AC 2.2 - psychodynamic & psychological theories of criminality

Question 1

Key assumptions of the psychodynamic theory - Freud (1856-1939)

Answer 1

• different forces which are mostly unconscious that influence behaviour
• personality is tri-partite and the interaction between them determines behaviour
• a healthy personality requires a balance between them
• 5 psychosexual stages which determine adult personality and their sequence is fixed
• we store traumatic or disturbing memories from early childhood in our unconscious mind
• disruptions in early childhood can mean that the id continues to dominate into adulthood

Question 2

What is the id (structure of the personality)?

Answer 2

• primitive features that are driven by an unconscious need for pleasure and it is present at birth
• displays as selfish and demands gratification (pleasure principle)

Question 3

What is the ego (structure of the personality)?

Answer 3

• develops around the age of 2 and focuses on the reality principle
• reduces conflict between id and superego by implementing defence mechanisms

Question 4

Examples of defence mechanisms

Answer 4

• repression
• denial
• rejection

Question 5

What is the superego (structure of the personality)?

Answer 5

• develops around the age of 5
• it’s our internal morals (morality principle)
• we learn them from our same-sex parent
• punishes our ego for any wrongdoing through guilt

Question 6

Bowlby’s Theory of Maternal Deprivation (1994)

Answer 6

• an infant deprived of a mother figure in its early critical period of attachment and may become criminal later on
• this can lead to issues such as attachment disorders , anxiety & aggression

Question 7

Research method of Bowlby’s Theory of Maternal Deprivation (1994)

Answer 7

• Studied the case histories of his patients in the Child guidance clinic
• 44 had been caught stealing the other 44 were a control group
• The ‘thieves’ were interviewed for affectionless psychopathy and their families were interviewed to see if they had prolonged separation
• 14/44 of the thieves were described as having affectionless psychopathy, of these 14, 12 had prolonged separation in the first 2 years

Question 8

Eysenck’s PEN model of the criminal personality (1970)

Answer 8

• ‘Criminal personality’ is the outcome of social interactions between mental processes and the nervous system
• personality traits are biologically determined
• we develop a consciousness through ‘conditioning’
• certain personality traits mean that some people don’t respond to conditioning
• offenders are likely to score highly on Eysenck’s PEN model
  
  • as it is difficult for them to learn to control their immature impulses

Question 9

Psychotic (Eysenck’s PEN model)

Answer 9

• personality trait typified by aggressiveness
• High P scores are cold and uncaring

Question 10

Extravert (Eysenck’s PEN model)

Answer 10

• measures an individual’s central and autonomic arousal levels
• High E scores need more stimulation from the environment

Question 11

Neurotic (Eysenck’s PEN model)

Answer 11

• how strongly your nervous system reacts to adverse stimuli
• High N scores experience strong emotions

Question 12

Support for Eysenck’s PEN model of the criminal personality (1970)

Answer 12

Farrington , Welsh & Lowell (2007) :

1. ppts had low intelligence, an impulsive personality and a lack of empathy for other people
2. these traits were associated criminality

Question 13

What are the strengths of social learning theory?

Answer 13

• scientific = experiments are standardised so they are replicable and make the results reliable
• it demonstrates a cause-and-effect between observational learning from role models and later criminal behaviour
• recognises the importance of cognitive factors in learning
• real-life application = explains real-life problems and why individuals may commit a crime

Question 14

What are the weaknesses of social learning theory?

Answer 14

• too much reliance on lab studies which produce demand characteristics and lack ecological validity
• underestimates the role of biological factors in learning

Question 15

What are the strengths of psychodynamic theory?

Answer 15

• Freud took a holistic approach to understanding behaviour and looked at all experiences
• looks at the effects of the environment (nurture)
• psychodynamic therapy (psychoanalysis) might help a person understand their experiences and change their behaviour

Question 16

What are the weaknesses of psychodynamic theory?

Answer 16

• lacks population validity = used small samples of case studies as they are unrepresentative of the general population
• psychodynamic therapy may not stop all criminality (white-collar crime - fraud)
• concepts (unconscious) are difficult to prove
• approach no longer accepted
• deterministic

Question 17

What are the strengths of Eysenck’s PEN model?

Answer 17

• simple explanation of causes of offending
• easy to test for personality traits using the PEN test
• offenders personality traits (extraversion) could be reconditioned to stop behaviour

Question 18

What are the weaknesses of Eysenck’s PEN model?

Answer 18

• reductionist
• Eysenck & other researchers used self-report studies of offenders which may be unreliable
• deterministic
• ignores other factors which may influence behaviour (poverty)