Frustration-Aggression Theory

Abstract

Frustration-aggression theory, also known as the frustration-aggression hypothesis, is one of the most seminal theories in aggression research. Since it was first formulated in the late 1930s, it has been applied and studied in many fields, including psychology, ethnology, sociology, and criminology. While there have been several reformulations, additions, and changes, the basic assumption of the frustration-aggression hypothesis is still that frustration, typically understood as an event instead of an emotion, increases the tendency to act or react aggressively. A substantial proportion of the research has dealt with the identification of boundary conditions or moderators and mediators of the causal path from frustration to aggression. Irrespective of these refinements and modifications, there is ample empirical evidence for the existence of this effect and, despite a decline in the overall number of publications that refer to it, frustration-aggression theory has recently found novel applications in particular areas, such as media psychology.