AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIORS
Social learning theory denotes the social behavior and learning process theory, which suggests that new behaviors can be attained through observations and copying others. Additionally, the social theory states that learning tends to take place via observation of punishments and rewards; this process is regarded as the vicarious reinforcement. The primary notion of social learning is that people tend to practice the things they see. Ideally, behaviors are learned from the environmental surrounding via observation. Social theory tends to support the notion that people are born aggressive, whoever they tend to be less aggressive as they continue to develop towards adulthood, shifting the aggressive behaviors to competition and sports. Alternatively, Alfred Bandura suggested that aggression can also be learned just like any other type of behavior. Based on the aggressiveness exhibited by the children, it is logical to conclude that people are born with aggressiveness traits only to stop the aggressiveness trait later during their adulthood.
Young children are born with aggressive behaviors, which they later learn to regulate during preschool years and through friends and parents if they have to evade being antisocial and violent in the future. Toddles contain aggressive behaviors right from birth, but they don’t learn aggressive behaviors from the environment. Hence the innate aggressive behaviors amongst the children act not only as an indicator of the violent behaviors during adulthood but also defines other issues such as drug abuse, violent crimes and might results in an abusive parent amongst the adults (Bandura & Walters, 1977). There exist many debates regarding whether violent behaviors are learned, or the children are born with violent instincts, the solution to this debate can only be found on the current studies which denote that aggressiveness is an inborn trait. Children’s ability to regulate violent behaviors is what marks a difference in the rate of aggressiveness among adults. Most of the children who grow up being surrounded by physically aggressive adults are more likely to embrace aggression as part of their life (Wright, Hill, Pickles, & Sharp, 2019). In the centrally, children living in an environment that does not condone aggression but instead reward pro-social actions, there is a high probability will learn to avoid physical aggression in their adulthood.
Albert Bandura conducted a bobo doll experiment regarding the aggression, its primary role was to show that toddlers can copy adult behaviors through observation. The testing involved exposing toddlers to two distinct adult models (non-aggressive model and an aggressive model). After being exposed to the models, the children were then shifted in a distinct room to investigate whether they could behave in accordance with the behaviors they witnessed earlier in the models. Bandura argued that there was a high probability that children who were exposed to aggressive models could exhibit aggressive behaviors even in the absence of the model (Bandura & Walters, 1977). Additionally, children who were exposed to non-aggressive models were expected to exhibit less aggressive behaviors.
Aggressive behaviors constitute the innate violent behaviors, and it is highly influenced by environmental factors in which a child is grown up. According to the social psychologists, aggression denotes to the behaviors that are intended to cause harm to other parties who are not ready to be hurt. Aggressive behaviors can be categorized into various groups, for instance, impulsive or emotional aggression, which is mostly influenced by impulsive emotions. The other form of aggression is cognitive or instrumental aggression; this refers to a type of aggression that is planned and is intentional. The final category of aggression is physical aggression; it involves causing physical harm to other people (for instance, through kicking and shooting). Factors that need to be put in place while defining the aggression include; Emotions of an individual. Social factors play a significant role while defining aggression. Various social factors that are vital to consider while defining aggression involves college, family environment.
References
Bandura, A., & Walters, R. H. (1977). Social learning theory (Vol. 1). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-hall.
Wright, N., Hill, J., Pickles, A., & Sharp, H. (2019). Callous-unemotional traits, low cortisol reactivity, and physical aggression in children: findings from the Wirral Child Health and Development Study. Translational psychiatry, 9(1), 1-9.