Catharsis through displacement of aggression.

Konečni, Vladimir J.; Doob, Anthony N.

doi:10.1037/h0033164

Cited by 69 publications

(73 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…39 In fact, the amount of residual aggression in the principal experimental group (insulted retaliators) in Konečni's experiments was, on the average, no greater than that in the nonangered control group. 3,15 Significantly, as predicted by the AABC model, all of the above results were paralleled by those in terms of psychophysiological measures in other experiments. [35][36][37] In addition, certain correct predictions could be made only on the basis of the cathartic effect within the AABC model -for instance, regarding alcohol intake and music choice.…”

Section: The Aabc Model: Experimental Findingssupporting

confidence: 70%

“…[3][4][5]15,29 Catharsis, especially in its "hydraulic" form, has been severely criticized from various perspectives 30 and flagrantly misused in self-help manuals. With reference to experimentation, one of the most serious and frequent conceptual errors committed by researchers has been to regard the various substitute-target and vicarious aggressive activities as functionally equivalent to the infliction of physical injury -indeed, to regard them as "aggressive" (or "cathartic") at all.…”

Section: Catharsis and The "Cathartic Effect"mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[11][12][13][14][15][16] In the present author's experimental work and theoretical writing, anger has been viewed in the context of his Prototypical Emotion-Episode Model, or (PEEM)…”

Section: Vithe Relevant Aspects Of Anger and Peemmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…After the angered RPs had physically retaliated against IO, they subsequently displayed significantly less behavioral aggression against IO than did the equally angered RPs without the prior retaliation experience. 3,4,15,38 This basic, experimentally demonstrated, cathartic effect was anticipated by Plato some 2,400 years ago: "If one man is angry with another, he can take it out of him on the spot, and will be less likely to pursue the quarrel further" [Book V, p. 222]. 39 In fact, the amount of residual aggression in the principal experimental group (insulted retaliators) in Konečni's experiments was, on the average, no greater than that in the nonangered control group.…”

Section: The Aabc Model: Experimental Findingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…RPs who had been made angry by insults or capriciously blocked goals in carefully rigged experimental situations subsequently physically aggressed significantly more against IOs -in terms of "shocks" or "blasts of noise" -than did non-angered control RPs. 3,4,15,16,29 3. After the angered RPs had physically retaliated against IO, they subsequently displayed significantly less behavioral aggression against IO than did the equally angered RPs without the prior retaliation experience.…”

Section: The Aabc Model: Experimental Findingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Anger-Aggression Bidirectional-Causation (AABC) Model’s Relevance for Dyadic Violence, Revenge and Catharsis

Konečni¹

2016

Soc Behav Res Pract Open J

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CitationKonečni VJ. The anger-aggression bidirectional-causation (AABC) model's relevance for dyadic violence, revenge and catharsis. Review I. ABSTRACTIn this article, the multifaceted theoretical underpinnings of V. J. Konečni's AngerAggression Bidirectional-Causation (AABC) model of interpersonal aggression are described, along with a large body of supporting data, mostly from laboratory experiments. The AABC model's utility in the clarification of several complex issues of long standing in various scholarly domains is discussed, such as: Catharsis and the "cathartic effect"; adaptationist accounts of revenge; and intrafamilial dyadic violence. IV. INTRODUCTIONIn a recent article on family violence, Finkenauer et al 1 invoked a host of distal factors (societal, structural, personality), but failed to address a frequent and potentially crucial proximal cause -the dyadic aggression sequence -of which the main components are provocation, anger, and retaliation. A detailed analysis of the aggression sequence, including the behavioral and physiological consequences of revenge, was, for perhaps understandable reasons, also missing in the recent adaptationist discussion of the revenge and forgiveness systems by McCullough, et al.2 Yet the culmination of numerous aggression-related exchanges between members of a dyad (consisting of a couple, parent and offspring, and other relations), repeated over protracted time periods, may be the particularly deleterious anger-free preemptive strikes. The ingredients of an aggression series, its specific content and form, may be at the core of intrafamilial violence and offer insights regarding the possibilities of treatment tailored for dyads.One purpose of this article is to review the evidence for the arguably key aspect of an aggression sequence, the "cathartic effect" (defined below), within Konečni's 3-5 Anger-Aggression Bidirectional-Causation or (AABC) model. The second purpose is to contribute to, and hopefully extend, the systemic and the adaptationist accounts of provocation, revenge, and their roles in the dynamics of dyadic intrafamilial violence.

