freud's psychodynamic explanation of aggression

Question 1

what is the unconscious ?

Answer 1

the part of the mind that we are unaware of but which continues to direct much of our behaviour

Question 2

what is the ‘id’ ?

Answer 2

the part of the personality driven by the pleasure principle, which functions only in the unconscious and is made up of selfish aggressive instincts that demand immediate gratification

Question 3

what is the ‘ego’ ?

Answer 3

the ‘reality check’ that balances the conflicting demands of the ‘id’ and the ‘superego’

Question 4

what is the ‘superego’ ?

Answer 4

the moralistic part of the personality which represents the ideal self - how we ought to be

Question 5

what is catharsis ?

Answer 5

the process of releasing pent-up energy

Question 6

how did freud think the instinct of aggression could be satisfied ?

Answer 6

catharsis

Question 7

why does catharsis help reduce aggression ?

Answer 7

expressing aggression releases psychic energy, reduces aggressive drive and makes further aggression less likely

Question 8

what happens if one prevents catharsis ?

Answer 8

it creates a build-up of energy which will eventually produce a destructive aggressive outburst directed either inwards (e.g. self-harm) or outwards (e.g. a violent assault)

Question 9

what are two ways catharsis can be achieved ?

Answer 9

1) displacement- where aggression towards one person is redirected against a less powerful and more available substitute
2) observing others behaving aggressively

Question 10

(evaluation) what is a strength of the theory ?

Answer 10

• it can explain the traditional distinction between ‘hot-blooded’ and ‘cold-blooded’ aggression
• hot-blooded aggression is impulsive, angry and has no purpose other than its own satisfaction ( the ‘id’) - represent the ego’s failure of its normal function of redirecting the id’s aggressive impulses
• cold-blooded aggression is deliberate, ‘rational’ and instrumental (i.e. it has a purpose). the outcome of the ego’s successful control of id impulses
• matches the reality of behaviour and gives us confidence in the validity of the theory

Question 11

(evaluation) what is a weakness of the study ?

Answer 11

• weakness = ‘letting off steam’ may lead to more aggression rather than less
• brad bushman (2002) made 600 college students angry getting a confederate to criticise an essay each had written - one group of randomly-allocated students was then allowed to vent their anger by hitting a punchbag whilst thinking about the confederate. bushman found that these students blasted the confederate with the loudest and longest noises in a subsequent task compared with control ppts who did not vent their anger.

Question 12

(evaluation) what is a competing argument of the weakness of this study ?

Answer 12

there is evidence that expressing anger can be cathartic. Jenifer graham et al. (2008) suggests we should rant rather than vent. ranting involves consideration of the reasons why one is angry. venting is a uncontrolled expression of anger, but ranting allows a person to gain control over their feelings and avoid aggressive behaviour.

Question 13

(evaluation) what is an application of the theory ?

Answer 13

• catharsis can be used practically to prevent the build-up of destructive aggressive energy
• people can build into their lives harmless ways of expressing anger - based on freudian concepts such as displacement, e.g, hitting an object rather than a person
• catharsis could feature in therapy - in freudian psychoanalysis, catharsis can be reached just by bringing unconscious and ‘forgotten’ memories into the conscious mind.
• freud’s theory offers practical solutions to reducing aggressive behaviours