Aggression is inevitable

The man is regarded as the masterpiece of evolution, the most intelligent being on Earth, as well as the greatest mistake made by nature. We have read and heard much about evolution, anthropology and Darwin’s theory. Thousands of movies have been made and even more books have been written about people, their deeds, thoughts, ideas, and feelings. Maybe for this reason, our assumption of what the man is rather is based on romantic stories and heroic movie sacrifices or cruel betrayals, than on scientific facts of researches.

Let’s try to figure out who the modern man is, and how different he is from his ancient ancestors Cro-Magnons. Is he really that intelligent? And what does it mean to him to be a part of labor market in the 21st century?

Human is an irrational being controlled by ancient instincts when making decisions or taking actions.

Just imagine a manager with a tie and in a business suit. It is hard to believe but he is also affected by the prehistoric programs. It’s a fact we cannot deny. His way of thinking is influenced by ancient instincts of his ancestors living 100 thousand years ago.

Yet, these “Cro-Magnons” work in offices, meet deadlines, take part in meetings, do consulting, have coffee breaks, and follow the rules of corporate ethic.

According to the ancient programs from the Stone Age, human reaction to the conflict would be aggression, fleeing or defense. The ancient instincts and today’s realities where man has to act according to some socially accepted rules and not listen to his “inner voice”. This discrepancy leads to frustration and later on to aggression. But man has to suppress the induced aggression once again.

The relationships at work could be seriously harmed if one bursts out. But there is always private sphere; there are no rules or corporate ethic. Nonetheless, one cannot let aggression seize himself in his private life as well. If you do let it happen, your whole life will become a total mess full of scandals and negativity. You will be the source of anger and anguish in your life and in the life of your dearest.

Psychologists claim aggression to be suppressed. When you next time communicate with your colleagues or chef, pay attention to the nonverbal signs of aggression. Formerly, an angry man could have bitten his rival; now, he can only bite his own lip. Red face, clenched fist, aggressive gestures with a pen in the hand … all this has so much to do with what people used to be in the Stone Age.

It would be so much easier not to release aggression at all, wouldn’t it? Indeed, but it will accumulate and cause frustration, followed by stress, and then neurosis. The neurotic behavior is characterized by obsession and deviation from the norm: sick obsession with cleanliness, order maintenance, lack of humor and desire for total control. The enlisted behavioral abnormalities have not much in common. Nonetheless, they have one integral and mutual thing: a neurotic person would never himself being the reason of the given behavior. He would rather believe the surrounding people to be strange and abnormal.

Neurotic disorders cause many psychosomatic diseases, such as headaches, stomach irritation, and circulatory disorders. 90% of all diseases have been induced by our psyche. About 40% of managers in Germany are thought to be neurotics.

To summarize, we can say that a person has to always control his emotions and behavior; he is to follow the socially accepted rules on a daily basis and suppress aggression. An angry person will not reveal his feeling verbally, but one can notice the nonverbal signs of aggression. Moreover, the suppressed aggression causes psychosomatic diseases.

It is still not clear what should be done with aggression. What are your ideas? Do you think sublimation through art or sports works?

Part 1 Homo non sapiens

Part 2 Aggression is inevitable
Part 3 How to motivate employees

"Business Profi Psychologie - Vorsprung im Job" (Hans-Michael Klein / Albrecht Kresse)