44 thieves Flashcards
Summary of the 44 thieves experiment
Assess the impact of maternal deprivation on the likelihood of delinquency in adolescence.
What were the findings?
Of the 27 thieves who had not experienced separation, 17 had poor relationships with their mothers.
- These mothers were described as ‘extremely anxious, rigid, fussy, irritable, domineering and oppressive. These traits mask unconscious hostility.
- 5 of the thieves has problems with their father and openly hated them.
What were they classified as?
14 were classified as affection less and 12 had frequent separations.
Was there a strong association between affection less thieves and stealing?
Thieves in the ‘affection less group’ stole more frequently.
How might the 44 thieves be explained in the psychodynamic approach?
The id, ego and superego are massively affected. The id doesn’t have the ego and superego to balance thoughts and decisions due to the corrupt emotional and social development from separation. The id is able to get away with stealing and criminal offences which also shows low will power.
