2023-07-20 17:00:00
“People usually explain violence as the product of a lack of self-control”, explains David Chester, professor of social psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University. “In the heat of the moment, we often fail to inhibit our worst, most aggressive impulses.” But the researcher’s work shakes up this preconceived idea: aggressiveness can also be the result of “successful” self-control.
Aggression is planned too!
To reach this conclusion, the researchers studied the behavior and psyche of aggressive people through a meta-analysis of existing work on the subjects in psychology and neurology. Contrary to what one might think, their personality is not characterized by weak self-discipline. Moreover, training programs aimed at improving self-control have failed to reduce the violent tendencies of these individuals.
“Vengeful people tend to show greater premeditation in their behavior and self-control. This allows them to delay the satisfaction of revenge and bide their time to inflict maximum retaliation on those who they believe have harmed them. tort”explains David Chester in a communiqué. “Even psychopathic people, who make up the majority of people who commit violent offenses, often show a robust development of inhibitory self-control during their adolescent years.“adds the psychologist.
Aggressiveness and self-control: the prefrontal cortex in question?
One of the major revelations of this study concerns the brain activity of aggressive individuals. Researchers have found that aggressive behavior is linked to increased – not just reduced – activity in the brain’s prefrontal cortex, the area responsible for “self-control”.
“This article challenges a dominant narrative for decades in research on aggression, that violence begins when self-control stops”adds Professor Chester. “Instead, he argues for a more balanced and nuanced view in which self-control can both limit and facilitate aggression, depending on the person and the situation.”
Rethinking the prevention and treatment of violent behavior
The findings of this study raise important questions regarding how to prevent and deal with violent behavior. Scientists call for “greater caution in implementing treatments, therapies and interventions that aim to reduce violence by improving self-control”.
“Many interventions seek to teach people to inhibit their impulses. But, this new approach to aggression suggests that while it may reduce it for some people, it is also likely to increase aggression for others.”said the main author of the article published in the journal Social and Personality Psychology Compass beginning of July. “Indeed, we may be teaching some people how to best implement their aggressive tendencies.“
Professor Chester and his team plan to continue to explore issues around aggression and self-control in new studies to better understand the mechanisms at play.
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