Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

20 minutes

Tune In: Theories of aggression

15 minutes

Find Out: Types of aggression

20 minutes

Take Action: What’s behind a coward punch?

5 minutes

Reflection

Tune In: Theories of aggression

Step 1

Hand out the Student Worksheet and ask students:

Is everyone (or anyone) capable of violence?

Invite students to complete a Think Pair Share on this question.

Step 2

Once students have worked with a partner to write down their answers, lead a class discussion. You might like to use the following prompts:

Why do you think some people behave more violently than others?
Why do people act violently?

Step 3

Explain that violence begins with aggression - it’s not just experiencing anger. Play this video:

Theories of Aggression in Social Psychology (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNWW-pPmTsI)

Invite students to take notes in the table below:

Theory	Notes
Instinct Theory	Possible answer: Aggression comes from our survival instinct. There’s not a lot you can do to change it. By keeping communities small, the aggression can be focused on other groups outside the community and prevent aggression from happening inside our own group.
Frustration- Aggression Theory	Possible answer: Aggression stems from being frustrated about not being able to reach a goal. This frustration can turn into aggression and continue even once a goal is attained.
Social Learning Theory	Possible answer: Aggression is a learned behaviour. Someone is more likely to be aggressive if that person has seen someone else act aggressively.

Learning support: Consider working through this table in detail with the students. Some might prefer to refer to this written article to build their understanding of the models.

Step 4

Invite students to discuss the theories in the video and devise their own theory for why people might behave aggressively.

Step 5

Explain that these theories indicate that we are all capable of aggression and violent behaviours. Some of these theories also suggest those exposed to violence, directly or indirectly, can become aggressive due to the 'normalisation' of aggression. During all of these discussions, it’s important to remind ourselves that frustration, prolonged anger, aggressive behaviour and violence are all choices an individual makes. It may not always be easy to calm down, but there are always choices that we can make to mitigate or reduce the fallout of these feelings.

Find Out: Types of aggression

Step 1

Read this excerpt with the class (source):

"Psychologists divide aggression into two main types. Both are damaging to those who experience them, whether as the target or the aggressor.

Impulsive Aggression
Also known as affective or reactive aggression, impulsive aggression is characterized by strong emotions. Impulsive aggression, especially when it's caused by anger, triggers the acute threat response system in the brain, involving the amygdala, hypothalamus, and periaqueductal grey.

This form of aggression is not planned and often takes place in the heat of the moment. If another car cuts you off in traffic and you begin yelling and berating the other driver, you're experiencing impulsive aggression.

Instrumental Aggression
Also known as predatory aggression, instrumental aggression is marked by behaviours that are intended to achieve a larger goal. Instrumental aggression is often carefully planned and usually exists as a means to an end.

Hurting another person in a robbery is an example of this type of aggression. The aggressor's goal is to obtain money, and harming another individual is the means to achieve that aim."

Step 2

Invite students to create a list of situations they can think of (or characters and events from movies, games or television programs they know of) and categorise them as impulsive or instrumental aggression.

They can work individually, in pairs or in small groups.

Examples of impulsive aggression

Examples of instrumental aggression

Sample responses:

Coward punches - they usually happen in response to a situation and lack of self-control
Bar fights - alcohol-fuelled conflicts combined with aggressive social norms
Road rage - aggression occurs in response to other drivers and already heightened emotions
Domestic violence - built-up anger and stress results in explosive behaviour in response to seemingly minor events
Tantrum - e.g. frustration at not completing a level on a video game or not being allowed to buy something you really want

Sample responses:

Hunger Games characters - their goal is to survive over others, forcing them to kill
First-person shooting games - the game is designed around violent and defensive war-like situations
Serial killers - they are calculated in their approach to murder and get enjoyment out of killing
School shooters - they plan the shooting - sometimes the goal is revenge on the school or school bullies
Violent protests (direct action) - their aim is to gain attention through aggressive acts

Move around the room to check that the situations are being categorised correctly.

Learning support: An alternative activity would be to read out the examples given above (or your own) and ask groups to categorise the example as impulsive or instrumental aggression. You could also write a series of cards with behaviours, hand them out in packs to students and ask students to categorise them that way.

Take Action: What’s behind a coward punch?

Step 1

Play this video:

"Life Sentence" - Stop the Coward Punch - (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoeSyFIgDT8)

Ask students to identify whether they think this act was a result of impulsive aggression or instrumental aggression.

Learning extension: Students could explore additional coward punch scenarios to determine which are impulsive or instrumental acts of aggression. They could debate the fairness of coward punch laws (see the linked Civics unit for further information) being applied to both impulsive and instrumental one-punch incidents.

Step 2

Ask students to refer back to the three theories of aggression explored at the start of the lesson. Which theory do they think came into play in the scenario shown in the video? Do they have enough information to determine this?

Step 3

Invite students to work with a partner to create a theory around why someone might impulsively throw a coward punch.

Step 4

Have each pair share their theory with another pair, discuss it and provide feedback. Pairs can then revise their theories.

Step 5

Invite students to share the similarities or differences in theories following their group discussions. What did they learn through this process? Is there a shared consensus in the class about how or why people engage in this kind of violence?

Note: We highly recommend you follow this lesson with Coward Punch: At Risk Of Violence - HPE - Years 7 & 8, if not the whole unit. This lesson will help students unpack what they have learned and promote greater overall psychological safety.

Step 6 (optional)

Explain to students that in the next lesson (or more), they will explore how they can prevent violent behaviours.

Reflection

Invite students to each share one thing from today’s lesson that surprised them and one thing about which they would like to learn more. You might like them to do this in a talking circle or write it on a slip of paper to hand in.

Coward Punch - Understanding Aggression

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