Different points of view were expressed in science concerning the causes of aggression, its nature, and factors.
The earliest and perhaps most well-known theoretical position related to aggression is that this behavior is primarily instinctive in nature: aggression arises because human beings are genetically or constitutionally "programmed" for such actions.
Psychoanalytical approach. Thus, in his early works, Freud claimed that all human behavior is derived, directly or indirectly, from the erotic instinct of life, whose energy (known as libido) is aimed at strengthening, preserving and strengthening life. In this general context, aggression was seen as a reaction to the blocking or destruction of libidinous impulses. Aggression as such was neither treated as integral nor as a constant and unavoidable part of life.
Having experienced the violence of the First World War, Freud gradually came to a darker conviction about the nature and source of the aggression. He assumed the existence of a second basic instinct, the Tanatos, an attraction to death, whose energy is aimed at destroying and ending life. He argued that all human behavior is the result of the complex interaction of this instinct with eros and that there is a constant tension between them. Thus, tomatoes indirectly contributes to the fact that aggression is brought outward and directed at others.
The provision on the instinct of death seeking is one of the most controversial in psycho-analysis theory. It was in fact rejected by many of Freud's students who shared his views on other issues. However, the assertion that aggression originated from hostile, instinctive forces was generally supported even by these critics.
Next, we will look at three views from the perspective of an evolutionary approach to human aggressive behavior. The data to support these theories have been obtained primarily from observations of animal behavior. The three approaches in question converge in recognizing that a person's predisposition to aggression is a consequence of the influence of natural selection.
Ethnological approach. K. Lorenz, a Nobel laureate and an eminent ethologist, followed an evolutionary approach to aggression, showing an unexpected similarity to Freud's position. According to Lorenz, aggression originates primarily from a hostile survival instinct, which is present in humans as well as in other living beings. He assumed that this instinct had evolved over a long period of time, as evidenced by its three important functions. Firstly, the struggle scatters species across a wide geographical area, and thus provides maximum utilization of available food resources. Secondly, aggression helps to improve the genetic fund of the species due to the fact that only the strongest and most energetic individuals will be able to leave their offspring. Finally, a strong animal is better protected and ensures the survival of its offspring.
One of the most curious consequences of Lorentz's theory is that it can help explain the fact that humans, unlike other living beings, have widespread violence against members of their own species. This fact was interpreted by Lorenz as the desire of world leaders to expose entire nations to the risk of self-destruction in light of the fact that the human capacity for violence prevails over the hostile restraints that suppress aggressive actions.
Hunting hypothesis of A. Adri. A Hollywood writer, an "amateur archaeologist", has written several books that have introduced many people to popular evolutionary theory. Adri claimed that as a result of natural selection a new kind of hunters appeared: "We attacked not to starve. We neglected the dangers, otherwise, we would have ceased to exist. We adapted to hunting anatomically and physiologically. This hunting "nature" forms the basis of human aggression. Adrie assured that it was the hunting instinct, as a result of natural selection, combined with brain development and the appearance of weapons striking at a distance, formed a human being as a creature that actively attacks the representatives of his own species.