Your Attitude Is Showing: A Primer of Human Relations, Tenth Edition

Aggression

Now we must ask ourselves the big question: What happens when we become frustrated?

Almost always, frustration leads to aggressive behavior. When a steam boiler builds up too much pressure inside, some of the steam must be released. If there is no safety valve, the boiler will explode. Just as the steam boiler must release some of the pressure after it reaches a certain point, so must the individual. When a person releases pressure, it is usually in some form of aggressive behavior.

Take the case of the driver who becomes frustrated when he (or she) meets a slow-moving car on the highway. He may curse (verbal aggression) and drive on. Or he may pound his horn and speed around the slow car (physical aggression). Or it could disturb ...