Nicole wants a cookie. Heather has a cookie. Nicole pushes Heather and takes her cookie. Nicole doesn’t intend to hurt Heather, Nicole just wants the cookie. This is an example of __.
Group of answer choices
fatuous aggression
frustration aggression
instrumental aggression
hostile aggression
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
The correct answer is: instrumental aggression
Explanation:
Aggression is typically categorized into two broad types: instrumental aggression and hostile aggression. Understanding the difference between these two is key to identifying the behavior in the scenario described.
Instrumental aggression is a type of aggression that is goal-oriented and used as a means to achieve a specific end. The aggressive act is not primarily driven by anger or the intent to cause harm, but rather by the desire to obtain something—such as an object, status, or another reward. In contrast, hostile aggression is motivated by feelings of anger, with the intent to cause pain or injury to another person.
In the scenario, Nicole wants a cookie and takes it from Heather by pushing her. Nicole does not intend to hurt Heather, nor is she angry. Her action is goal-directed—she wants the cookie, and the act of aggression (pushing) is a tool or instrument to get it. Therefore, her behavior is best classified as instrumental aggression.
This is a common form of aggression seen particularly in young children who may not have developed the social or verbal skills to express their desires appropriately. They may use physical actions to achieve goals without an emotional component of hostility.
Let’s also quickly rule out the other options:
- Hostile aggression would involve hurting Heather out of anger or a desire to inflict pain, which is not the case here.
- Frustration aggression occurs when a person becomes aggressive due to being blocked from achieving a goal, typically accompanied by emotional arousal like anger.
- Fatuous aggression is not a widely recognized psychological term and may be a distractor in the question.
In summary, because Nicole’s primary motivation was to obtain the cookie, not to hurt Heather, her behavior is best described as instrumental aggression.