Aggression: A Social Learning Analysis (The Prentice-Hall Series in Social Learning Theory)

This book is concerned with why people engage in aggressive behavior. Theories of human behavior have changed over the years, as interest in approaches that depict behavior as instinctively determined or impelled by drive forces have declined as deficiencies became apparent. Perspectives based on social learning have emerged that increase our understanding of human behavior.

In this book, the author has attempted to formulate a social learning theory of aggression, whether individual or collective, personal or institutional sanctioned. The goal is to improve the basis on which we explain, predict, and modify aggression.

A sizable portion of this book is devoted to demonstrating how social learning principles can be applied individually and at the social systems level to reduce deleterious forms of aggression. The use of social power as an instrument of change is also addressed. There is a discussion of social labeling and ethics of aggressive action.