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‘Goal-Oriented’ Aggression, Not Emotions, Tied to Hunting Attitudes

Summary By: | Published: July 25, 2015
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Expressive or "reactive" emotional aggression is not necessarily linked to hunting for sport, but instrumental or goal-oriented aggression is.

Only about 2-6% of the U.S. population take part in hunting for sport, and the numbers are said to be declining; yet it continues to be an activity that concerns animal advocates. Sport hunting is qualitatively different than subsistence hunting, and is generally seen as an activity that is cruel for the sake of it — an egotistical “demonstration of coordination, stealth, patience, and prowess.” This study sheds new light on the motivations of hunting for sport, and reveals several interesting nuances about the people who hunt and why.

The paper differentiates between emotional aggression and “instrumental” aggression (the latter being aggression that is not emotional for the sake of it, but is more pre-meditated and goal-oriented.) The researchers found that, although some stereotypes about hunting may hold — for example, more men engage in sport hunting and participants have higher levels of aggression — this does not mean that all aggression is equal. Aggressive emotions and spontaneous aggression tended to actually predict more opposition to hunting. Those who expressed more instrumental aggression tended to support and engage in hunting.

Animal advocates tend to perceive sport hunting as a macho, emotionally aggressive activity, but this study shows that the motivations for engaging in it are more nuanced and subtle than that. These findings can help us better understand hunters and their aggression, which is vital if we are going to gear our advocacy efforts so that they address and redirect motivations away from hunting and cruelty.

External Link:
http://booksandjournals.brillonline.com/content/journal...
karol orzechowski
Meet the Author:
karol orzechowski is a longtime animal advocate with a passion for advocacy, art, statistics, and tech. In addition to producing numerous short films on various animal issues, karol is the director of Maximum Tolerated Dose, a feature-length documentary about the psychological toll of vivisection on both animals and humans. He completed a Bachelor of Environmental Studies and an MA in Communications and Culture at York University, writing theses on nationalism and the Atlantic seal hunt, and Canadian rodeo culture, respectively. When he's not working for Faunalytics, karol is the Board Chair of a non-profit independent news publication in his hometown. Outside of work, karol is often reading about computer hacking and infosec, organizing and performing at events in his local arts scene, or walking with Raoul the rescue dog.

Citations:

Stewart Wilson, M., & Peden, E. (2015). Aggression and Hunting Attitudes. Society & Animals, 23(1). pp. 3-23.

Tags:

Other Topics Wild Animals Attitudes English Hunting North America Psychology United States

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