Check?

• Explain one ethical issue that might arise when using PET scans to identify

• areas of cortical specialisation in the brain. (2 marks)

The development of individual differences

according to FREUD

Unconscious unresolved conflicts from

childhood

Assumptions of the psychodynamic approach

• Much of our behaviour is driven by unconscious motives – we are born with a life (preservation) and death (destruction) instinct (forces)

• Behaviour is the consequence of the two instincts battling it out. Destruction is often redirected to others.

• First 5 years are the most important time in developing your personality

• Individual differences arise from unresolved, unconscious conflicts originating in childhood

In groups of 3:You have 5 minutes to each design a character with these characteristics:1. Selfish, hedonistic, seeks pleasure no matter

what the cost2. Uptight, follows rules rigidly, worries

constantly, wants to be in control 3. Considerate, rational, realistic– Choose a name, gender and general

character overview for this person – What job might they do? What are their friends like? Would you want to be friends with them?

– Would your characters be friends with each other? Who might argue the most?

Your characters are friends with each other but they frequently have arguments about how they should spend their spare time

Character A always wants to do something risky and indulgent Character B would rather do something safe and predictable

Character C gets stuck in the middle and has to negotiate a compromise

Who is most likely to win the argument… and why?

Freud’s model of the mind

• Tripartite model of the mind • According to Freud, we all have these

three characters in our mind at the same time! If they are unbalanced, this can cause us a lot of anxiety and may eventually lead to mental abnormality.

• Character A is the id (I want)• Character B is the superego (I must)• Character C is the ego (Balance)

Unconscious forcesThe conscious. The small amount of mental activity we know about.

The preconscious. Things we could be aware of if we wanted or tried.

The unconscious. Things we are unaware of and can not become aware of.

ThoughtsPerceptions

MemoriesStored knowledge

FearsUnacceptable sexual desiresViolent motivesIrrational wishesImmoral urgesSelfish needsShameful experiencesTraumatic experiences

Bad

Worse

Really Bad

ID - instincts

EGO - reality

SUPEREGO-morality

Repression = blocking unconscious thoughts and placing them in the unconscious

My famous diagram!

Are we born with an ego?

• Id is present at birth – a newborn baby is completely selfish

• Ego develops by the age of three – child becomes aware that other people have feelings and that it can’t always have it’s own way

• Superego appears around age five – sense of morality (conscience) passed on by parents – child internalises this

Proof of the unconscious?

• ‘Freudian slips’• “A Freudian slip is

saying one thing and meaning your mother”

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mvxe04wGmTw&feature=related

Task…

• How do you think Freud explained aggressive behaviour??

• Remember:• Selfish id• Controlling superego• Reasonable ego

• What do you think might happen if each part is too strong or weak?

• Which personalities might this lead to?

Summary

• Ego too weak – allows id and superego to dominate

• Id too strong – selfish, out of control, could become aggressive/psychopathic

• Superego too strong – strict, anxious, obsessive – depression, anxiety, OCD

Hi everybody! I’m Freud Freud explained that we have an

unconscious drive that causes aggressive behaviour. Its caused by are ID’s natural instinct Freud called ‘Thanatos’. It is this that drives us to wards self-destruction. Over time this instinct builds up creating pressure which we cannot control and makes us do something aggressive.

Explain the psychodynamic explanation of aggression?

• Freud believed we deal with our aggressive instincts by redirecting them into other activities. It is a way of ‘letting off steam’ in a safer way than responding to situations in an aggressive manner. This is called Catharsis.

• Activity: How do you engage in Catharsis? In pairs/small groups draw up a list of the ways in which

you relieve tension caused by your aggressive instincts

Catharsis

• According to Freud and the Psychodynamic approach, watching aggression, dreaming about doing something aggressive, engaging in aggressive sport or other ‘permitted’ ways of realising aggression can be cathartic.

• But, does catharsis work? Does fantasizing about aggression or watching other people be aggressive actually help purge feelings of aggression and make people less violent and hostile?

Summary

Compare

• Compare Freud’s explanation to the biological explanation of aggression (8 marks)

(Come up with two similarities and two differences)Point: One similarity between Freud’s explanation and the biological explanation of aggression is……Evidence: State your evidence from FreudEvidence: State your evidence from the Bio approach

Evaluate

Which is more credible and why? (use SCOUT to evaluate the theories- supporting evidence, conflicting evidence, other explanations, usefulness and testability)