Freud

Question 1

According to Freud, what is the personality governed by?

Answer 1

The ID, the ego, and the superego

Question 2

What are the key features of the ID?

Answer 2

100% unconscious, runs on pleasure principle

Question 3

What are the key features of the ego?

Answer 3

Mostly unconscious, balances demands of ID and superego.

Question 4

What is the pleasure principle?

Answer 4

Gain pleasure, avoid pain, and release tension

Question 5

Key features of a weak superego?

Answer 5

• superego is moral regulator of behaviour
• abnormal familial relationships result in the individual believing that antisocial behaviour is normal. Superego is then weakened.
• Superego punished the ego when it’s wants to act immorally.

Question 6

Key features of a deviant superego?

Answer 6

• Superego develops deviant values
• Adopts morals from same sex parent

Question 7

Key features of a strong superego?

Answer 7

• Strong superego parents a person from expressing any antisocial impulses.
• usually expressed through defence mechanisms
• Superego prevents this, and then builds up and is expressed in a violent manner E.g murder and rape

Question 8

Strengths of Freuds theory?

Answer 8

-helps develop methods of treatment - can prevent criminal offences
-highlighted the importance of parent-child relationships as an influence on offending. - can help prevent criminality.

Question 9

Weaknesses of Frueds theory?

Answer 9

• Psychodynamic theories are no longer widely accepted by physiologists. - makes the theory not as useful
  -biased sample - doesn’t represent the population. Lacks validity.
  -Explains behaviour only after it has happened. - only able to identify the cause and not the solution.