An aggression is a materialization of violent behavior or a hostile tendency.
The Latin word aggressĭo came into Spanish as aggression . The notion refers to an attack that is carried out against someone or something, which can be physical or symbolic.
For example: “When observing the aggression, the referee sent off the Italian player” , “Why are you insulting me? You always react with some aggression” , “Encouraging dialogue in all spheres of life is essential to reduce the level of aggressiveness” .
Aggression as a behavior or tendency
It is usually understood that aggression is a behavior that arises from the habits or way of being of the person who is aggressive . Therefore, it is not a response or reaction to a previous attack. It is the materialization of a hostile tendency that seeks to harm the other.
If a fan of a football team, upset by a judge's ruling, throws a glass bottle at him, this irrational act will be considered an attack. In this case, the aggression in question can also be classified as a crime and be punished according to what is established by law .
A verbal attack is an attack that is perpetrated through words.
The concept in law
In the field of law , we speak of sexual assault when a subject attacks the freedom of another person on a sexual level through threats or the use of violence. An individual who throws himself at a stranger on the street and gropes him commits sexual assault.
The word right appears as one of the axes of the meaning of aggression , since the rights of the individual receiving the aggression are inevitably violated. As explained above, aggression does not arise as a response to another act but rather seems to come from different corners of the person, where feelings such as frustration and anger reside.
Some specialists in the field affirm that the main objective of aggression is to cause real and perceptible damage to another person, and that in order to commit an act of this type it is necessary for the emotional state to be altered . In other words, aggression pursues some sign that demonstrates its effectiveness in order to be considered successful.
Different types of aggression
In the military field, verbal aggression is widely used to coerce or intimidate soldiers in the context of their physical training, with the aim of breaking them down in order to control them more effectively. On the other hand, we speak of angry aggression , to refer to a reaction characterized by a state of anger, which originates from a previous provocation and seeks to annul the other through harm.
For international law , on the other hand, when a country uses its weapons against another without a prior declaration in this regard, it carries out aggression. This happens if a nation, to force a regime change in a neighboring country, launches bombs against various targets in that territory.
The case of animals
But aggression does not seem to be exclusive to our species , and that is what ethology is responsible for, a branch of experimental psychology and biology that observes the behavior of animals in nature. Ethologists try to understand aggression between individuals of other species, which usually manifests itself in various ways, in the same way that it occurs between human beings.
Animals not only hit, charge and bite their opponents, but they also intimidate and threaten them , which is why their attacks do not always end in physical harm. One of the most observed tactics of intimidation consists of displaying the size of one's own body to the opponent, as well as one's teeth, claws or antlers, depending on the species; On the other hand, facial expressions, changes in coloration and the release of substances are also common.