Most of us are aggressive in one way or another. We tend to fight back when attacked beyond some point of endurance. Those of us who "carry a chip on our shoulder" often let out with a verbal attack with slight provocation centering on our pet peeve. Sometimes our aggression is socially accepted, even applauded in certain circles. Usually, however, we are rejected in our show of aggression. When we cannot direct our aggression against another person, group, object, or against the establishment, we may turn our resentment inward. This may have its merits at times, but to become a habit tends to bring on feelings of self-depreciation.
Some theory holds that outward aggression has a "liberating effect" by reducing the stimulation for further aggression or to prevent "bottling" too many things inside of us. But how far can one go in being aggressive? Studies with children show that when they are allowed to be aggressive in certain situations, it is likely that there will be further aggression in another setting. Much childhc8d aggression, and the style it takes, comes through imitation of parents or other adults. The more verbal the aggressive responses made by parents, the more likely it is that the child will aggress verbally. Physical aggression is most likely to occur in children whose parents are physically aggressive.
Studies among adolescents and adults show that e~treme aggression may relate to two personality types. At least this has been presented as a theory backed by some studies. First, we have the "overcontrolled" type of person who may present the image of a mild-mannered, long-suffering individual who buries his resentment under rigid but easily shattered controls. Such a person, under certain circumstances, may lash out and release all his aggression in one explosive act. Later he may revert back to his usual overcontrolled defenses. At the other extreme, we have the "undercontrolled" person who tends to let his aggressive responses out in small doses at different times and different circumstances, hence lessening the influence of tension buildup. Perhaps we should add that most of us most of the time work out our own individual pattern of self·control.
At the practical level we can say that certain circumstances have a ay of unleashing some biologically sensitive aggressive incentive ili the resulting behaviors becoming part of one's value system. We learn to note the people and things that aggravate us and we have the ssibility of learning to distinguish between short-run adjustment actions and long-run adaptive consequences. Some aggressive bevior that is not extreme, and is not adjusted to by mild reactions, ay take the form of vandalism. "Even here aggression takes on different forms ranging from stuffing gum into turnstiles and breakg street lights to more vicious destruction of property. Vandalism is etimes vindictive where one tries to get even by destroying property of the establishment. Vandalism thrives in part because it is anonymous way to release aggression.
