NCJ Number
225413
Date Published
2007
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This chapter proposes a new perspective on the relationship between frustration and aggression and applies it to violent terrorist behavior.
Abstract
It is generally stated in the relevant literature “that the occurrence of aggression always presupposes the existence of frustration and, contrawise, that the existence of frustration always leads to some form of aggression” (Christopher Green, 2007). The current chapter modified this hypothesis in arguing that “frustration produces a tendency for different types of responses, one of which is some from of aggression.” The analysis is further modified by asserting that an individual’s response to any stimuli will be dependent on the amount of any form of capital accumulated by the individual, whether the capital is economic, cultural, or social. The chapter asserts that when an individual faces a problem that causes frustration, he/she will have different response options up until he/she engages in some type of aggressive behavior. The option chosen will depend on the person’s level of any form of capital. Violence, notably terrorism, is predominantly an option for people who have lower social, cultural, or economic capital. People who have higher levels of capital would have options other than violence for resolving their frustration. 5 figures and 6 references