Psychodynamic Explanation

• AO1 1

  Behaviour is a consequence of personality. We have 3 parts to our mind, the conscious, consisting of all thoughts, feelings and ideas, the preconscious, containing memories that are not present in conscious but haven't been repressed, and unconscious, consisting of memories that have been repressed, which has the most control over our behaviour
• AO1 2 - ID

  ID – ‘Pleasure Principle’ needs instant gratification. (UNCONSCIOUS MIND) E.g. – ID will demand you eat sweets if you are hungry, even if they are someone elses

  • Eros - Fuelled by the libido > sexual urges and needs such as being warm and well fed.
  • Thanatos - Will attack anyone/anything that interferes with the gratification of the libido
  • Catharsis - satisfying our urges in a societally acceptable way​
• AO1 3

  EGO – ‘reality principle’ (emerges at 2 years CONSCIOUS MIND) –

  balances the demands of the ID and superego by taking account what is practical and possible e.g. buy sweets to satisfy hunger rather than take someone else's . Uses defence mechanisms when it senses that improper impulses are rising into awareness
• AO1 4

  Superego – ‘morality principle’ in our conscience – right and wrong. (emerges at 4/5, mainly UNCONSCIOUS)

  Ego ideal – what we should be and do

  Conscience – what we should not be and do

  E.g. – you will want to give more money to charity then you earn.

  If the ego manages the needs of ID and superego well then adult personality is well balanced, if not the one will be dominant and lead to neurosis
• :) Supporting evidence by Megargee

  found that people who didn’t let their aggressive instincts out in small amounts would have outbursts (bc...) T/f suggesting when anger is repressed into the unconsciousness it needs catharsis​
• :) Supporting evidence by Vernon and Sullivan

  people who reacted in an aggressive ways to being made frustrated in a task had a reduced heart rate to those who didn’t. T/f suggesting aggression is cathartic as it acts as a release of repressed ID​
• :( Unscientific

  the concepts of id, ego and superego underpinning his theory cannot be accurately measured or observed. T/f, his theory of aggression and the role of the ID and Catharisis is unfalsifiable and cannot be proved
• :( Subjective

  Freud conducted much of the supporting case study research himself. qualitative data on the role of the ID on aggressive behaviour, Freud could have interpreted the behaviour based on his own biased views of aggression. T/f , he analysed his own research the supporting reduces the validity of the psychodynamic theory of aggression as his conclusions may reflect a biased explanations of aggressive behaviour.
• How does Freud explain aggressive behaviour (4)

  • Aggression is a consequence of the unconscious and ID being dominant. The ID works on pleasure principle, seeking gratification.
  • Thanatos is part of ID, (death instinct) and will attack anyone who gets in the way of ID seeking gratification.
  • Internal aggression will be made external by catharsis, emotional release = releasing energy being used to repress anger
  • This release can be in a social unacceptable way such as physical violence or in a soc acceptable way, through defence mechanism of sublimation, playing an aggressive sport such as Rugby.