The theories of aggression (instinct, frustration-aggression, aggressive cue and social learning), strategies to control aggression, and the theory of achievement motivation and goal setting.

A focused answer to OCR A-Level PE on aggression and motivation: the instinct, frustration-aggression, aggressive-cue and social learning theories of aggression, strategies to control it, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, achievement motivation (need to achieve versus need to avoid failure), and goal setting.

Generated by Claude Opus 4.811 min answerUpdated 2026-06-02

Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed

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Quick answer

Aggression is intent to harm outside the rules; assertion is forceful, rule-abiding play. Four theories explain it: instinct theory (aggression is innate and cathartic), the frustration-aggression hypothesis (frustration always leads to aggression), the aggressive-cue hypothesis (frustration creates a readiness that becomes aggression only with aggressive cues present), and social learning theory (aggression is learned by copying models). It is controlled by punishment, removing the performer, relaxation, cognitive techniques and good role models. Motivation is the drive to act, intrinsic (from within, enjoyment and pride) or extrinsic (from outside, rewards). Achievement motivation is the balance of the need to achieve (approaching challenge) and the need to avoid failure (avoiding it). Goal setting (using SMART, and outcome, performance and process goals) raises motivation.

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What this dot point is asking
Defining aggression
Theories of aggression
Controlling aggression
Motivation and achievement motivation
Goal setting

What this dot point is asking

OCR wants you to explain the theories of aggression, describe strategies to control aggression, and explain motivation (intrinsic and extrinsic), achievement motivation and goal setting.

Defining aggression

Theories of aggression

Controlling aggression

Motivation and achievement motivation

Goal setting

Building motivation in a performer who fears failure

Diagnose the motivation profile

A swimmer avoids racing the fastest competitors and only enters races they are sure to win or sure to lose, a classic sign of a high need to avoid failure.

Set achievable, progressive goals

The coach sets process and performance goals the swimmer can control (a faster split, a better turn) that are challenging but achievable, so the swimmer experiences success and starts to approach 50-50 challenges.

Reattribute outcomes and reinforce effort

The coach attributes success to the swimmer's ability and effort (internal) and any failure to controllable causes (pacing), and praises effort, lowering the fear of evaluation.

Shift the balance toward the need to achieve

With repeated success and supportive attributions, the swimmer's expectation of success rises and they begin to welcome tougher races. State that engineering early success and reattributing outcomes are the key levers for building the need to achieve.

Common traps

Confusing aggression with assertion: Aggression intends to harm and breaks the rules; assertion is forceful but fair, within the rules. A hard, legal tackle is assertion, not aggression.
Stating the frustration-aggression hypothesis without its flaw: The original claims frustration always leads to aggression, which is too strong; the aggressive-cue hypothesis refines it (cues are needed). Note the refinement.
Saying extrinsic rewards always increase motivation: Over-reliance on extrinsic rewards can undermine intrinsic motivation, so they must be used carefully. Intrinsic motivation is more durable.
Recommending outcome goals under pressure: Process and performance goals are controllable and preferred under pressure; outcome goals depend on the opponent and can raise anxiety. Match the goal type to the situation.

Exam-style practice questions

Practice questions written in the style of OCR exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.

OCR 20184 marksExplain the frustration-aggression hypothesis and one limitation of it as an explanation of aggression in sport.

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A Component 02 Section B knowledge and application question. Marks for the hypothesis and a valid limitation.

Award marks for: the frustration-aggression hypothesis (Dollard) states that frustration always leads to aggression, and aggression is always caused by frustration; when a performer is blocked from a goal (a striker repeatedly denied by good defending), the resulting frustration builds and is released as aggression, especially if arousal is high. A limitation is that frustration does not always lead to aggression (a frustrated player may try harder, withdraw or accept it) and aggression is not always preceded by frustration (it can be learned or cold and calculated), which is why the aggressive-cue hypothesis (Berkowitz) modified it to say frustration creates a readiness for aggression that becomes aggression only if aggressive cues are present.

Markers reward the always-leads-to claim of the original hypothesis and a genuine limitation, ideally linking to the aggressive-cue refinement.

OCR 20218 marksAnalyse achievement motivation theory and how a coach could develop the need to achieve in a performer who currently shows the need to avoid failure.

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A Component 02 extended-response (levels of response) question. Markers reward the theory (AO1), application (AO2) and a reasoned coaching strategy (AO3).

Award credit for: achievement motivation (Atkinson and McClelland) is the drive to succeed, shaped by the balance of two tendencies: the need to achieve (Naf, approaching challenges, persisting, enjoying competition and taking responsibility) and the need to avoid failure (Naf, avoiding challenge, giving up, fearing evaluation). A performer high in the need to avoid failure picks tasks that are very easy or very hard (to avoid blame) and shies away from 50-50 challenges. To develop the need to achieve, the coach sets achievable, progressively harder goals so the performer experiences success, gives positive reinforcement and credit for effort, attributes success to internal, stable causes and failure to controllable causes, lowers the fear of evaluation, and highlights role models. A reasoned answer judges that engineering early success and reattributing outcomes are the most effective levers, because they shift the performer's expectation of success.

A top answer defines the two tendencies, links task choice to each, and gives a reasoned plan to build the need to achieve.

Related dot points

Sources & how we know this

OCR A Level Physical Education (H555) specification — OCR (2016)