3.1.5 - biological explanation as an alternative to Freud's psychodynamic explanation Flashcards
what is the unconscious mind?
the thoughts, feelings, memories and drives that we hide from ourselves (known as repression) due to finding them painful or shameful
what is the importance of the unconscious mind in Freud’s psychodynamic explanation of aggression?
Freud believed that when frustrated drives accumulate in the unconscious mind, the force of aggression builds up
if the aggression isn’t removed safely through catharsis, it is expressed as violence
what is the importance of early family experiences in Freud’s psychodynamic explanation of aggression?
Freud believed the first 5 years of life were integral for influencing later behaviours, particularly as this is when the ego and superego develop
what three components make up Freud’s model of the mind/personality?
id, ego, superego
what is the id?
the part of the mind driven by basic animal instincts and desires (hunger, thirst, sex, aggressive impulses)
it operates on the pleasure principle and demands instant gratification of urges, with no thought of possible consequences
what is the ego?
the rational part of the mind which deals with reality (driven by reality principle)
develops around age 2 when the rules and norms of society start to be learnt, and the ego appreciates when it is appropriate to show behaviours like aggression
what is the superego?
the moral part of the mind (operates on morality principle) which develops an understanding of right and wrong
develops between ages of 3 and 6, allows child to feel pride for acting correctly (ego-ideal) and guilt for incorrect behaviour (conscience)
how do the three parts of the personality interact?
the ego balances the demands of the id with the restrictions imposed by the superego (uses defence mechanisms to find compromise)
the superego ensures the id’s urges are delayed to an appropriate time and place
when does aggression occur?
when the id’s aggressive impulses push through the controls of the ego
what did Freud believe human’s two main instincts were?
Eros (life instinct) and Thanatos (death instinct)
what is Eros?
an instinct centred on survival, love and pleasure to allow us to preserve and enjoy life
what is Thanatos?
an instinct which drives us towards aggression, risk-taking and self-destruction
where do aggressive impulses come from?
from the energy of Thanatos, when it is redirected towards others, so we don’t hurt ourselves
what are defence mechanisms?
unconscious strategies used by the ego to keep aggressive impulses under control
what is displacement?
defence mechanism where aggressive feelings are redirected towards a safer target eg. kicking a chair instead of a person
what is sublimation?
defence mechanism where aggression is channelled into positive activities eg. creative activities
what is projection?
defence mechanism where you accuse others of having the aggressive feeling that you are experiencing
what is catharsis?
the idea that aggressive feelings can be released and satisfied in a safe way to reduce violence eg. watching a violent movie, playing sport
what comparisons can be made between Freud’s psychodynamic explanation of aggression and the biological explanation?
there is lots of scientific evidence to suggest that biological factors influence aggression eg. Raine et al. (1997) because biological factors can be objectively tested, but there is little evidence supporting Freud’s theory as it is focused on abstract concepts which can’t easily be scientifically tested
the biological explanation focuses on how nature affects aggression while Freud’s theory accounts for nature and nurture
the biological theory suggests aggressive behaviour can’t be changed as we can’t alter our genes or brain structure (determinism) while Freud’s theory suggests aggression can be reduced or avoided through catharsis
strengths - comprehensive psychodynamic insight into aggression?
Freud’s approach looks in-depth at the unconscious mind and the deep, hidden motives behind aggression eg. possibility that someone who is aggressive towards one person may actually be scared or angry of someone/something else
strengths - developmental perspective?
Freud suggests early childhood experiences can significantly impact aggression eg. an aggressive person fear and hatred of a harsh parent
this creates a holistic view which reminds of the importance of considering someone’s history when looking at their aggression
strengths - psychotherapy?
Freud developed the idea of a ‘talking cure’ to help people be less aggressive by resolving their unconscious problems
psychological problems are still treated today using talking therapies
weaknesses - lack of empirical evidence?
there is little scientific evidence to support Freudian explanations because the unconscious mind, id, ego and superego are abstract and hard to measure objectively
however, competing theories like the biological explanation can be objectively measured and have supporting evidence
weaknesses - reductive?
many psychologists argue Freud put too much emphasis on the role of frustrated biological drives and instincts like Thanatos
therefore, this oversimplifies the multifaceted nature of aggression and neglects other potential factors like the environment
weaknesses - concerns about generalisability?
Freud’s theories reflect a very Eurocentric and gender-biased perspective - they focus on the values of late 19th-century Europe
this means his explanations might not be equally applicable across diverse cultures or representative of female experiences
supporting evidence - Megargee (1966)?
looked for relationship between level of aggression and self-control in 76 juvenile offenders
obtained data from self-reports, observations of offenders in custody, newspaper articles and evidence from life histories
classified offenders based on whether crimes were high violence, low violence or non-violent
found self-control higher in most violent offenders
argued the criminals acted this way because they ‘bottled up’ their aggression until it couldn’t be contained, then they let it out in a single episode of rage - ego was more able to control aggressive impulses of id for longer until it became too much
contradictory evidence - Bushman (2002)?
laboratory study where confederate deliberately angered participants (300 male and 300 female)
the experimental group were allowed to punch a punch bag afterwards, while the control group did nothing
participants were then allowed to be aggressive against the confederate by blasting them with white noise - the experimental group were much more aggressive than the control group
this goes against Freud’s idea that expressing aggression (catharsis) reduces those feelings
issues and debates - nature-nurture?
Freud and biological psychologists believe that aggression is due to nature (internal factors generally beyond external control) - biological psychologists look at role of genes and brain function, Freud looked at role of id, ego and superego (naturally occurring elements of personality)
however both believe that nurture can also influence aggression - brain function can be influenced by external factors like child abuse, Freud believed development of id, ego and superego could be affected by events in first six years of life while personality matured
