For example, their first response to frustration by another person might be persuasive statements, then demanding statements, then angry statements, and finally abusive statements. In cases when the person's arousal comes from heat, crowding, or threats of attack, the additional provocation is not likely to have anything to do with the initial frustration, but still can cause aggression. For example, if your goal to get good grades is frustrated by a poor test score, you may fume out of the classroom without aggressive behavior, but if a classmate obnoxiously brags about his grade later on, you may lash out at him. We mentioned that societal norms have a way of inhibiting aggression. Because of this, the prevalence of aggression varies among cultures with different norms.
Many Eastern cultures have much less violence than the United States and other Western cultures.
One norm that has been shown to have an effect on violence is construal of self, which is the way an individual is taught to view himself. In Western cultures, individuals have an independent construal of self, which is the mindset that one's own thoughts, feelings, and actions are of primary importance. In Easter cultures, individuals have an interdependent construal of self, which is the mindset that one's existence is intertwined with others and one's behavior should be contingent on the thoughts, feelings, and actions of others. Prevention of Aggression Aggression can be prevented if people label their arousal as nonaggressive. For example, if someone is aroused by heat and then provoked, he might attribute his arousal to the provocation, but if he can be convinced that it is mostly due to heat, he will be less likely to respond to the provocation with aggression.