Sep 27

Aggression is any form of behavior by one person which is intended to cause pain, suffering, or damage to another person. Aggression includes many types of behaviors. Although most people usually only think of aggression in terms of physical attacks, verbal behavior meant to cause psychological harm is also aggression. Physical aggression includes behaviors like hitting another person or firing a gun. Verbal aggression includes behaviors like screaming at someone in anger or using an obscene gesture. Aggression is part of most societies but it is less controlled in the United States than in many other countries. Aggression is difficult to predict, and often hard to control.

Anger and aggression often, but not always, go hand in hand. Anger is a normal, and necessary, human emotion. It is how people naturally respond to threats, and it inspires powerful, often aggressive feelings that allow people to fight when they are attacked. When anger gets out of control, however, it becomes destructive and people respond aggressively. People need to express the anger. Doing this in an assertive, not aggressive, way is healthiest. Being assertive means that people make their needs clear and meet those needs without hurting others. People also suppress anger by holding it in while focusing on something positive; this can be a dangerous response to anger because the anger can turn inward and cause physical problems like high blood pressure or depression, or lead people to get back at others indirectly or develop a cynical and hostile personality. People can also control anger by calming themselves down, by taking steps to lower their heart rate and let the angry feelings go away. When these methods of controlling anger do not work, the result is aggression. Read the rest of this entry »

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