Aggression, Social Psychology of

Abstract

For over seven decades social psychological theories advanced understanding of aggressive behavior. The most recent major model – the General Aggression Model (GAM) – integrates prior theories, thereby encompassing the broadest range of aggressive phenomena. GAM is built on research about factors within a person that predispose them to aggression; factors from the environment that trigger aggression; and the underlying biological, neurocognitive, and psychological processes. This article summarizes historical and modern social psychological theories of aggression, key research methodologies and findings, and challenges of studying violence and aggression in society. It concludes by noting areas for future social psychological research of aggression. Human aggression is a social behavior, and whilst it has been studied from many perspectives, it is theoretical models and empirical research from the field of social psychology that have provided the strongest framework from which to understand it. This article focuses on the contribution of social psychologists to the understanding of human aggression, providing first some key definitions, then major theories (both classic and contemporary) and a brief summary of social psychological approaches to the study of aggressive behavior. An overview of research findings is presented, including those describing factors within a person that increase the likelihood they will aggress, situational cues that can trigger aggression, internal psychological processes that underlie an instance of aggressive behavior, and processes that increase trait aggressiveness. We conclude by suggesting a ‘risk factor’ framework for understanding societal violence and noting directions for future research.