Evolution and Aggression: Freud's explanation of aggression

-mental not physical processes -unconscious mental forces -early family experiences -conflict in the psyche -defence mechanisms

the id, ego and superego

biological urges and impulses

societal and parental morals

rational conscious part of the psych that balances the ID and Superego

unconscious

conscious

-The ID controls our biological drives such as the need to be aggressive -since this has no where to go, this aggression builds up causing frustration -the superego blocks us from being directly aggressive due to societal and parental morals that we have grown up with -we need to let this aggression out which is done via catharsis and using defence mechanisms -a too weak or strong superego can lead to high levels of aggression

If the pressure of being perfectly “good” or moral becomes too overwhelming, the ego may collapse, resulting in a sudden, intense antisocial outburst

The individual does not feel guilt or moral constraints.

dealing with difficult impulses and emotions by disguising them as something else

the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions.

displacement, sublimation, vicarious fulfillment

letting out your anger on a different target

letting out your frustration into something positive eg sports, art

the experience of achieving a sense of satisfaction, joy, or goal completion through the actions, success, or experiences of another person, eg watching something aggressive to release your anger

1-provides a deeper understanding for the motives behind offending ie a more comprehensive approach to aggression 2-incorporates a developmental perspective by suggesting that early childhood experiences may shape aggressive inclinations 3-developed psychological treatments ie idea of ‘talking cure’ and resolving unconscious problems in the mind

1-abstract ideas so lacks empirical evidence which diminishes the scientific creditability of the theory esp against biological exp that have supporting evidence 2-too much emphasis on biological instincts and ignores other factors like learning, the environment and social influences 3-outdated view on catharsis as modern research suggests that this may acc inc aggression 4-freuds ideas were shaped by cultural norms at the time which were patriarchal and so this idea may not be applicable to diff cultures 5-better alternative exp like SLT or biological infleunces