Week 7 Discussion: Self-Control and Aggression
Hello professor and class,
Part I
Aggression is a detrimental feeling, which may be damaging to both the person who feels it and
those around them. In today’s society, interpersonal relationships have acquired a particular
value, and this tendency is reflected across most spheres of human activity. In the case of
healthcare, stronger bonds between all elements of the system are promoted via the
contemporary paradigms of patient-centered service delivery. Nevertheless, instances of highly
aggressive behavior have the potential to mitigate all efforts made by the team to establish a
positive environment. In one particular scenario, a middle-aged woman was waiting in line to be
registered for her appointment with the physician. There were many visitors at the moment, but
the woman appeared to be impatient. When the clinic's personnel refused to let her pass in front
of other patients, she verbally attacked a nurse who was just passing nearby.
As far as I knew, this nurse was about to finish their 24-hour shift, meaning that they felt
exhausted. This factor contributed to the mutual tension, which is why the nurse’s response was
somewhat inappropriate was the patient communication. A heated exchange of verbal attacks
eventually turned physical, as the visiting woman allowed herself to slap the nurse’s face. At this
point, other members of the staff intervened to prevent the conflict from developing even further.
In the following weeks, this incident was analyzed and widely discussed in the clinic. Evidently,
the woman’s behavior was determined by a certain feeling of entitlement to some special
treatment, which aggravated an already exhausted nurse. The situational factors contributed to
the development of the incident and instigated aggression from both sides.
Part II
I witnessed the situation described above from a close distance, meaning that I had to observe it
fully. During the first stage of the conflict, as the woman was beginning to become loud and
annoying to others, I felt extreme discomfort. It was the point at which the possibility of conflict
appeared imminent. The degree of tension grew rapidly, and some portion of it translated into my
feelings, as well. In fact, I noticed that people who were in direct contact with the aggressive
behavior felt tempted to retaliate in kind, but, in the end, they maintained professionalism,
making me admire their self-control. However, the next stage inevitably began while the source
of aggression found a responsive individual in the form of an exhausted nurse. As dictated by the
social information processing theory, the latter interpreted the situation in accordance to their
perception altered by fatigue (Laue et al., 2018). As a result, the clash ensued, and the growing
volume of the fight made me feel anxious. I am a person who avoids conflicts at all costs, and
witnessing such a heated one from a close distance was uneasy.
Finally, the exchange of aggression reached its peak once the woman felt aggravated enough to
slap the nurse. The climax of the conflict was followed by several moments of complete silence,
as everyone feared the situation would grow worse. Fortunately, the nurse did not retaliate and
simply stepped aside. However, in order to prevent such a situation from emerging, similar
actions were to be taken during the first stage. Vazsonyi et al. (2017) state that extended self-
control is confirmed to be instrumental in preventing severe aggression from happening.
