Aggression occurs in several forms. Direct aggression occurs when a person engages in a behavior that intends on hurting another to their face. Emotional or hostile aggression occurs when someone is feeling anger towards the person they are acting aggressively towards (Kenrick, 332).
This clip from The Daily Show shows Georgia Senator Zell Miller acting aggressively towards several people, but mainly towards Senator John Kerry. His aggression, which mostly consisted of insults, was direct, because it was intended to hurt John Kerry, and it was emotional/hostile, because it came from his angry feelings towards Kerry. Direct aggression is intended to hurt another; and emotional/hostile aggression is a result of angry feelings.
His aggression is also an example of the culture of honor which is mainly seen in the Southern and Western states of America. When he gets very angry at Chris Matthews for "insulting" him, he becomes very agitated, and later states how he wishes you could still challenge someone to a duel. This is consistent with the theory that people from the South have a tendency to want to defend their honor, and are more likely to get aggressive when they feel they have been insulted.
The frustration-aggression hypothesis is a theory that states that people will act out in aggressive ways when they become frustrated. Frustration is said to occur when a goal is blocked, such as winning a campaign. This hypothesis also states that when anyone is aggressive, one can assume that they are frustrated (Kenrick, 336).
This political cartoon of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama is a good example of the frustration-aggression hypothesis. This cartoon shows Clinton as an angry monster attacking Obama. This fits with the frustration-aggression hypothesis because Clinton is most likely frustrated by the fact that she is not winning the campaign, and she is therefore acting aggressively towards the person who is stopping that from happening, Obama.
This cartoon also demonstrates the difference between aggression and assertiveness and gender roles associated with those two things. Many people would say that if Clinton were a man, no one would call her anything but assertive (she is confident and gets what she wants). But this cartoon shows her as an aggressive monster, possibly because of her "attacks" on Obama and his campaign, while it shows Obama as an almost helpless person. This may play into gender stereotypes that men are supposed to be assertive and aggressive, and women are not. Therefore, when Hillary is, she is seen as a monster.
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