StudySmarter - The all-in-one study app.
4.8 • +11k Ratings
More than 3 Million Downloads
Free
The way aggression is expressed is somewhat complex. After an argument, slamming the door can release pent-up anger, which is a form of aggression. The hydraulic model of aggression links together Lorenz’s theory of aggression (consisting of innate releasing mechanisms and fixed action patterns in ethology), focusing on the motivation behind an action, behaviour, and external stimuli to explain how aggression is expressed in animals.
Innate releasing mechanisms (IRMs) in ethology are hardwired neural networks in the brain that recognise specific stimuli ( sign stimuli or releases ) that trigger fixed action patterns (FAPs), i.e., a sequence of actions encoded in response to these specific stimuli.
The hydraulic model of instinctual behaviour brings these ideas together to illustrate how this is implemented in an animal, considering the animal’s motivation.
Wolf mid snarl, Pixabay
Overall, the hydraulic model visualises pent-up aggression an animal may experience and release, taking into account IRMs and FAPs and acknowledging motivation in animal behaviour.Interestingly, Lorenz’s hydraulic model of instinctual behaviour goes back to the work of Freud. He believed that aggression was an inevitable outcome because, in his view, animals, especially males, are biologically programmed to fight for what they deem necessary for their survival. These include food, territory, and the right to mate.Take a look at the diagram below:
Konrad Lorenz’s hydraulic model of motivation (1950), Wikimedia Commons
Motivation is the fluid that accumulates in the reservoir and becomes the drive to act in this mechanism.
Action-specific energy or pent-up aggression accumulates in the reservoir, and the sign stimulus serves as the trigger. In this case, the stimulus is the weight that clogs the reservoir.
A sign stimulus will ‘release’ the pent-up reservoir, resulting in FAPs, and FAPs can vary depending on how much the reservoir releases.
Once this occurs, the animal’s aggression level drops (known as behavioural quiescence) until the pent-up aggression builds back up, and the process repeats.
Motivation increases over time, so the reservoir builds up over time.
Motivation in animal behaviour is specific to the behaviours it triggers (e.g., when a species needs to mate or secure food).
A male stickleback has increased motivation to mate with a female stickleback during the mating season. This motivation rises over time and accumulates in its ‘reservoir’. When the male stickleback encounters another male stickleback, identifiable by its red underbelly (the sign stimulus or release), it releases this reservoir. It begins its FAP, aggressive behaviour to fend off competition.
Rhoad and Kalat (1975) observed aggressive behaviour of male Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens) in response to other male fish (recognised by their bright colours), a mirror image of the fish, a moving model, and a stationary model.Typically, Siamese fighting fish inflate in response to the presence of another male by inflating their dorsal, ventral, and caudal fins, among others.
Rhoad and Kalat (1975) found that the fish would puff up in response to any stimulus, exhibiting similar behaviours. The mirror image elicited a response most effectively, followed by the moving and stationary models. However, another fish is still more effective than the mirror image, and effectiveness does not depend on the stimuli’s order.After repeated exposure, the aggressive behaviours decreased rapidly. However, the fish were still alert to the stimuli, but they actively avoided them instead of being aggressive (habituation), which could signify the ‘reservoir’ needs to replenish itself.
In Lorenz’s model, either the stimulus causes the release of the pent-up aggression, leading to FAPs, or the pressure from the reservoir spontaneously discharges.
In this vacuum activity, the pent-up aggression has built up to a point where it must be released, and it does so in the absence of external stimuli. It makes its way out and leads to a FAP.
Konrad Lorenz’s theories are essential for multiple reasons, namely through their contributions to understanding behaviour in animals, specifically aggression, and acting as a model for comparative aggression in humans.
However, the model has a few problems, which we will address here:
In psychology, specifically ethology, the hydraulic model is a concept Konrad Lorenz developed to demonstrate the release of pent-up aggression in animals (innate releasing mechanisms), specifically by showing a reservoir of motivation/aggression. A sign stimulus releases this reservoir to cause fixed action patterns to specific stimuli.
Konrad Lorenz proposed the psychohydraulic model (1950).
Konrad Lorenz’s theory surrounded the concept of aggression and its release in animals, explicitly referencing innate releasing mechanisms and fixed action patterns.
Konrad Lorenz’s theories are essential for multiple reasons, namely through their contributions to understanding behaviour in animals, specifically aggression, and acting as a model for comparative aggression in humans.
of the users don't pass the The Hydraulic Model of Instinctive Behaviour quiz! Will you pass the quiz?
Start QuizBe perfectly prepared on time with an individual plan.
Test your knowledge with gamified quizzes.
Create and find flashcards in record time.
Create beautiful notes faster than ever before.
Have all your study materials in one place.
Upload unlimited documents and save them online.
Identify your study strength and weaknesses.
Set individual study goals and earn points reaching them.
Stop procrastinating with our study reminders.
Earn points, unlock badges and level up while studying.
Create flashcards in notes completely automatically.
Create the most beautiful study materials using our templates.
Sign up to highlight and take notes. It’s 100% free.