The development of aggression can be viewed within the social learning context. Social learning theorists such as Bandura help explain how the child learns to be aggressive; parental caregiving behaviors are also considered. Aggression found in the elderly needs to include the possibility of disease as a contributing factor. Additional theories regarding aggression include psychodynamic and biosocial possibilities. Aspects such as male and female roles, and sexism are also viewed as incorporated into the individual's behavior through a learning process.
Social learning theory is applied to the development of aggression within the individual; focus is on the consequences of aggression in terms of social or material rewards accrued. Aggression is a functional and learned behavior. Bandura's theory of reciprocal determinism states that the child affects the environment and the environment affects the child during personality development. Internal personal factors such as cognition and affection, the individual's own behavior, and the nature of the environment, including people, books, television, laws, and social standards, are all interaction. Through social learning, the individual learns patterns of behavior, thinking, and feeling (Corsini, 1977).
Aggression is viewed as leaned by an interaction of learned consequence, environmental conditions and personal factors. Aggression is acquired through observation of others, experiences with positive and negative reinforcements, training or instruction, and bizarre beliefs. It is maintained for reasons such as: enjoyment of inflicting injury on the victim, avoidance of aversive consequences of aggression by others, enjoyment of living up to personal standards of conduct, and observation of others receiving reward for aggressive acts or punishment for nonaggressive behavior. Aggressive behavior is viewed as dysfunctional if carried to extremes (Feist, 1985).
Children le...