NCJ Number
70408
Date Published
1980
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Among the sociological theories and psychological interpretations of criminal violence, the dichotomy of instrumental versus hostile aggression appears to offer a simplistic but reasonably accurate explanation.
Abstract
First-hand descriptions of violent behavior have been helpful in highlighting pressures and motives operating in real-life aggression, often as seen through the criminal's own perception. Violent behavior can be theorized as instrumental aggression perpetrated to obtain desired outcomes (e.g., as practiced by the loyal employees of Murder, Inc.), or as being purely hostile aggression, committed by unmitigated (or totally disinhibited) street bullies. Even hostile or disinhibited aggression, however, is seldom practiced to satisfy personal impulses and achieve catharsis: it can be explained by subcultural theories (e.g., the violent aggressor is seeking peer approval by the members of this gang), or by psychological theories involving motivations of self-esteem. Despite the contextual variability of violent behavior, and aside from the instrumental type of aggression, unleashed rage plays a part in all instances of violent conduct, especially when the perpetrator commits acts above and beyond the norms of his deviant subculture (e.g., as a member of a street gang). Excessively rationalistic or sociologistic views of violence can be unsatisfactory to the point of caricature, although sociologists and social learning theorists have contributed to our understanding of violence by pointing out that even dedicated violent offenders only explode in a restricted range of (to them) violence-promotive situations. Footnotes are provided in the text and 7 references are appended.