Aggression & Freud Flashcards
What is aggression?
An instinct.
What does atavistic mean?
Behaviour of our incestors - no longer need but are stuck with.
What is catharsis?
Releasing strong emotion in a healthy way, which produces a cleansing effect which is why we feel better after a laugh or cry.
How can catharsis be released?
Constructively, e.g. through sports (even non contact).
What does instinct theory say about releasing aggression?
Releasing aggression reduces aggressive urges that were building up inside us, making us less likely to lose control - “Hydraulic Model” of agg.
What is the libido?
We’re motivated by sexual energy. Agg might be caused by the libido being misapplied or not properly controlled.
What did Freud propse the id was generated by?
eros - erotic energy drives us to reproduce sexually and to be creative in other senses: make friends, compose songs, build, invent, solve problems, work hard.
What force opposes eros?
Thanatos (death instinct)- powers ego in its effort to hold back id and resist its demands.
What does thanatic energy power?
Helps to show willpower and restraint but drives us to sabotage our lives, choose lonliness rather than happiness, mess up relationships and behave self-destructively.
What is thanatos repsonsible for?
Aggression - directed against ourselves or projected outwards to others and surroundings.
What are the 2 components of social aggression?
- Indirect aggression.
- Relational aggression.
What is indirect aggression?
Covert agg, e.g. spreading malicious gossip.
What is relational aggression?
Overt but non-physical, e.g. breaking off a friendship, pulling faces or “bitchiness”.
