Aggression
Aggression is a behavior whose purpose is to harm another. It is the simplest way to solve the conflict of scare resources, use force to take the resources desired. Aggression is a strategy of attaining resources that is used by just about every animal on the planet. Phycologists hypothesized a theory to why humans are aggressive called the “frustration-aggression hypothesis.” This hypothesis suggests that animals aggress when their goals are frustrated. Some argue that the cause of aggressive behavior is a negative effect and that there are biological and cultural influences the rate at which the negative behavior occurs. For example, studies have shown that aggression has a strong correlation to the presence of testosterone. Thus males are more aggressive than women, particularly when their dominance is questioned. Other factors such as culture and geographic location play a factor in the likelihood of aggression. Aggression like any other behavior can be a learned trait and perpetuated by the cultural norm in which it exists. Although aggression is clearly part of human evolutionary heritage, it is not inevitable, people can change.
Cooperation
Cooperation is a behavior of two or more individuals that leads to a mutual benefit. When people work together they can attain more resources then they could individually. Cooperation is one of our species greatest achievements. Almost every, if not every human achievement has been the result of people working together to achieve a common goal. Although cooperation can be extremely beneficial it comes with risks in the form of trust or mistrust. Within groups there can be prejudice or discrimination. Groups throughout history have proven a propensity to do terrible things that none of the members would do alone. Although groups may cause to misbehave, they seem to also be the key to human happiness and well-being.
Altruism
Altruism is the behavior that benefits another without benefiting oneself. True altruism has long been debated. Altruism has long been observed in animals, but at a closer look the behaviors are not altruistic at all. The animals were actually exhibiting behaviors that promoted the welfare of animals related to them. Any animal promoting the survival of its own relatives are actually promoting the survival of its own genes, thus not true altruism. Unlike other animals humans are rare because they do exhibit true altruistic behavior. Humans show behaviors that promote the good of others while there is no true benefit for the person that is helping. Many instances of humans acted against their instincts to run from danger to benefit others in danger. Humans chose to help others in a form of solving the problem of scarce resources.
References:
Schacter, Gilbert, & Wegner (2011) Introducing Psychology: First edition. Social Psychology. New York: 41 Madison Avenue
Schacter, Gilbert, & Wegner (2011) Introducing Psychology: First edition. Social Psychology. New York: 41 Madison Avenue