ABSTRACT
Many theories of aggression have been developed, suggesting that there are many different causes of aggression. Each has its support and its criticism but although there is no unanimously accepted explanation, each theory helps to develop insight into the build-up and display of aggression. One division that does emerge is the question of whether violent behaviour results from factors that are beyond the perpetrator's control, or whether they are acts of free will and, therefore, largely preventable. The state of a perpetrator's physical or mental health may, for example, more readily explain acts of hitting, kicking or spitting that in other circumstances would be intolerable. Attempts at describing aggression are both diverse and often influenced by the professional discipline of the protagonist offering the explanation. 1 There would also seem to be a lack of meaning in much of the related terminology, and it appears that many of the views held result more from advocacy than evidence.
