Thinking, drinking, and getting into fights: The role of cognition in alcohol-related aggression and violent crime

Thinking, drinking, and getting into fights: The role of cognition in alcohol-related aggression and violent crime

Alcohol consumption is commonly thought to be a major cause of aggression and violence in the American Society. Some correlational evidence supports the notion that alcohol use and aggression are related, although the strength and causal nature of the relationship remains unclear (Dermen & George, 2001). Researchers have been conducting studies on the relationship between alcohol and aggression and the effect of alcohol on an individual’s personality. Peter N.S. Hoaken, researcher at the University of Western Ontario, presented informative scholarly research on alcohol-related aggression during the Psi Chi regional Sandhills conference. During the lecture Hoaken attempted to identify the role of cognition in alcohol-related aggression and violent crimes. After conducting extensive research Hoaken argues that individual differences in cognition and brain chemistry predict impulsivity, aggression, and alcohol-induced aggression. Many researchers believed that aggression and alcohol use are strongly related and when under the influence of alcohol the rate that aggressive behaviors will occur is extremely high. Predicting which individuals are likely to exhibit aggression following alcohol consumption is an important and intriguing research problem. In Hoaken’s THINKING & DRINKING 2 research he addresses the fact that a lack of focus on the individual is one of the reasons why demonstrating a direct causal relationship between alcohol consumption and aggression has, at times, yielded mixed results. Hoaken’s view is supported by other researchers who have previously suggested that demonstrating a clear relationship between alcohol intake and aggression is difficult, because alcohol consumption increases aggressiveness in some individuals, but decreases it in others (Gmel & Rehm, 2003). Many of these mixed findings may be related to researchers’ lack of focus on differences among individuals. For example, Hoaken’s research indicates a stronger relationship between alcohol consumption and aggression in subjects with certain traits, including antisocial personality, alcohol dependency, previous aggressive episodes, and especially impaired cognitive functions. The purpose of this research was to relate alcohol and aggression through a cognitive interpretation. In Hoaken’s research a major assumption underlying the cognitive model is that the expression of aggression in a non-intoxicated state is controlled to a large extent by the perception or anticipation of physical and social consequences. Hoaken’s research assumes that, in the intoxicated state, it is difficult to process information regarding behavioral contingencies. This view is supported by some researchers that have suggested that, by alternating cognitive processes, alcohol reduces the drinker’s awareness of the consequences of his or her behavior; for example, individuals inability to process information pe……………….

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