all children under the age of 2 years, to remove television from children’s rooms, to limit the

entertainment through media time between 1 to 2 hours and to focus on programs and games that

are educational and non-violent.

(2970 words)
 Zafar 10

Works Cited:

“Causes Of Aggression: A Psychological Perspective.” Owlcation, 10 June 2016,

www.owlcation.com/social-sciences/Causes-Of-Aggression-What-Causes-Aggression-A-
Psychological-perspective.

“Children, Adolescents, and Television.” Children, Adolescents, and Television |

AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS | Pediatrics,
www.pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/107/2/423.

Collman, Ashley. “Father Killed by His 14-Year-Old Son” Daily Mail Online, Associated
Newspapers, 29 Sept. 2016, www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3813544/PICTURED-Father-
killed-14-year-old-son-opened-fire-elementary-school-playground-injuring-teacher-two-
students.html.

“Colorado Theater Shooting Fast Facts.” CNN, Cable News Network, 20 July 2012,
www.edition.cnn.com/2013/07/19/us/colorado-theater-shooting-fast-facts/.

Daubney, Martin. “Does Watching Porn Really Turn People into Violent Criminals?” The
Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group, 29 Jan. 2015, www.telegraph.co.uk/men/thinking-
man/11376283/Does-watching-porn-really-turn-people-into-violent-criminals.html.

Grossman, Dave. “Killology Research Group.” Teaching Kids to Kill, Killology Research
Group, Aug. 2000, www.killology.com/teaching-kids-to-kill.

“'He Is Scared of Cats. How Can He Become a Suicide Bomber?'.” DAWN.COM, 18 Apr.
2016, www.dawn.com/news/1252859.

Holland, Sarah Stewart. “Memories of a School Shooting: Paducah, Kentucky, 1997.” The
Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 17 Dec. 2012,
www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/12/memories-of-a-school-shooting-paducah-
kentucky-1997/266358/.

Kohn, Alfie. “Are Humans Innately Aggressive? - Alfie Kohn.” Are Humans Innately
Aggressive?, 2 Apr. 2015, www.alfiekohn.org/article/humans-innately-aggressive/.

McLeod, Saul. “Saul McLeod.” Simply Psychology, Jan. 2008,

www.simplypsychology.org/Systematic-Desensitisation.html.

McLeod, Saul. “Bobo Doll Experiment.” Simply Psychology, 1 Jan. 1970,

www.simplypsychology.org/bobo-doll.html.

“Media Violence.” Media Violence, American Academy of Pediatrics, Nov. 2009,

www.pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/124/5/1495.
 Zafar 11

Papadaki, Evangelia (Lina). “Feminist Perspectives on Objectification.” Stanford

Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford University, 10 Mar. 2010,
www.plato.stanford.edu/entries/feminism-objectification/.

Roy, Divyanshu Dutta. “Class 9 Student Allegedly Beaten to Death by Classmates With Iron
Rod in Delhi.” NDTV.com, 24 Aug. 2015, www.ndtv.com/delhi-news/class-9-student-
allegedly-beaten-to-death-by-classmates-with-iron-rod-in-delhi-1210460.

Slotsve, Tiffany et al. “Television Violence and Aggression: A Retrospective

Study.” Television Violence and Aggression: A Retrospective Study, vol. 5, 2008, pp. 3–3.
www.swacj.org/swjcj/archives/5.1/4%20Slotsve.pdf.

Smith, Alexandara K. “Theories of Aggression.” Theories of Aggression | Serendip Studio,

Serendip Studio, 1 Nov. 2008, www.serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/serendipupdate/theories-
aggression.