Individual and Developmental Differences in Aggression

Question 1

What parts of Biological psychology account for individual differences in aggression?

Answer 1

1) Freud

2) Brian damage

Question 2

Define the ‘id’.

Answer 2

A part of our personality that works on the pleasure principle and is driven by biological needs.

Question 3

Define the ‘ego’.

Answer 3

A part of our personality that aims the gratify the demands of the id by working on the reality principle and aims to protect us from harm through defence mechanisms.

Question 4

Define the ‘superego’.

Answer 4

A part of our personality that is an internalised representation of the values and morals of society by working on the morality principle.

Question 5

How does Freud’s theory of a weak superego account for individual differences for aggression?

Answer 5

A weak superego internalised from an absent father/deviant father/father if a girl means that it will be less able to suppress urges of the id.

Question 6

How does Freud’s theory of a harsh superego account for individual differences for aggression?

Answer 6

A harsh superego from strict parents may cause frustration when the id is not gratified.

Question 7

How does Freud’s theory account for individual differences for phobias?

Answer 7

Events that have caused trauma or fear get suppressed into the unconscious and cause phobias that will be unique to the individual.

Question 8

Evaluate 2 strengths of the Psychodynamic approach.

Answer 8

1) High validity with Freud’s case studies that gathered qualitative data on dream interpretation and hypnosis
2) High applications of his approach with developing therapies of mental disorders such as hypnosis that moved away from barbaric treatments of electrotherapy

Question 9

Evaluate 3 weaknesses of the Psychodynamic approach.

Answer 9

1) Low generalisability due to Freud’s case studies being largely women from Vienna meaning his research lacks representation of males and other countries
2) Low reliability due to his concepts such as the id being immeasurable and therefore unscientific
3) Low validity due to using case studies that gathered qualitative data from dream analysis and hypnotherapy that are open to subjectivity

Question 10

How does brain damage explain individual differences in behaviour?

Answer 10

The ways in which the damage occurred are unique to the individual, as well as the response to damage of certain areas being different compared to other people with damage in the same place.

Question 11

Give supporting research for brain damage explaining individual differences.

Answer 11

Hillis and Tippett (2014) argued that two individuals with similar appearing strokes may show very different outcomes a year later.

Question 12

Give two examples of unique cases of brain damage causing differences in behaviour.

Answer 12

• Alpers (tumor in hypothalamus caused a well-mannered lawyer to become ill-mannered)
• Phineas Gage (damage to frontal lobe from a metal rod caused him to become aggressive)

Question 13

Evaluate 2 strengths of brain damage explaining individual differences in behaviour.

Answer 13

1) High reliability in methods such as PET scans to view activity in areas of the brain are scientific and easy to objectively compare
2) Case studies into brain damaged patients are more ethical due to being a naturally occurring variable that the researchers can take advantage of

Question 14

Evaluate 3 weaknesses of brain damage explaining individual differences in behaviour.

Answer 14

1) Low generalisability due to the circumstance in which damage occurred and response to this being unique to the individual
2) Low reliability due to it being unethical to replicate the circumstances of how the brain damage occurred therefore cannot test for consistency
3) Low validity due to not being able to establish cause and effect between damage causing change in behaviour as unsure how the person was before

Question 15

What parts of Biological psychology account for developmental differences in aggression?

Answer 15

1) Evolution
2) Hormones
3) Freud

Question 16

How does evolution explain developmental differences in behaviour?

Answer 16

• Ancestors having to compete for resources to survive to a reproductive age would pass on aid of aggressive gene
• Males get jealous/aggressive if unsure if child is biologically there as don’t want to share resources
• Women get jealous/aggressive if suspect infidelity as fear man is sharing resource with another women so risk of dying

Question 17

Give a piece of supporting evidence for evolution explaining developmental differences in behaviour.

Answer 17

Daly and Watson (1995) support as found that males have developed mate retention strategies such as domestic abuse to ensure child is theirs.

Question 18

Evaluate 2 strengths of evolution explaining developmental differences in behaviour.

Answer 18

1) Less reductionist as it accounts for how the environment shapes which genes are passed on due to the ones being most favourable for survival
2) High reliability due to much research showing consistent results of behaviours being innate corresponding with Darwin’s theory of natural selection

Question 19

Evaluate 3 weaknesses of evolution explaining developmental differences in behaviour.

Answer 19

1) Low generalisability as much research (e.g. Lorenz 1963) uses animals that have different evolutionary standards therefore doesn’t represent favourable human behaviour
2) Deterministic due to stating behaviours are innate with no free will to govern whether or not they manifest
3) Cannot account for aggression in all types of relationships as male same sex couples will not experience jealousy if their child isn’t theirs due to not being able to pass on their genes for a biological child

Question 20

Define ‘hormones’.

Answer 20

They are chemical messengers that travel in the blood affecting metabolism and mood.

Question 21

How do hormones explain developmental differences in behaviour?

Answer 21

• Large amounts of testosterone develops during puberty in boys accounting for increased aggression and violent crimes during these times
• The chemical imbalance during puberty will account for rises in cortisol which is the hormone related to stress that can cause increased aggression

Question 22

Give a piece of supporting evidence for hormones explaining developmental differences in behaviour.

Answer 22

• Kalat (1998) found that in 15-25 yr old men those with the highest level of testosterone have the highest level of aggression, committing the most violent crimes
• Barzman (2013) found that the amount of cortisol in the saliva of 17 boys aged 7-9 taken 30 mins after waking up correlated with the number of aggressive incidents recorded by nurses

Question 23

Evaluate 2 strengths of hormones explaining developmental differences in behaviour.

Answer 23

1) High generalisability as rats and humans share more than 90% of their genes and so some comparisons can be made
2) Research has high reliability as all studies have found a link between cortisol and testosterone and aggression therefore giving scientific credibility to findings

Question 24

Evaluate 3 weaknesses of hormones explaining developmental differences in behaviour.

Answer 24

1) Low generalisability due to much research being carried out on animals such as Wagner’s (1979) rats who were injected with testosterone
2) Low validity due to not being able to establish cause and effect between increased hormone level and increased aggression
3) Reductionist as explanation for complex phenomenon of aggression is reduced to the role of hormones which doesn’t acknowledge influence from the environment

Question 25

How does Freud’s theory account for developmental differences of aggression?

Answer 25

• Problems during the psychosexual developmental stages can affect behaviour in future life such as fixation during anal development age 1-3 years leading to future tendencies to rebel and be aggressive from rebelling against parents by pleasure from holding faeces in
• Development of the Odepius and Electra complex during age 3-5 years in which boys and girls establish a superego from their fathers which may result in a weak one if a girl, or if there is no father