psychodynamic theory - freud

• strength

  • research evidence that processing aggression = beneficial
  • graham et al (2008) found in their sample of 51 those who ranted and processed their emotions and aggression had improvements in control over pain
  • expressing anger leads to health benefits
• weakness

  • freuds concept of catharsis letting off steam has been suggested to heighten aggression rather than reduce
  • bushman (2002) study made 600 students angry be getting a confederate to criticise an essay they wrote and found that students who were allowed to vent anger by hitting a punching bag were most aggressive compared to controls
  • suggests opposite of freuds theory
• strength

  • explains distinction between hot and cold blooded aggression
  • hot blooded is angry and impulsive serving no purpose other than personal satisfaction, (id acting out) cold blooded is when the action is deliberate and planned serving a purpose (ego successfully controlling the id's impulses)
  • freuds explanation for aggression fits the reality of aggressive behaviour
• weakness (counterpoint)

  • freuds theory cannot be scientifically or empirically observed
  • unconscious cannot be measured with a brain scan - ego, superego & id cannot be experimentally proven to exist
  • therefore, lack of scientific credibility
• where did freud believe sources of aggression come from

  eros & thanatos
• what is the eros

  life instinct - desire to preserve life and enjoy it
• what is the thanatos

  death instinct - drive towards death and destruction
• what does freud see human behaviour as

  an interaction between the 2 - eros redirects thanatos away from the self and onto others - this is aggression
• what are freuds models of personality

  • id
  • superego
  • ego
• what is the id

  operates under the pleasure principle driven by impulses of eros and thanatos with no thought for consequences as it demands satisfaction of urges (e.g: desire for food)
• what is the superego

  based on the morality principle - represents moral standards that the person was raised with (e.g: right from wrong)

  • if someone succumbs to their id, they will feel guilty as a punishment from the superego
• what is the ego

  based on the reality principle - mediates the id and superego attempting to satisfy both

  • redirects id's desires to a more appropriate behaviour through sublimation & displacement
• what are the 2 ways ego controls the id

  sublimation & displacement
• what is sublimation

  displacing aggression into a more socially acceptable way (e.g: taking boxing classes)
• what is displacement

  redirecting aggression towards a more available substitute (e.g: someone/something less powerful like a younger sibling)
• what is catharsis

  release of internal drive of aggression in the id