NCJ Number
75469
Date Published
1977
Length
75 pages
Annotation
Theories of aggression, the relationship of parental and institutional punishment with aggressive behavior in children, and the implications for behavior modification are explored through a review of the literature on aggression.
Abstract
Eight theories of aggression are summarized. They are the instinctual theory, the ethological theory, the physiological theory, the powerlessness theory, the sensory-deprivation theory, the social learning theory, and the evolutionary adaptive theory. The antecedents of aggressive behavior are explored through a review of nursery school studies on aggression and reinforcement, a review of studies on the relationship between television viewing and aggressive behavior, and a review of studies which examine the relationship between parental punishment and child aggression, including the relationship between child abuse and subsequent aggressive behavior. Most of the literature reviewed suggests that punishment, indiscriminately used, has little permanent effect on reducing or removing the behavior being punished, and that punishment for aggressive behavior has negative side effects and may serve to increase aggressiveness by eliciting frustration, anger, and hostility. Those studies available for review concerning parental punishment and delinquency seem to indicate a relationship between parental punishment and subsequent delinquent behavior. Suggestions for California Youth Authority (CYA) action in intervention programs and future research include (1) designing research for implementation in CYA living units to determine the effects of viewing televised violence on the aggressive behavior of the viewers and (2) conducting research to determine the degree to which aggressive behaviors are tolerated by staff or reinforced by peers. Footnotes and a list of 89 references are included.