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Section: The Aabc Model: Experimental Findingssupporting

confidence: 70%

Section: Catharsis and The "Cathartic Effect"mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[11][12][13][14][15][16] In the present author's experimental work and theoretical writing, anger has been viewed in the context of his Prototypical Emotion-Episode Model, or (PEEM)…”

Section: Vithe Relevant Aspects Of Anger and Peemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Aabc Model: Experimental Findingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Aabc Model: Experimental Findingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

The Anger-Aggression Bidirectional-Causation (AABC) Model’s Relevance for Dyadic Violence, Revenge and Catharsis

Konečni¹

2016

Soc Behav Res Pract Open J

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Evolution of Destructive Aggression

Eibl-Eibesfeldt

1977

Aggr. Behav.

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Aggression is defined as a mechanism of spacing by means of force or displays. It has evolved independently in different animal groups. The mechanisms underlying it are therefore not homologous throughout the animal kingdom. The phenomenon of aggression is so widespread, however, that strong selection pressures must be responsible for its development along analogous lines. Its most obvious functions are in competition for mates, natural resources, and territories, and in the preservation of group identity in many gregarious species. Aggression is often ritualized so that no damage is done to conspecifics. This ritualization may appear as modification of fighting into a tournament, or as the development of submissive postures which block further aggression in the opponent shortly after the onset of a potentially damaging fight. Animal aggression is preprogrammed by phylogenetic adaptation in well‐defined ways, but can be modified by experience. The inborn programs involve motor patterns, innate releasing mechanisms, releasers, motivating mechanisms, and learning dispositions specific for the species. Aggression on this biological level can be observed in humans as intragroup aggression. Certain motor patterns and signals which lead to the release of aggression are universal. Some can even be found in deaf‐ and blind‐born people, proving their innateness. A number of patterns of aggression in man are highly ritualized and ‐ in a way analogous to that found in many animals ‐ mechanisms of control have evolved inhibiting the killing of a conspecific. There are strong indications of the existence of motivating mechanisms within the brain, e.g., in the form of neuronal circuits, that show a degree of spontaneity. The type of destructive aggression which we call war, is a product of cultural evolution. War takes advantage of the given motivational structure of man, including his fear of strangers, which develops in every baby independently of experience and makes men inclined to form closed groups and causes them to be wary of or hostile to strangers. Based on these tendencies, man underwent a process of cultural subspeciation. Groups demarcated themselves from others by custom, erecting communication barriers. The development of languages demonstrates how fast and efficient this process is. Members of the same group, during this process, were defined as the “real man,” outsiders often were to be valued less ‐or even considered nonhuman. On the basis of this self‐indoctrination, cultural codes of conduct developed, which allowed members of other groups to be killed when groups competed for resources. A cultural fiiter of norms was established which demanded killing under defined conditions, and was superimposed upon the biological filter of norms which inhibits the killing of a human being. This results in a conflict of norms, which is universally felt as guilt, since the biological filter of norms, though superimposed, is nonetheless working, particularly in the circumstance of a personal encounter. The more a...

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The catharsis hypothesis, aggressive drive, and the reduction of aggression

Feshbach

1984

Aggr. Behav.

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Catharsis through displacement of aggression.

Cited by 69 publications

References 20 publications

The Anger-Aggression Bidirectional-Causation (AABC) Model’s Relevance for Dyadic Violence, Revenge and Catharsis

The Anger-Aggression Bidirectional-Causation (AABC) Model’s Relevance for Dyadic Violence, Revenge and Catharsis

Evolution of Destructive Aggression

The catharsis hypothesis, aggressive drive, and the reduction of aggression

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