Aggression as a universal unconscious human instinct that must be controlled by the internal restraints of the superego and the external restraints of culture, society, and morality

Freud viewed aggression as a universal unconscious human instinct that must be controlled by the internal restraints of the superego and the external restraints of culture, society, and morality. In Freud’s eyes, aggressive instincts were part of the irrational, impulsive, and unconscious id. Social cognitive theorists, however, discount the importance of unconscious instincts or motives. Instead, they emphasize that behavior is driven by conscious goals and motives. Not surprisingly, Albert Bandura has taken issue with Freud’s explanation of war and cruelty as being caused by the failure of the rational ego, the superego’s restraints, and society’s laws to control the id’s destructive impulses. Bandura (1986) has noted that some of the most horrifying examples of human cruelty have involved conscious rational behavior: 

People frequently engage in destructive activities, not because of reduced self-control, but because  their cognitive skills and self-control are too well enlisted through moral justification and self-exonerative devices in the service of destructive causes. The infamous extermination procedures of Nazi concentration camps were perfected in laboratories using human victims. In the Nazi value system, where the enslavement and execution of Jewish people were viewed as meritorious acts of patriotism, camp commandants proudly compared execution rates as if they were industrial production figures. This monstrous death industry required a methodical program of research and efficient and dedicated management. The massive threats to human welfare are generally brought about by the deliberate acts of principle, rather than unrestrained acts of impulse.

1. Given Freud and Bandura’s differing views, which side are you on? Is human cruelty caused by the failure of the rational ego and the failed restraints of the superego as Freud pointed out? Or as Bandura noted that human cruelty involved conscious rational behavior? Use an example to demonstrate your view?

2. Taken the example of the Nazi extermination camps, a factory of killing, was it developed by the Nazis whose rational ego and moralist superego failed to control their aggressive id? Or was it brought about by deliberate decisions and carefully reasoned choices?