3.1- evaluating individualistic theories Flashcards
Psychodynamic
Freud
strengths
. Freud provided some new treatments to patients with mental health problems - which were otherwise unavailable.
There are everyday examples of the defence mechanisms in real life - such as crime victims often experiencing repression, and denial frequently found in everyday language.
psychodynamic
freud
strengths
Freud’s approach does not use any scientific method as the data is qualitative and specific to the individual - it is therefore not generalisable.
. critics doubt the existence of an unconcious mind- how could we know about it if its unconcious
psychodynamic
bowlby
strength
. bowlbys research showed that more of his sample of 44 juveniles had suffered maternal deprivation than a control group of non delinquents
his work shows the need to consider the role of parent-child relationships in explaining criminality
psychodynamic
bowlby
weakness
it was a retrospective study- delinquents had to accurately recall past events. This can be a problem. especially when recalling emotive experiences
Eysenck personality
strength
the theory is useful in describing how some measurable tendencies could increase a persons risk of offending
eyesenck predicted that high E,N and P scores lead to criminality. Many later studies support this prediction
Eyesenck personality
weaknesses
. the extroversion scale may be measuring two separate things- impulsiveness and sociability. Offenders should score high on impulsiveness but not sociability.
. Evidence shows a relationship between prisoners and neurotisism. However………..
correlation not causation- it could be that being in prison might cause people to become neurotic. Not neurotic people are prisoners.
sutherlands (learning theory)
differential association
strength
the fact that crime often runs in famillies supports this theory. People with criminal parents are more likely to commit crime themselves. Perhaps because they have learned criminal values and techniques from family
the attitudes of work groups can normalise white collar crim- enabling offenders to justify their behaviour
sutherlands differential association (learning theory)
weaknesess
not everyone who is exposed to criminal influence becomes criminal. THey might learn about their views but never put them into practise
SLT (learning theory)
strength
bandura showed that children who observe aggressive behaviour being rewarded imitate that behaviour. Showing the importance of role models in learning deviant behaviour
SLT (learning theory)
weaknessess
the theory is based on a lab study-artificial settin- findings may not be valid for real life situations
theory assumes peoples behaviour is completely determined by their learning experiences and ignores their freedom of choice. THis conflicts with legal views that assume we all have free will to commit crime
kohlberg
moral development
strength
some studies show delinquents are more likely to have immature moral development- as the theory predicts
kohlberg
moral development
weaknesess
kohlberg focuses on moral thinking rather than moral behaviour - some may be perfectly capable of thinking morally while acting immorally
