Freud's Psychodynamic Explanation of Aggression

Question 1

Who was Freud?

Answer 1

an upper-middle class Jewish man during the Jewish persecution and fled his hometown of Austria, with a marriage, children and led a comfortable life - he a medical doctor who saw mental health patients gain little or no treatment and wanted to create a theory applicable to all

Question 2

How did Freud try to be scientific?

Answer 2

, he did make the effort to try to be scientific i.e. discounting any interpretations’ from Little Han’s father and instead using only information provided directly from Little Hans, to prevent any possible bias

Question 3

What are the key assumptions of Freud’s psychodynamic explanation of aggression?

Answer 3

The first five years of life are the most important in personality formation as this allows bonding between parents and children, and formation of relationships. Unsolved problems in these areas will later affect development.

Development occurs all throughout a child’s ‘stages’ in life. Freud states there to be five psychstasexual stages → if there are no unsolved problems in these stages, ther child should have a stable personality and healthy adult relationships.

The importance of the unconscious mind (large, powerful and inaccessible)

Everyone has a certain amount of energy, of which some of it is libido (sexual energy): This is a theory of the mind, instinctive energy and inborn (innate) drives.

Question 4

Why did he focus on adult patients?

Answer 4

try to look for problems in early life to explain their diagnoses of neurosis

Question 5

What is neurosis?

Answer 5

issues that the individual knows they suffer from and use help to make themselves better, however psychoses, due to the nature of their conditions, cannot be dealt with by the individual as they concern a break from reality i.e. schizophrenia and the affected individual is unaware of their problems.

Question 6

What is an interesting case of neurosis?

Answer 6

Anna O with hysteria symptoms: these are physical and made Freud think the problems were from the unconscious mind → something within it became ‘satisfied’ with hysterical symptoms.

Question 7

why did Freud think repressed feelings caused neurosis?

Answer 7

thought some hidden desire of the subconscious was fulfilled through the hysteria symptoms - Therefore he suggested repressed memories to be inaccessible yet still guiding behaviour inappropriately: he thought that if they are made conscious, they would no longer guide behaviour inappropriately.

Question 8

What is the aim of psychoanalysis therapy?

Answer 8

to make unconscious thoughts conscious, releasing the thoughts and energy that the individual used to keep those thoughts unconscious. When this is achieved, the individual can progress.

Question 9

What did Freud believe the mind was made up of?

Answer 9

The conscious mind, the preconscious mind and the unconscious mind

Question 10

What is the unconscious mind?

Answer 10

holds thoughts, emotion and other conscious thinking aspects. It is perceptual awareness.

Question 11

What is the preconscious mind?

Answer 11

holds thoughts and ideas which are accessible but aren’t actually conscious at that particular moment in time. It also holds our memories.

Question 12

What is the unconscious mind?

Answer 12

the original: it is where thoughts originate with some becoming conscious and preconscious. It can be known as the ‘puppet master’. Repression occurs on the unconscious level → it isn’t passive and uses up all of our energy.

Question 13

How did Freud think we repressed feelings?

Answer 13

by using energy

Question 14

How did Freud think we focused our energy?

Answer 14

To a life instinct (eros) for self-preservation and sexual energy. He though urges and wishes from the life instinct in the conscious led to arousal which we tried to reduce (our aim)

Question 15

How do we reduce ‘arousal’?

Answer 15

through the death instinct (thanatos). This provides energy for the ego to inhibit sexual instincts whilst eros inhibits the instinct that leads to death

Question 16

What is the death instinct challenged into with aggression?

Answer 16

into something more positive e.g. sport

Question 17

Do Eros and Thanatos complement each other?

Answer 17

Yes as they inhibit each other’s instincts

Question 18

What are the three parts of personality?

Answer 18

ID, Ego and SuperEgo

Question 19

What is the ID?

Answer 19

what we’re born with, and is very demanding. It is unconscious as the demands aren’t consciously made → it works primarily on the pleasure principle

Question 20

What is the Ego?

Answer 20

rational, working on reality principles and trying to obtain the ID’s desires for it. It works out how to satisfy an individual → it develops around 18 months of age

Question 21

What is the SuperEgo?

Answer 21

develops around 4 years of age (in the phallic stage) and works on the morality principle. It is made up of the conscious, given by parents and society, in order to indicate what is right and wrong; and well as the ego ideal (what people believe they should be like).

Question 22

What is the relationship like for the different parts of personality?

Answer 22

ego has to pacify the id and the superego by finding the balance in their conflicting demands. This may be done by repressing memories or using defence mechanisms.

Question 23

define displacement in Freudian terms

Answer 23

someone focusing thoughts onto someone when they belong to someone else as thoughts can be released in a safe manner for ego, without upsetting the superego

Question 24

What did Freud think led to aggression?

Answer 24

Frustration - developed by Dollard et al as the frustration-aggression theory

Question 25

What is the frustration-aggression theory?

Answer 25

it’s more about learning and response rather than internal drives and mechanisms. Freud was interested in the ideas and emotions behind aggression, both outwardly and inwardly.

Question 26

How did Freud think frustration link to aggression?

Answer 26

linked to the superego. This is the consciousness formed through parents and society in general. If a child is subconsciously angry at a parent, they do not direct this towards the parent as this is seen as socially unacceptable, and so it is changed into guilt by the superego.

Question 27

What is catharsis?

Answer 27

When the unconscious is brought into the conscious, these thoughts / memories bring along emotions with them in order to be released: this release (‘catharsis’) and thereby cleansed from the mind. This formed the basis of psychoanalysis- its aim is to bring and release unconscious thoughts and emotions.

