Psychodynamic explanation of aggression

Question 1

What is the id?

Answer 1

Operates on pleasure principle and focuses on instinctive aspect of personality

Question 2

What is the ego?

Answer 2

Balanced superego and id focusing of logical aspect of personality

Question 3

What is the superego?

Answer 3

Moral principle based on moral restraints implemented my parents

Question 4

What is eros?

Answer 4

Life instinct - enjoyment of life

Question 5

What is Thanatos?

Answer 5

Death instinct - anger and aggression

Question 6

What is catharsis?

Answer 6

Non violent way of releasing anger

Question 7

Who supports this?

Answer 7

Verona and Sullivan - pts pressing a shock button reduced their heart rate and aggression levels - making the theory of catharsis a credible explanation

Question 8

Who conflicts this?

Answer 8

Raine - suggests is is actually brain areas that increase aggression after finding increased activity in the right amygdala of NGRI murderers
OTOH - Raine is not generalisable to females as only 2 women were part of the study

Question 9

Other theories?

Answer 9

Hormonal explanation - high testosterone leads to increased aggression as seen in Beeman - better explanation as hormones can be empirically tested with blood tests

Question 10

Is this useful?

Answer 10

Not very useful as suggest that aggression is part of subconscious so not much can be done

Question 11

Is this testable?

Answer 11

Very deterministic - suggests we have no control over our aggression
OTOH - takes into account nature and nurture so is not reductionist