Peacebuilding &conflict transformation A ... - Peaceworkafrica

Survival or physical level – The instinct of self-preservation at this level isapplied to remain healthy and strong. Described in practical terms, we apply thisinstinct, for instance, to produce energy to guarantee our intake of food anddrink, establish shelter to protect ourselves against heat and cold or for the protectionof our territory.Value or psychological level – Human beings need more than survival, we havevalues as well. Values can have different origins — cultural, religious, ethnic — ormay be purely personal values. The instinct of self-preservation at this level isapplied to defend our values. In other words, we apply the self-preservationinstinct to fight for a place in social relations to ensure that our ideas, opinionsand values are taken into account by our fellow human beings.Although humans share aspects of aggression with non‐human animals, they differfrom most of them in the complexity of their aggression because of factors such asculture, morals, and social situations. Because aggression against a much larger ormore powerful enemy would lead to the death of an animal, animals have developeda good sense of when they are outnumbered. Depending on how strong they imaginethe predator to be, animals will either become aggressive or flee; in other words,the ability to measure the strength of others gives animals a “fight or flight” responseto predators. This is why animals in general do not fight to death over territory orfemales — the stronger backs off when the weaker accepts defeat. But in human history,men developed culture and technology that outstripped the inhibitory capacitiesof human aggressive instinct. Humankind has produced and perfected lethalweapons in uncountable varieties. Weapons have been developed that can be deliveredat a great distance from those being attacked; often, the attacked do not evenknow the reason for the attack until the fatal blow has already been stuck.b. EXTERNALLY stimulated aggressionThis theory moves to the external stimuli of ‘frustration’ as a source of aggression.Two classic assumptions are the basis of the frustration‐aggression theory 26 :▶ aggressive behaviour occurs when frustration exists,▶ the existence of frustration leads to some form of aggression.According to this idea, aggression increases if a person feels that s/he is being blockedfrom achieving a goal. It means that a person who expected something to happenthat does not happen will be frustrated and eventually act with aggression.E.g.: a worker comes back home hungry but no food has been prepared; a childwants to be part of a group but is excluded by the other group members.158 V. V I O L E N C E