The nature of aggression (or is it nourishing?) Every night on the news there are reports of murders, wars and rapes. But the news isn't the only place where people encounter violent or aggressive behavior. On their way home from work, people are interrupted and insulted every day. At school, the children argue over who will be first in line for lunch. In the street, people are pushed aside if they don't walk fast enough. The list could go on and on. The fact is that humans regularly exhibit aggressive behavior. However, does anyone know why people display these behaviors? Why do some people seem more aggressive? Is there a single thing that controls when and how aggressive a person is? These are all questions that researchers have been addressing for many years. In fact, there has been quite a debate about what causes people to be aggressive. However, to try to understand where aggression can come from, we must understand how aggression is defined as well as all the possibilities that can cause it. Aggression is an action. The intention is to harm someone. It may be a verbal attack - insults, threats, sarcasm or attribution of bad motives - or a physical punishment or restriction (1). Aggression also appears to be a means of maintaining social order among many species. Animals compete for food, mates, and living space, often displaying aggression and occurring among virtually all vertebrate species, including humans. However, while aggression is an effective means of maintaining social order, reckless violence appears to be a poor survival mechanism. However, this characteristic has not been erased. Since it hasn't disappeared, it makes sense that researchers have... middle of article ...... a conclusive answer to why people are aggressive, that doesn't mean that a combination of theories can't be true or that one day researchers will find the answer. .uk/academic/ss/psychology/resource/it/1/HAZ.HTM3)Aggressionhttp://library.thinkquest.org/26618/gather/database/12/4) University of Plymouth Department of Psychology PSY124 Topics integrative psychology: Aggressionhttp://salmon.psy.plym.ac.uk/year1/inttopic/aggression.html5) Characteristics of alcohol consumption and violence in the United States, WAGUESPACK SEMINARS AND WORKSHOPShttp://distanceceus .homestead.com/alcohol_abuse.html6) LARGE-SCALE STUDY LINKS SEROTONIN LEVELS AND AGGRESSION (Crime Times) http://www.crime-times.org/98b/w98bp1.htm