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Which of the following would best express Freud's thoughts on humor?

Option 1: Humor is primarily influenced through the maternal parental figure.
Option 2: Humor is primarily influenced through the paternal parental figure.
Option 3: Humor does not manifest before age 12.
Option 4: Humor comes from repressed urges related to hostility and sex.

User Guitarflow
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

Option 4, Freud believed humor arises from repressed sexual and aggressive urges, serving as a mechanism for releasing tensions in a socially acceptable way.

Step-by-step explanation:

According to Freud's theories on humor, Option 4: Humor comes from repressed urges related to hostility and sex best reflects his thoughts. Freud postulated that much of our mental life, including humor, is influenced by unconscious desires, specifically repressed sexual and aggressive urges. In line with his psychodynamic theory, Freud suggested that humor is one way for these repressed feelings to be safely released in a socially acceptable way.

Humor functions as a release valve for the tensions caused by the suppression of such urges. This release helps maintain social order by channelling potentially disruptive feelings into a form that society can tolerate and even enjoy. Freud's ideas about the roots of humor tie into his broader concept of psychosexual development, where early childhood experiences and stages play a significant role in shaping personality and behavior, including what we find amusing.

User Hythloth
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