5.8. Psychodynamic Explanation Flashcards
Interactionist
Nature: psychosexual conflicts are innate
Nurture: childhood experiences shape adult personality
Where does everything happen according to Freud?
In the unconscious (no awareness)
Freud: Key psychosexual stage
Phallic (5 yrs old, electra/oedipus)
3 types of superego
- Under developed
- Over developed
- Deviant
Underdeveloped superego
Don’t identify with same-sex parent, develop a weak superego + engage in criminal/ anti-social behaviour
Over-developed superego
Identify with very strict same sex parents, leads to child experiencing extreme guilt + anxiety + need for extreme punishment for any wrong doing
Deviant superego
Identify with same sex parent -> they are criminal (child takes on their criminal roles and values)
Freud: defence mechanisms
Rationalisation: justifies their behaviour - steal from rich people - ‘it’s fine they can replace it’
What did Bowlby state?
We need a warm, caring + continuous relationship from a primary care-giver (mum) up to 2 1/2 (at risk up to 5)
If we don’t, we’re at risk of becoming affectionless psychopaths -> no empathy, shame/ guilt = easy to commit crime
Freud strength: Goreta
- Conducted Freudian style analysis on 10 offenders - they experienced disturbances in their superego + had an excessive need for extreme punishment for any wrong doing
- Validates ‘over-developed’ superego component in Freud’s theory
Freud weakness: based on unconscious
Cannot be falsified- therefore cannot be scientifically used to explain criminal behaviour- therefore not a useable theory
Freud weakness: alpha bias
- Freud stated males ACTIVELY identified and females PASSIVELY- therefore males should have stronger morals and values than females
- We should see more females in prison than males but this isn’t the case
Bowlby strength: 44 juvenile thieves
- 44 juvenile thieves at a home for emotional problems
- 14/44 labelled as affection less
- 12/14 (86%) had experienced prolonged separation from mother in very early childhood
Bowlby weakness: socially sensitive
Blames the mother if their child is criminal which may not be the case
Bowlby weakness: relationship
- Only a relationship found between separation and emotional problems
- Does not show causation
- It could be the foster homes that caused the emotional problems