Question 28

How can one use catharsis to vent aggression?

Answer 28

Through other means e.g. watching violent TV or playing video games as it allows release in a physical sense as it triggers the fight response.

Can also be the release of emotion

Question 29

What was Verona and Sullivan 2008 in terms of Freud’s psychoanalysis theory?

Answer 29

Verona and Sullivan (2008) found reduced heartbeats in those who reacted aggressively however there was a confounding variable (hot air delivered in the condition where aggression was exhibited) which may have meant that participants reacted to the confounding variable.

Question 30

How may Freud’s psychoanalysis theory be linked to neuroscience?

Answer 30

e limbic system (where emotions are ‘housed’) and the amygdala link to aggression. The prefrontal cortex is where planning and decision-making takes place. In terms of the psychodynamic approach, there is a theory that the limbic system and the prefrontal cortex is the analytical part of the conscious mind.
Neuropsychoanalysis links different hemispheres to the psychodynamic theory. The unconscious is said to be within the brain stem, the pons and the cerebellum. The superego could be in the left frontal lobe and the id could be the ‘deep’ part of the brain and is not known of their specific control functions

Question 31

What are the strengths of Freud’s theory and the psychodynamic approach towards aggression?

Answer 31

Freud’s ideas about mental health provided solutions that were unavailable. Psychoanalysis addressed neuroses where previous treatments were considered ‘barbaric’.

The theory was generated from in-depth case studies, valid data and focused on the dreams and problems of each individual.

Question 32

What are the weaknesses of Freud’s theory and the psychodynamic approach towards aggression?

Answer 32

Does not use the scientific method: data is qualitative and personal so a theory should not be generalised from such data.

The concepts are not measurable, and so cannot be rigorously tested. As such, there is a lack of scientific credibility.

The case studies (i.e. Anna O and Little Hans) had involved some element of interpretations of symbols in dreams or free association data. There is subjectivity where science requires objectivity.

He worked in middle-class Vienna, with mostly women, and so the sample is limited → it is difficult to generalise to the wider population. The sample can be considered to be biassed.

Freud only looked at development until puberty and adolescence with a focus on psychosexual aspects. But this only proves his theory to not be proven correct, instead of wrong. Erikson looked at the ‘eight stages of man’ and focused on social development rather than sexual development.

Question 33

How are the psychodynamic and biological ideas of aggression similar?

Answer 33

Both focuses on internal mechanisms but biopsych uses physical structures whereas Freud uses a model

Brain scanning - up to age 3, child’s brain thinking is mostly focused on the RS - like idea that child is more ID and ego starts around toddler stage

Question 34

How are psychodynamic and biological ideas of aggression different?

Answer 34

Biopsych uses scientific data from scientific methods whereas Freud based his theory on unique case studies

Biopsych about physical whereas psychodynamic emotional approach

Question 35

define conscious mind

Answer 35

the thoughts and feelings we have direct access to.

Question 36

define unconscious mind

Answer 36

• the thoughts, feelings and memories we have hidden from ourselves because we find them painful or shameful.

Question 37

define ID

Answer 37

the ‘animal instincts’ (hunger, thirst, sex, aggression) that drive our behaviour.

Question 38

define superego

Answer 38

the ‘moral’ part of the mind, that embodies our sense of right and wrong

Question 39

define ego

Answer 39

the rational part of the mind that deals with reality and tries to balance the demands of the id with the restrictions imposed by the superego. The ego uses defence mechanisms to make a compromise that keeps both content.

Question 40

define repression

Answer 40

mental strategies used by the ego to deal with the dangerous and/unacceptable drives in a safe way.

Question 41

define repression

Answer 41

locking unacceptable thoughts, feelings, drives and experiences away in the unconscious.

Question 42

define sublimation

Answer 42

converting an unacceptable drive into an acceptable one (e.g. sport instead of violence).

Question 43

define displacement

Answer 43

redirecting a drive towards a more acceptable target (e.g. kicking a chair instead of a person).

Question 44

What research methods are used in Freud’s psychodynamic theory of aggression?

Answer 44

Freud and his followers made lots of use of qualitative case studies of individuals. They needed to interpret their data to reveal its unconscious meanings.

Question 45

How does Freud 1905 support the psychodynamic theory of aggression?

Answer 45

Freud (1905) in his case study of ‘Little Hans’ claimed to provide evidence that the fear a young boy had of horses was actually caused by him trying to deal with unacceptable unconscious impulses. Hans was actually resentful and fearful of his father because he was jealous of his mother. However, he had repressed the real fear and displaced it onto horses as a way of dealing with it.

Question 46

How does Megargee 1966 support the psychodynamic theory of aggression?

Answer 46

Megargee (1966) documented a number of very violent crimes committed by individuals who were otherwise calm and non-aggressive. Megargee argues that these criminals acted as they did precisely because they ‘bottled up’ their aggression until they could no longer contain it. As a result, they let out their aggression in a single episode of explosive rage

Question 47

How does Bushman 2002 go against the psychodynamic theory of aggression?

Answer 47

Bushman (2002) had a confederate deliberately anger his participants. The experimental group then were allowed to punch a punch bag for a few minutes, whilst the control group did nothing. The PPs were then given the opportunity to be aggressive against the person who had angered them, by blasting them with white noise. PPs in the experimental group were significantly more aggressive than those in the control group. This goes against Freud’ idea that venting your aggression leaves you calmer.