3.1.5 - biological explanation as an alternative to Freud's psychodynamic explanation

Question 1

what is the unconscious mind?

Answer 1

the thoughts, feelings, memories and drives that we hide from ourselves (known as repression) due to finding them painful or shameful

Question 2

what is the importance of the unconscious mind in Freud’s psychodynamic explanation of aggression?

Answer 2

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

Question 3

what is the importance of early family experiences in Freud’s psychodynamic explanation of aggression?

Answer 3

Freud believed the first 5 years of life were integral for influencing later behaviours, particularly as this is when the ego and superego develop

Question 4

what three components make up Freud’s model of the mind/personality?

Answer 4

id, ego, superego

Question 5

what is the id?

Answer 5

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

Question 6

what is the ego?

Answer 6

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

Question 7

what is the superego?

Answer 7

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)

Question 8

how do the three parts of the personality interact?

Answer 8

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

Question 9

when does aggression occur?

Answer 9

when the id’s aggressive impulses push through the controls of the ego

Question 10

what did Freud believe human’s two main instincts were?

Answer 10

Eros (life instinct) and Thanatos (death instinct)

Question 11

what is Eros?

Answer 11

an instinct centred on survival, love and pleasure to allow us to preserve and enjoy life

Question 12

what is Thanatos?

Answer 12

an instinct which drives us towards aggression, risk-taking and self-destruction

Question 13

where do aggressive impulses come from?

Answer 13

from the energy of Thanatos, when it is redirected towards others, so we don’t hurt ourselves

Question 14

what are defence mechanisms?

Answer 14

unconscious strategies used by the ego to keep aggressive impulses under control

Question 15

what is displacement?

Answer 15

defence mechanism where aggressive feelings are redirected towards a safer target eg. kicking a chair instead of a person

Question 16

what is sublimation?

Answer 16

defence mechanism where aggression is channelled into positive activities eg. creative activities

Question 17

what is projection?

Answer 17

defence mechanism where you accuse others of having the aggressive feeling that you are experiencing

Question 18

what is catharsis?

Answer 18

the idea that aggressive feelings can be released and satisfied in a safe way to reduce violence eg. watching a violent movie, playing sport

Question 19

what comparisons can be made between Freud’s psychodynamic explanation of aggression and the biological explanation?

Answer 19

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

Question 20

strengths - comprehensive psychodynamic insight into aggression?

Answer 20

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

Question 21

strengths - developmental perspective?

Answer 21

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

Question 22

strengths - psychotherapy?

Answer 22

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

Question 23

weaknesses - lack of empirical evidence?

Answer 23

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

Question 24

weaknesses - reductive?

Answer 24

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

Question 25

weaknesses - concerns about generalisability?

Answer 25

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

Question 26

supporting evidence - Megargee (1966)?

Answer 26

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

Question 27

contradictory evidence - Bushman (2002)?

Answer 27

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

Question 28

issues and debates - nature-nurture?

Answer 28

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