Numerous theories are based on the idea that aggression is an inherent and natural human
instinct. Aggression has been explained as an instinct that is directed externally toward
others in a process called displacement, and it has been noted that aggressive impulses that
are not channeled toward a specific person or group may be expressed indirectly through
socially acceptable activities such as sports and competition in a process called catharsis. EJ
Biological, or instinctive, theories of aggression have also been put forth by ethologists, who
study the behavior of animals in their natural environments. A number of ethologists have,
based upon their observations of animals, supported the view that aggression is an innate
instinct common to humans.