ABSTRACT
In the previous chapter, we looked at the development of aggressive behaviour and at individual characteristics to address the question of why some people are more aggressive than others in precisely the same situation. In this chapter, the reverse question will be asked, namely why people are more likely to act aggressively in some situations and not in others. The importance of frustration and provocation in eliciting aggressive behaviour has already been discussed in Chapter 2. In the present chapter we shall consider further variables explaining situational variations in aggressive behaviour. First, research on aggressive cues that trigger aggressive behaviour will be examined, stressing the role of automatic information processing in the instigation of aggression. The second section will examine the experience of social exclusion as a trigger for aggressive behaviour. The third section is devoted to the role of alcohol as a powerful situational inÀ uence on aggression and to the processes by which it lowers the threshold for engaging in aggressive behaviour. Finally, evidence will be reviewed on the impact of temperature and other stressors in the physical environment on aggressive behaviour.
