On Aggression
Encyclopedia
On Aggression is a book
by ethologist
Konrad Lorenz
written in 1963. As he writes in the prologue, "the subject of this book is aggression, that is to say the fighting instinct in beast and man which is directed against members of the same species." (Page 3)
According to Lorenz, animals, particularly male
s, are biologically programmed to fight over resources
. This behavior must be considered part of natural selection
, as aggression leading to death
or serious injury
may eventually lead to extinction unless it has such a role.
However, Lorenz does not state that aggressive behaviors are in any way more powerful, prevalent, or intense than more peaceful behaviors such as mating
rituals. Rather, he negates the categorization of aggression as "contrary" to "positive" instincts like love
, depicting it as a founding basis of other instincts and its role in animal communication.
Additionally, the book addresses behavior in humans, including discussion of a "hydraulic" model of emotional or instinctive pressures and their release, shared by Freud
, and the abnormality of intraspecies violence
and killing. His 'hydraulic' model, of aggression as a force that builds relentlessly without cause unless released, remains less popular than a model in which aggression is a response to frustrated desires and aims.
"Thus, while the message of inciting [a particular aggressive behavior performed by the female of cooperating mated pairs] in Ruddy Shelduck
and Egyptian Geese could be described as "Drive him off, thrash him!" in Diving duck
s [a related species in which this trait has been further ritualized] it simply means, "I love you." In several groups, midway between these two extremes, as for example in the Gadwall
and the Widgeon, an intermediate meaning may be found: "You are my hero. I rely on you." (Page 64)
in his book The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness.
Book
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
by ethologist
Ethology
Ethology is the scientific study of animal behavior, and a sub-topic of zoology....
Konrad Lorenz
Konrad Lorenz
Konrad Zacharias Lorenz was an Austrian zoologist, ethologist, and ornithologist. He shared the 1973 Nobel Prize with Nikolaas Tinbergen and Karl von Frisch...
written in 1963. As he writes in the prologue, "the subject of this book is aggression, that is to say the fighting instinct in beast and man which is directed against members of the same species." (Page 3)
According to Lorenz, animals, particularly male
Male
Male refers to the biological sex of an organism, or part of an organism, which produces small mobile gametes, called spermatozoa. Each spermatozoon can fuse with a larger female gamete or ovum, in the process of fertilization...
s, are biologically programmed to fight over resources
Natural resource
Natural resources occur naturally within environments that exist relatively undisturbed by mankind, in a natural form. A natural resource is often characterized by amounts of biodiversity and geodiversity existent in various ecosystems....
. This behavior must be considered part of natural selection
Natural selection
Natural selection is the nonrandom process by which biologic traits become either more or less common in a population as a function of differential reproduction of their bearers. It is a key mechanism of evolution....
, as aggression leading to death
Death
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
or serious injury
Injury
-By cause:*Traumatic injury, a body wound or shock produced by sudden physical injury, as from violence or accident*Other injuries from external physical causes, such as radiation injury, burn injury or frostbite*Injury from infection...
may eventually lead to extinction unless it has such a role.
However, Lorenz does not state that aggressive behaviors are in any way more powerful, prevalent, or intense than more peaceful behaviors such as mating
Mating
In biology, mating is the pairing of opposite-sex or hermaphroditic organisms for copulation. In social animals, it also includes the raising of their offspring. Copulation is the union of the sex organs of two sexually reproducing animals for insemination and subsequent internal fertilization...
rituals. Rather, he negates the categorization of aggression as "contrary" to "positive" instincts like love
Love
Love is an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment. In philosophical context, love is a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection. Love is central to many religions, as in the Christian phrase, "God is love" or Agape in the Canonical gospels...
, depicting it as a founding basis of other instincts and its role in animal communication.
Additionally, the book addresses behavior in humans, including discussion of a "hydraulic" model of emotional or instinctive pressures and their release, shared by Freud
Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud , born Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis...
