In these times of forced cohabitation, it’s important to be aware of how psychology explains aggression.

There is no such thing as “gratuitous violence”. Violence is only gratuitous in the eyes of the spectator. The perpetrator always has a motivation, even if it escapes or repulses us.

The source of aggression is almost always frustration, being deprived of what we feel we are legitimately entitled to: respect, freedom to come and go, consideration, intimacy. All things we are lacking in the moment.

Avoiding aggressiveness during confinement is a matter of cutting off the sources of frustration. This simply involves respecting the needs of others as we would like them to respect our own.

Thus, when aggressiveness occurs, we are able to move beyond condemnation and superiority towards healthy dialogue and understanding.

By Adrien Chignard