4.1 how individualistic theories inform policy making Flashcards
what is psychoanalysis
based on Freuds theory of personality which conflicts between ID (instincts) and SUPEREGO (conscience)
what happens if you have a weak SUPEREGO
it is believed it is a cause for criminality since the individual lacks a moral force to prevent selfish thoughts
what can cause a weak SUPEREGO
inadequate socialization as a child
psychoanalysis use in crime control
- lengthy treatment (up to 5 weeks)
brings the unconscious mind and emotions into conscious to be resolved
uses hypnosis and free association
- gives patient a word and they respond with the first word that comes to mind
what were the research results from usage of psychoanalysis
results from treating young children they found that they had absent uncaring parents
same results as Bowlby
was psychoanalysis effective
does not seem to be effective
only 44% were found to have improved after treatment
was very costly and time consuming
has never been used for treating criminals because of such low success rate
the analysts could choose what abnormal an normal behaviour - Freud thought homosexuality was abnormal
what is operant learning and token economies
operant learning theory states that criminal behaviour is learnt through reinforcement and punishment
has been applied to policies for offenders such as token economies
how do token economies work
- institution makes a list of desirable and undesirable behaviour
- when the prisoner acts in the desirable way they earn a token
- the tokens can be exchanged for rewards
- because of this selective reinforcement the desirable behaviour is more likely and undesirable behaviour is less likely
is operant and token economies effective
has been shown in studies to produce positive behaviour but when the offender leaves prison they revert to old behaviour
makes prisoners more manageable in prison
critiques argue that rewards such as food are a human right not a privilege to be earned
