Some studies have found an association between situational stress and intrafamily violence; when certain individuals experience a defeat, they react to this stress with violence toward a family member. Which of the following provides the best explanation for these findings?

Question

Some studies have found an association between situational stress and intrafamily violence; when certain individuals experience a defeat, they react to this stress with violence toward a family member.  Which of the following provides the best explanation for these findings?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Social institutions (eg, family) are enduring, organized systems that outline behavioral norms and fulfill a purpose in society. Family is broadly defined as at least two individuals connected by an intimate relationship (eg, marriage/partnership, birth, adoption) who often live together. Abuse within families can take many forms, including physical violence, emotional harm, neglect, and/or isolation. Family members subject to abuse may include partners (spousal abuse), children (child abuse), or older relatives (elder abuse). Intrafamily violence is most often explained with social learning theory, which posits that individuals who commit violence are modeling behaviors they've seen in the past (eg, one's father hitting one's mother). Another perspective on intrafamily violence, the frustration-aggression theory, contends that individuals exhibit violence as a result of having a goal or effort blocked or defeated (ie, frustration). Therefore, intrafamily violence resulting from an individual experiencing stress from a defeat is best explained by the frustration-aggression theory. (Choice A) Conflict theory, a macro-level approach focusing on how inequalities between social classes cause conflict, would consider the broader social inequalities that contribute to intrafamily violence, not the micro-level factors (eg, frustration) that cause individual behaviors (eg, aggression). (Choice B) Optimal arousal theory, which suggests that an optimal level of physiological or mental arousal maximizes performance (eg, test performance declines with too little or too much arousal), does not best explain the causes of intrafamily violence. (Choice C) Incentive theory, which suggests that external rewards (eg, money) motivate individuals to engage in behavior resulting in the most desirable outcomes, does not best explain the causes of intrafamily violence. Educational objective: Abuse within families can take many forms, including physical violence, emotional harm, neglect, and/or isolation. The frustration-aggression theory proposes that individuals exhibit aggression as a result of frustration (ie, having a goal or effort blocked or defeated).

Some Studies Have Found an Association Between Situational Stress and Intrafamily