The Psychology of Aggression and Sports-Related Violence

Defining Aggression: Hostile vs. Instrumental

It is essential to distinguish between two primary types of aggression:

• Hostile Aggression: The main objective is to inflict physical or psychological harm on another individual.
• Instrumental Aggression: This occurs in the pursuit of a non-aggressive goal, where harm is a means to an end rather than the end itself.

Key Psychological Theories of Aggression

Several theories attempt to explain the roots of aggressive behavior.

Instinct Theory

This theory posits that humans have an innate, hardwired instinct to be aggressive, making its manifestation inevitable.

Biological Theories

From a biological perspective, aggression is linked to natural impulses. Proponents suggest that activities like sports programs provide socially acceptable channels for these aggressive urges.

Frustration-Aggression Theory

This theory argues that aggression is a direct result of frustration, which occurs when an individual is prevented from achieving a goal.

Social Learning Theory

This perspective explains aggression not as an innate drive but as a learned behavior. It suggests individuals learn to be aggressive by observing and modeling the actions of others.

Revised Frustration-Aggression Theory

An update to the original theory, this version states that while frustration does not always lead to aggression, it significantly increases its likelihood by fostering anger.

Understanding Public Disorder at Sports Events

Violence and disorder at sporting events can be categorized by their underlying motives.

• Structural Motives: Disorder that arises from the frustration and disappointment of a loss.
• Situational Motives: Disorder that erupts from the high emotions and celebration of a victory.
• Time-Out Type Disorder: Disorder that occurs for no apparent or specific reason, seemingly as a break from social norms.

Theoretical Explanations for Violence in Sports

Beyond general aggression theories, several frameworks specifically address sports-related violence.

Shows and Comparisons

• Shows: This refers to violence that is a planned attempt to make a political statement.
• Comparisons: This describes violent events that erupt spontaneously from confrontations between rival fan factions.

Subcultural Styles Theory

This theory suggests that the problem of sports violence originates from the collective behavior and norms of the masses or specific subcultures within a fanbase.

Anthropological Tradition Theory

Drawing parallels between human and animal behavior, this perspective explains sports violence as a form of modern, violent ritual. For example, violence in football can be seen through this ritualistic lens.

New Left Theories

These theories reject all the previously mentioned explanations for sports violence.

Core Criticism of Other Theories

The primary criticism from the New Left perspective is that other theories address sports violence in isolation, failing to consider the broader set of social relations in which it is embedded.

Proposed Marxist Solution

From a Marxist viewpoint within the New Left, the only true solution to sports violence is to build a society that is not based on the class divisions and conflicts created by the demands of economic production.