Understanding Psychology (10th Ed)

 FRUSTRATION-AGGRESSION APPROACHES: 
AGGRESSION AS A REACTION TO FRUSTRATION 
Suppose you’ve been working on a paper that is due for a class early the next morn-
ing, and your computer printer runs out of ink just before you can print out the 
paper. You rush to the store to buy more ink only to fi nd the sales clerk locking the 
FIGURE 3 
What is aggression? It 
depends on how the word is defi ned 
and in what context it is used. 
(Source: 
Adapted from Benjamin, 1985, p. 41.)
Is This Aggression?
To see for yourself the diffi
culties involved in defi ning aggression, consider each of the 
following acts and determine whether it represents aggressive behavior—according to 
your own defi nition of aggression.
1. A spider eats a fl y. Yes 
No 
2. Two wolves fi ght for the leadership of the pack. Yes 
No 
3. A soldier shoots an enemy at the front line. Yes 
No 
4. The warden of a prison executes a convicted criminal. Yes 
No 
5. A man viciously kicks a cat. Yes 
No 
6. A man, while cleaning a window, knocks over a fl ower pot, which, in falling, injures a 
pedestrian. Yes 
No 
7. Mr. X, a notorious gossip, speaks disparagingly of many people of his acquaintance. 
Yes 
No 
8. A man mentally rehearses a murder he is about to commit. Yes 
No 
9. An angry son purposely fails to write to his mother, who is expecting a letter and will 
be hurt if none arrives. Yes 
No 
10. An enraged boy tries with all his might to infl ict injury on his antagonist, a bigger 
boy, but is not successful in doing so. His eff orts simply amuse the bigger boy. 
Yes 
No 
11. A senator does not protest the escalation of bombing to which she is normally 
opposed. Yes 
No 
12. A farmer beheads a chicken and prepares it for supper. Yes 
No 
13. A hunter kills an animal and mounts it as a trophy. Yes 
No 
14. A physician gives a fl u shot to a screaming child. Yes 
No 
15. A boxer gives his opponent a bloody nose. Yes 
No 
16. A Girl Scout tries to assist an elderly woman but trips her by accident. Yes 
No 
17. A bank robber is shot in the back while trying to escape. Yes 
No 
18. A tennis player smashes her racket after missing a volley. Yes 
No 
19. A person commits suicide. Yes 
No 
20. A cat kills a mouse, parades around with it, and then discards it. Yes 
No 
catharsis 
The process of discharging 
built-up aggressive energy.
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