Problem 15 - An Introduction to Theories of Personality

Question

A terrorist blows up a building in a hated foreign country. How might Freud use the concepts of id, ego, and superego to explain this behavior?

Step-by-Step Solution

Answer

Freud might say that the terrorist's actions are a result of the id's aggressive instincts, with an overpowered ego that failed to mediate rational behavior. The superego, influenced by perhaps skewed morals or beliefs, justified these actions as right or necessary.

Step 1: Understand the concepts of id, ego, and superego

In Freud's psychoanalytic theory, the id represents the primitive and instinctual part of the mind that contains sexual and aggressive drives. The ego is the realistic part that mediates between the desires of the id and the super-ego, and the superego is the moral conscience, which tells us what's right and wrong.

Step 2: Apply the concepts to the Terrorist's Actions

In the case of the terrorist, the aggressive action of blowing up a building suggests that the id is at play here, with its primitive drive for aggression. The ego, which normally would mediate such actions, might be overpowered by the id in this case or it might side with the id rationalizing that the action serves a greater purpose (for instance, protecting his in-group or ideology). The superego, on the other hand, might be influenced by skewed morals or beliefs that justify these hostile actions as right or necessary.

Step 3: Conclude

In the explained scenario, the terrorist's actions can be seen as a result of an unbalanced interplay between the id, ego, and superego, where the primal aggression of the id and the perhaps distorted guidelines of the superego overpower the ego's attempts to mediate for a more rational realistic outcome.