AC 2.2 - psychological Flashcards
Psychodynamic theories - Freud
Freud suggested that most of our mind is unconscious and this determines our behaviour and personality.
Our early childhood experiences determine our personality and future behaviours.
Id
- INSTINCTS
- present from birth
- pleasure principle
- selfish
- requires instant gratification
Ego
- REALITY
- develops around 18 months
- practical
- acts as a meditator between the id and superego
Superego
- MORALITY
- develops after phallic stage
- our conscience and ego ideal
psychodynamic theories - Freud - superego
Weak superego
- same sex parent is absent during the phallic stage
- child has no one to identify with so no morality to internalise
- feel less guilty about antisocial actions
Deviant superego
- child identifies with same sex parent but they happen to be criminal
- the child then develops the same morality as the criminal
- don’t have guilty feelings for their criminal acts
Harsh or overdeveloped superego
- strong identification with strict parent
- causes excessive guilt and anxiety
- crave punishment
- may engage in criminality repeatedly to be punished
psychodynamic theories - Bowlby’s maternal deprivation
Children are born biologically pre-programmed to form attachments.
A child needs to attach to one specific person.
Bowlby said there is a critical period to make that attachment, if that doesn’t t happen then it may not happen at all.
A continuous disruption of this attachment could result in long term emotional and social difficulties (become an ‘affectionless psychopath’).
Theres a link between maternal deprivation and deviant/antisocial behaviour.
Bowlby said we learn and base our socially acceptable behaviours off our relationship with our primary caregiver.
Bowlby’s 44 juveniles thieves study
- studied 44 juvenile delinquents
- he compared them to a control group of non criminal juveniles
- of the criminals, 39% were separated from their mothers for 6 months
- shows a link between maternal deprivation and criminality
Eysenck’s personality theory
Extraverts
- Usually outgoing, sociable, excitement seeking, impulsive, carefree, aggressive, short tempered and unreliable
Introverts
- Usually reserved, inward looking, thoughtful, serious, quiet, controlled, pessimistic and reliable
Neurotic
- Usually anxious, moody, often depressed and over react.
Emotionally stable
- Usually calm, even-tempered, controlled and unworried.
Eysenck later added another category called psychoticism
- usually cold, calculating, uncaring and aggressive.
- often indicate a tendency to criminality
Eysenck’s personality theory - criminality
He believed that certain types of personality were more likely to commit crime.
Criminals are likely to be extroverted, neurotic and psychotic.
This is because they find it hard to control their immature impulses.
Overall criminals are:
- impulsive
- trill seeking
- unstable
- unable to accept rules of society
- unable to understand the rules of society
Learning theories - Sutherland’s differential association theory
Argues that individuals learn criminal behaviour largely through family and peer groups.
He said this was a result of 2 factors :
- imitation ~ learn criminal behaviour around these people
- learned attitudes ~ being in these groups influences and changes the persons norms and values.
Leaning theories - Operant learning theory
If a specific behaviour results in a reward then it is likely to be repeated.
If a specific behaviour results in a punishment then it is unlikely to be repeated.
Behaviourism = the cause of someone’s behaviour is a result of the reward/punishment they receive.
Based off the work of skinner.
Learning theories - operant learning theory - Jeffrey’s Differential Reinforcement theory
Argues that criminal behaviour is learnt through the reinforcement of particular behaviours.
If the crime has a more rewarding consequence than the punishing one, then the individual will be more likely to do the act in the future.
The rewards can be both physical materials e.g., an object such as a stolen TV, or an emotional rewards such as the respect from peers in their friendship group.
For example, if a thief doesn’t get caught and gets to keep the goods then they are more likely to keep stealing in the future.
Learning theories - Social learning theories
Theory was developed by Albert Bandura.
This theory argues that people learn behaviour through by imitating other people, this includes aggressive and criminal behaviour.
These people are seen as ‘role models’ because we model their behaviour.
Also, if we see someone else being rewarded for a particular behaviour then we are more likely to imitate it than if they see it being punished (vicarious reinforcement).
This leads the individual to believe that the criminal act is something desirable an justifiable.
Learning theories - Social learning theory - Bandura’s study
He used a group of 4-5 year olds.
He split the group of children into 3 and they all experienced a separate condition.
Group 1 - saw the model being aggressive with the bobo doll and then was rewarded with a praise.
Group 2 - saw the model being aggressive with the bobo doll and then was punished.
Group 3 - they were the control group, the aggressive behaviour from the model to the bobo doll wasn’t rewarded or punished.
After they saw this they were left to play with the doll.
Group 1 imitated the aggressive behaviour.
Group 2 were least likely to imitate the behaviour.
Group 3 they imitated the model but less than group 1.
So if a person observes an individual being rewarded for their criminality then the behaviour is more likely to be imitated.
Cognitive theories
Refers to thinking and mental processes such as attitudes, beliefs, reasoning, problem solving, decision making, our self concept and how we interpret the world around us.
Argue that these metal processes shape our behaviour.
Thought processes affect our emotions which may trigger feelings of fear or anger.
Cognitive theories - Criminal personality
Yochelson and samenow applied this theory to criminality.
Criminals are prone to faulty thinking.
Did a long term study on 240 male offenders who were in a psychiatric hospital.
Criminals show a range of errors and biases in their thinking and decision making.
Includes: lying, secrets, need for power, lack of trust in others and victim stance.
These lead to the person committing a crime.
Cognitive theories - Kohlberg’s morality development theory
This is about how we develop our moral thinking.
Our idea of right and wrong develops through a series of levels and stages from childhood to adulthood.
Premoral/preconventional level - these are children and young people, the define what is right and wring through punishment and reward.
Adult - they define right and wrong in terms of underlying moral principles and values.
Kohlberg said that criminals moral development is stuck at a less mature level than everyone else.
Likely to only think of their actions in terms of reward and punishment, rather than its affect on others.
