The 18 types of aggression and their effects

These are the main types of aggression and the damage they can cause.

We have all witnessed an act of aggression at one time or another. Whether in real life, on television or even through a novel, violence is an element that remains a part of our society even today. But we often make the mistake of identifying aggression with physical attack.

While obviously an act of intentional physical violence aimed at harming another is aggression, we can also observe other types of acts that can be considered as such. We are talking about different types of aggressionof which we are going to talk about throughout this article.

Aggression: understanding the basic concept

In order to understand the existence of differences between different types of aggression, it is first necessary to know what this concept refers to and what implications it has.

We understand aggression to mean any act of violence characterized by intentional harm to a person, whether direct or indirect. to a person, whether this act is direct or indirect. Although, as we have indicated above, it is traditionally associated with physical violence, aggression need not be limited to physical violence or there may not even be a physical element in the act of aggression.

The damage may be physical, psychological, sexual, patrimonial or symbolic, and may involve a series of serious effects on the health or integrity of the victim.

It is possible to find a large number of classifications regarding the different types of aggression. Examples are according to their nature, target or victim.

1. Types of aggression according to their nature

There are many ways of classifying the different types of aggression. One of the most common is that which takes into account the nature of the aggression. These in turn can be classified into two broad groups, although the categories are generally not totally mutually exclusive. the categories are not entirely mutually exclusive.

1.1. Direct aggression

Direct aggression is defined as any type of aggression that is carried out in a way that is perceptible to the person being assaulted, whether it is physical or psychological. This includes both the direct exercise of aggression and the threat to carry it out, requiring at least the aggressor and the aggrieved in such a relationship. The victim is fully capable of identifying the aggressor.. From adolescence onwards, it tends to be more frequent in males.

1.2. Physical aggression

Any act that involves the voluntary and intentional infliction of direct harm generated through any physical means and with the capacity to cause bodily harm to the person assaulted. The injuries caused may be temporary or permanent and appear in both the short and long term, with consequences that can even be fatal. Physical aggression tends to be more associated with the male sex.

1.3. Verbal/psychological aggression

This is understood as any set of acts and actions that, although they do not cause physical harm, do provoke or intend to provoke in the person who suffers the aggression some type of mental or emotional harm. It includes insults, humiliation and belittling. In this sense, this type of direct violence tends to be more widely distributed between the sexes. Statistically, it is one of the most frequently practiced by women.

1.4. Sexual aggression

Type of aggression in which the aggressor forces or coerces the assaulted party to maintain some type of sexual contact (whether or not there is penetration) or deprives him/her of the freedom to decide. It includes rape as well as gropingIt includes rape as well as touching, pushing, shoving or condom removal without consent/knowledge. Although in recent years there has been an increase in female cases, most sexual offenders are male.

1.5. Indirect aggression

Indirect aggression is understood as any act of aggression that is carried out indirectly, causing damage and harm to the victim anonymously (although the victim may recognize the aggressor). This type of attack is becoming more and more widespread, and is the most frequent in women from adolescence onwards, both academically and at work. It includes the dissemination of rumors and slanderIt includes the dissemination of rumors and slander, anonymous or publication of websites and humiliating and ridiculing messages.

1.6. Relational aggression

Form of indirect aggression based on the provoked social exclusion of the attacked person, or on causing damage to his or her reputation through damage to his or her reputation through slander. It is usually verbal or psychological.

1.7. Cyber aggression

Although it can be included in some of the previous groups (both indirect and direct), the main distinguishing feature of cyber aggression is that it uses information and communication technologies. Through it we can find attacks on social networks, impersonation, coercion, account theft, defamatory publications, non-consensual recordings (including that of possible aggressions carried out with the victim), etc.

1.8. Property aggression

This type of aggression is based on the destruction or damage to the assaulted person's possessions. Its subtraction or usurpation can also be observed. It may or may not be aimed at causing harm to the assaulted subject, especially if such possessions are of high emotional value or if obtaining them has involved a great effort. In fact, it can be both indirect and direct (as the destruction may or may not take place covertly).

1.9. Symbolic aggression

Type of indirect aggression characterized by the fact that the attack is not carried out directly on the victim, but on elements that symbolize aspects linked to the victim. elements that symbolize aspects linked to him or her, such as religion, politics, sexual orientation, etc. such as religion, politics, sexual orientation or nationality.

2. According to their target

In addition to the main types of aggression mentioned above, we can also find other types of aggression depending on the objective they pursue.

2.1. Hostile aggression

This type of aggression refers to any action aimed primarily at inflicting some type of harm on a person, such that harm is the main objective of the aggressor.

Instrumental aggression

On this occasion, the aggressive act is not intended to cause harm to the person being assaulted, the suffering or discomfort of the other is not what is intended.Rather, what motivates the attack is to obtain some kind of gain or benefit from the attack. An example could be economic gain, social approval or the acquisition of a position of dominance and power.

2.3. Induced aggression

This is a type of aggressive act in which the aggressor is motivated by other people or by other people or by factors such as fear or an attempt to escape from a situation. or the attempt to escape from some highly aversive situation.

3. Depending on the victim

Different types of aggression can also be observed depending on the person at whom the act of violence is directed.

3.1. Self-inflicted aggression

Self-inflicted aggression is an act of aggression in which the victim is the person who provokes the aggression. In other words, it is an attack on oneself that can be motivated by a large number of causes. It can include self-injury caused by people with different pathologies or suicide.

3.2. Interpersonal aggression

This is the most classic and well-known type of aggression, in which one person voluntarily inflicts harm on another.

3.3. Collective aggression

A type of aggression characterized by intergroup aggression, in which one group attacks another. The target of the aggression can be variable, in many cases involving hatred, stigmatization and attempts to eliminate the other group. and attempts to eliminate the other group. This type of aggression could include events as serious as genocides.

4. According to the context in which it occurs

Another possible classification of aggressions can come from the context in which they occur. In this sense, we can find the following, among others

4.1. Intrafamily and intimate partner aggression

This type of interpersonal aggressions can be separated from the rest by the fact that it it has the characteristic of occurring within the same family or between persons or between people who in principle maintain an affective bond. Intra-family violence can take many forms, being mainly of a direct type, be it physical, psychological or even sexual aggression.

4.2. Aggression in the work environment

Any act of aggression produced in the work context. We can include the presence of physical, verbal or even sexual aggression between employees with the same rank or those that take advantage of the difference in rank and position within the company.

4.3. Aggression at school

On this occasion we refer to acts of aggression carried out in the academic environment between students or between students and teachers. We can observe among others the presence of bullying.