Neo-Freudian theories

Question 1

What did Freud consider the cause of anxiety? What is thought today?

Answer 1

Freud believed the unconscious mind was the source and anxiety. Today, research focuses on the conscious mind

Question 2

What is the difference between defense mechanisms and coping strategies?

Answer 2

Dense mechanism concerns the unconscious mind, coping strategies happen in the conscious mind

Question 3

What was the study on coping with anxiety about (Koriat, Melkman, Averill and Lazarus 1972)? What were the results?

Answer 3

Study where participants watched a video about a gruesome accident. Results: participants used 2 techniques to deal with anxiety = intellectualization (focus on technical details) and denial (it only happens in film, not IRL)

Question 4

What are coping strategies? How many are there?

Answer 4

Efforts to cope with anxiety in the face of perceived threat. Endless number of strategies.

Question 5

Coping strategies are more used by whom?

Answer 5

Women

Question 6

What are coping styles?

Answer 6

The different combinations of coping strategies that people use

Question 7

What early study was performed on different coping styles? What were the results? Are these results still used today?

Answer 7

Study where participants were shown video on sudden infant death syndrome. Results identified two types of styles: repressors (avoidance of threatening situation) and sensitizers (want to learn more to make the best decision). This was called the repressor-sensitizer spectrum, which was further developed by later researcher

Question 8

What system is used today to distinguish the many coping strategies?

Answer 8

Today, coping strategies are divided amongst:
1. Active strategy
- Problem-focus strategy
- Emotional focus strategy
2. Avoidance strategy

Question 9

What are two differences between repressors-sensitizers spectrum and the active vs. avoidance spectrum?

Answer 9

1. Active vs. avoidance divides between strategies in which people take action and not
2. The active strategy in divided between strategies aimed at the source of the threat vs. the emotional response to the threat

Question 10

What are problem-focused strategies?

Answer 10

Strategy in which a person attempt to resolve a problem, thereby reducing anxiety

Question 11

What are emotional-focused strategies?

Answer 11

Strategy in which the person attempts to reduce emotional distress that comes with the problem (talking to others, seeing the positive, etc.)

Question 12

What are avoidance strategies?

Answer 12

Strategy in which person attempts to repress feelings of anxiety

Question 13

What study was performed on what strategies are used by people?

Answer 13

Study where people recount the past 7m of their lives. Results found that 98% of people used both active strategies, individually or together. But more often than not people used more than one strategy and women used more emotional-focus strategy and men more problem-solving focus.

Question 14

Which strategy is the most effective?

Answer 14

Using any strategy is better than non, but active strategies are much better than avoidance

Question 15

Can avoidance strategy reduce anxiety?

Answer 15

Not really, in so cases it may reduce anxiety in the short-run only for mild stressors, but overall no, it can make it worse

Question 16

What are some of the long-term consequences associated with use of the avoidance strategy?

Answer 16

More vulnerable to stress related illnesses and possible link to alcoholism.

Question 17

Which of the two active strategy is better for dealing with anxiety?

Answer 17

Both are equally good depending on situation? If there is no solution to an anxiety = emotional-focus is better vs. if there is a solution = problem-solving focus

Question 18

What is cognitive flexibility? What is it associated with?

Answer 18

It is the ability to use multiple coping strategies depending on the context, and it is associated with less stress, better health and fewer emotional problems.

Question 19

According to earlier theories of Freud, what creates aggression?

Answer 19

He proposed that frustrated libido = aggression = often displace

Question 20

According to later theories of Freud, what creates aggression?

Answer 20

He also added the concept of death instinct, thanatos, which is the desire to destroy oneself, which is not allowed by the ego and therefore repressed and displaced as aggression towards others

Question 21

What is the original frustration-aggression hypothesis? How is aggression released?

Answer 21

Aggression is always a consequence of frustration, and the existence of frustration always leads to aggression. Catharsis is the only way to release aggression.

Question 22

What were 2 criticisms against the original frustration-aggression hypothesis?

Answer 22

1) There is so much frustration in people’s life, yet there is no constant aggression
2) Too limited, frustration is not the only factors that increases aggression (cigarette smoke, hot temperature, bitter drinks, etc.)

Question 23

What is the modified frustration-aggression hypothesis?

Answer 23

Frustration sometimes leads to indirect expression of aggression, which can be displaced unto through displacement or sublimation, for example.

