General Aggression Model (Anderson & Bushman, 2002a). As shown in
Figure 16.1, the model begins with a social encounter with the potential for
triggering aggression. This might be an insult, a threat, a shove, or any action
that could be interpreted along these lines. How we respond to the event de-
pends first on the kind of person we are and the kind of situation we are in.
Because of differences in traits, attitudes, past experiences, genetic predisposi-
tions, etc., some people are more prone to aggression than others. Moreover,
some situations lend themselves to violence more than others. Aggression ismore likely when the situation includes provocation, frustration and elements
that we associate with violence (visual cues, words, noises).
But psychologists looking at the process from a cognitive perspective
argue that these personal and situational factors are important only to theextent that they are tied to and activate aggression-relation thoughts and
emotions. Some people are more prone to making these cognitive associa-tions than others. For a highly aggressi ve person, even a mild insult can gen-
erate hostile thoughts and anger. Cog nitive psychologists would say that
these individuals have a well-developed and easily accessible network of
Social Encounters
Person
Hostile Thoughts
and Emotions
Aggression Scripts
Appraisal
and
DecisionSituation
Thoughtful
ActionImpulsive
Action
FIGURE 16.1 General Aggression Model
Source: Adapted from Anderson and Bushman (2002a).Cognitions and Aggression 437