, and the abnormality of intraspecies violence
Violence
Violence is the use of physical force to apply a state to others contrary to their wishes. violence, while often a stand-alone issue, is often the culmination of other kinds of conflict, e.g...
and killing. His 'hydraulic' model, of aggression as a force that builds relentlessly without cause unless released, remains less popular than a model in which aggression is a response to frustrated desires and aims.
Ritualization
In the book, Lorenz describes the development of rituals among aggressive behaviors as beginning with a totally utilitarian action, but then progressing to more and more stylized actions, until finally, the action performed may be entirely symbolic and non-utilitarian, now fulfilling a function of communication. In Lorenz's words,"Thus, while the message of inciting [a particular aggressive behavior performed by the female of cooperating mated pairs] in Ruddy Shelduck
Ruddy Shelduck
The Ruddy Shelduck, Tadorna ferruginea, is a member of the duck, goose and swan family Anatidae. It is in the shelduck subfamily Tadorninae...
and Egyptian Geese could be described as "Drive him off, thrash him!" in Diving duck
Diving duck
The diving ducks, commonly called pochards or scaups, are a category of duck which feed by diving beneath the surface of the water. They are part of the diverse and very large Anatidae family that includes ducks, geese, and swans....
s [a related species in which this trait has been further ritualized] it simply means, "I love you." In several groups, midway between these two extremes, as for example in the Gadwall
Gadwall
The Gadwall is a common and widespread duck of the family Anatidae.- Description :The Gadwall is 46–56 cm long with a 78–90 cm wingspan. The male is slightly larger than the female, weighing on average 990 g against her 850 g...
and the Widgeon, an intermediate meaning may be found: "You are my hero. I rely on you." (Page 64)
Criticism
Despite its influence on popular thought, there has been significant criticism of the ideas in On Aggression, notably by Erich FrommErich Fromm
Erich Seligmann Fromm was a Jewish German-American social psychologist, psychoanalyst, sociologist, humanistic philosopher, and democratic socialist. He was associated with what became known as the Frankfurt School of critical theory.-Life:Erich Fromm was born on March 23, 1900, at Frankfurt am...
in his book The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness.
See also
- AggressionAggressionIn psychology, as well as other social and behavioral sciences, aggression refers to behavior between members of the same species that is intended to cause humiliation, pain, or harm. Ferguson and Beaver defined aggressive behavior as "Behavior which is intended to increase the social dominance of...
- Robert ArdreyRobert ArdreyRobert Ardrey was an American playwright and screenwriter who returned to his academic training in anthropology and the behavioral sciences in the 1950s....
, author of African Genesis, The Territorial Imperative, The Social Contract, and The Hunting Hypothesis. - EvolutionEvolutionEvolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
- Group selectionGroup selectionIn evolutionary biology, group selection refers to the idea that alleles can become fixed or spread in a population because of the benefits they bestow on groups, regardless of the alleles' effect on the fitness of individuals within that group....
- Hunting hypothesisHunting hypothesisIn paleoanthropology, the hunting hypothesis is the hypothesis that human evolution was primarily influenced by the activity of hunting for relatively large and fast animals, and that the activity of hunting distinguished human ancestors from other primates....
- Killer ape theoryKiller ape theoryThe killer ape theory or killer ape hypothesis is the theory that war and interpersonal aggression was the driving force behind human evolution...
- Social defeatSocial defeatSocial defeat refers to losing a confrontation among conspecific animals, or any kind of hostile dispute among humans, in either a dyadic or in a group-individual context, generating very significant consequences in terms of control over resources, access to mates and social...
- Psychoanalytic theoryPsychoanalytic theoryPsychoanalytic theory refers to the definition and dynamics of personality development which underlie and guide psychoanalytic and psychodynamic psychotherapy. First laid out by Sigmund Freud, psychoanalytic theory has undergone many refinements since his work...