Question 24

Do frustrated people act more aggressively than non-frustrated people? What study was performed on that subject?

Answer 24

Researchers looked at people at the front of the line vs. at the back of the line being cut → people at the front of the line showed much more aggression

Question 25

What are 2 ways the modified frustration-aggression hypothesis is better than the original one?

Answer 25

1. It explains why frustration doesn’t always lead to aggression, rather it simplifies it
2. It clarifies why certain thoughts can increase or decrease aggression (ex: accidental vs intentional actions)

Question 26

What study was done on displaced aggression?

Answer 26

Participants working on a difficult task were either put in a frustrated category, where they were disturbed with another participants, vs a non-frustrated category, where they could concentrate. Afterward, participants had to administer electrical shocks, either to the annoying participants or to an innocent bystanders. Results: frustrated participants administered more shocks to the annoying participants, but also to the innocent bystanders, compared to non-frustrated participants.

Question 27

What study looked at displaced aggression in the business world?

Answer 27

Researchers followed supervisors who felt frustrated by lack of recognition/promotion. In turn, those supervisors’ subordinates felt more abused by the frustrated supervisors. Interestingly, the families of the abused subordinates also felt more unpleasantness = displacement of aggression

Question 28

What triggers displaced aggression?

Answer 28

Also called overreacting, when someone encounters a minor annoyance that would normally be tolerated, however in this scenario a convenient target is nearby, the person will displace aggression towards them.

Question 29

What is catharsis?

Answer 29

The release of energy/tension, which frustration-aggression hypothesis believe is the solution to aggression

Question 30

Does catharsis reduce aggression? What study was performed?

Answer 30

No, it does not. The study looked at frustrated participants that were placed in different conditions: punching a punching bag thinking of frustration, punching a punching bag thinking of sports or sitting quietly and reflecting of events. The least aggressive ones were those sitting and the most aggressive those punching the bag, especially when thinking of frustration.

Question 31

If catharsis does not reduce aggression, what does it do?

Answer 31

It increases it

Question 32

Why does catharsis increase aggression (3 reasons)?

Answer 32

1. Acting aggressively → disinhibition (makes it easier to act that way in the future)
2. Our own actions act as aggressive cues → more aggression
3. Cathartic releases feel good → reinforcer of aggression

Question 33

What is object relation theory?

Answer 33

Idea that children develops an unconscious representation of significant objects (parents) and internalize that images to serve as a basis for future relationship

Question 34

Object theory was the springboard for what other theory?

Answer 34

Attachment theory

Question 35

What is Attachment theory?

Answer 35

Belief that emotional bonds between infant and caregivers create attachment relationships, that infants will use in their future relationships

Question 36

What environment/study were attachment theorist interested in?

Answer 36

Interested in how infants react when mother leaves the room

Question 37

What are the 3 attachment types?

Answer 37

1. Secure relationship: mother is attentive and caring ⇾ secure and confident child
2. Anxious-ambivalent relationship: mother isn’t particularly caring ⇾ anxious child
3. Avoidant relationship: mother is not caring or attentive ⇾ emotional distant child

Question 38

What types of long-terms implications do these attachment styles have?

Answer 38

They are the basis of unconscious working model for interpersonal involvement

Question 39

What are the different adult attachment styles in Attachment theory?

Answer 39

Secure, avoidant and anxious, studies show correlation between infant and adult attachment styles.

Question 40

How do alternate models assess these attachment styles?

Answer 40

They assess it along 2 dimensions: 1. how fearful one is of being abandoned by partner and 2. how comfortable one is with closeness

Question 41

Alternate models of attachment styles identified how many types of attachment?

Answer 41

1. Secure: no fear or abandonment or intimacy
2. Avoidant: no fear of abandonment but fear of intimacy
3. Anxious: fear of abandonment, but no fear of intimacy
4. Disoriented/fearful: fear of abandonment and fear of intimacy

Question 42

How are people with secure attachment style’s relationship compared to other styles? What about anxious and avoidant styles?

Answer 42

Secure people describe their relationship as much happier, greater deal of love, stronger commitment, better trust, etc.
Avoidant people rarely believe in love and have tendency to cheat on partner
Anxious people very often fail in love, but always fear partner leaving them

Question 43

Is it possible for people to change their attachment style?

Answer 43

Yes, when entering a loving and mature adult relationship, some people receive the love and care lacking in their childhood and become secure