Freud proposed that behavior can be caused by what kind of events?

• A. Conscious decisions
• B. Genetic mutations
• C. Hidden mental events
• D. Social influences

Answer: (C)

Freud’s approach emphasizes unconscious, hidden mental events that shape what we do. He argued that many actions come from desires, fears, and unresolved conflicts buried below awareness, often stemming from childhood experiences. These internal forces can steer behavior even when we think we’re acting from a conscious, deliberate choice, and they’re revealed in things like dreams, slips of the tongue, and neurotic symptoms. While conscious decisions explain some behavior, they don’t capture the ways the unconscious can drive actions. Genetic mutations are biological and not the focus of Freud’s theory, and social influences describe external factors rather than internal processes. So, behavior is best understood as arising from hidden mental events.