BIO PRE EXAM 💛

Question 1

Summarise catharsis (AO1)

Answer 1

• expressing aggression satisfies an instinctive drive
• preventing catharsis will build up energy and produce destructive agression inwards (yourself) or outwards (other people)

Question 2

What were Freud’s thoughts on and solutions to catharsis (AO1)

Answer 2

He believed it was more beneficial to directly express the aggressive behaviour but there are other methods:
Displacement: aggression towards one person (e.g your boss) is redirected against a less powerful and more available susbtitute (e.g sibling)
Observing aggression of others which may be done by watching violent movies

Question 3

Weakness of catharsis (AO3)

Answer 3

Bushman: a confederate criticised essays written by students. One randomly allocated group were allowed to vent their anger by punching a punching bag and thinking about the confederate while the other group did nothing. The group that had ‘catharted’ were then more loud and rude to that confederate in a later task compared to the other group who stayed quiet.
This suggested that catharis actualled fuelled the aggression rather than relieving it!

Question 4

Strength of Catharsis (AO3)

Answer 4

• Easy to build into a daily routine for regular release of negative, aggressive energy. You could use displacement by attending a martial arts class etc
• therapy can also involve catharsis by bringing unconscious thoughts into the conscious mind.
• Freud’s theory offers a practical solution to reducing aggressive behaviour with potential benefits to both the individual and wider society.