Aggressive & Prosocial Behavior

Direct aggression includes physically harmful actions.

Aggressive behavior is defined as any action intended to inflict physical or emotional harm. Hostile aggression and instrumental aggression are forms of direct aggression, since they represent an explicit and immediate goal of harming someone else. Relational aggression is a form of indirect aggression more common among girls. Prosocial behavior includes empathetic, altruistic behavior

Instrumental Aggression

Instrumental aggression refers to aggressive behavior that serves as a means to an end. A child may push a classmate aside to take his or her place in line. Teenager may bully or commit crimes to gain the acceptance of their peer groups. The reward gained from the instrumental aggression is perceived to outweigh the risks of the antisocial behavior.

Hostile Aggression

Hostile aggression has no specific purpose or end; rather, it is harm inflicted for its own sake. Unlike instrumental aggression, which is typically habitual and planned, hostile aggression is impulsive, usually arising from external factors that cause frustration and an aggressive cue (an object associated with an aggressive response).

Relational Aggression

Relational aggression is indirect, meaning it does not cause immediate physical or psychological harm. Relational aggression includes gossip, humiliation, and social rejection. Girls typically resort to relational aggression instead of the more physical and confrontational forms of direct aggression.

Prosocial Behavior

Prosocial behavior has the purpose of fostering social bonds. Empathy is a common prosocial behavior in which one person demonstrates concern and personal unease over the misfortune or unhappiness of another. Altruistic behavior comprises actions performed for entirely selfless reasons, their purpose instead being the benefit of others.

References

• University of Illinois at Chicago Department of Psychology: Aggression and Altruism
• Rutgers University SHCR Lab: Human Aggression