AC2.2 Flashcards
What did Freud believe
That our unconscious mind is the key driver of our behaviour. And that we have a tripartite personality which consists of the ID, ego, and superego
Id
-instincts
-present from birth
-selfish and primitive
ego
-develops from around 18 months
-practical
-acts as a mediator between id an superego
superego
-develops after completion of the phallic stage
-our conscience
-internalise morality of same sex parent
What is psychoanalysis
a treatment method developed by freud which attempts to uncover the patients unconscious mind.
what might happen if the id dominates
we may engage in impulsive irresponsible behaviour
what happens if we have a weakly developed super ego
don’t have any morals or judgment so are likely to commit crime
what happens if we have a deviant super ego
-child identifies with same sex parents
-parent happens to be criminal
-internalise the morals of a criminal
two strengths of freuds theory
1)highlights the importance of early socialisation and family relationships in understanding criminal behaviour
2) psychoanalysis explanations have had some influence on policies developed to deal with crime
two weaknesses of freuds theory
1)explanations are seen as unscientific and subjective- they rely on accepting the claims of the psychoanalyst
2)how can we possibly know about or understand the unconscious mind
What is Bowlbys maternal deprivation
when a child is deprived of a close continuous relationship with its primary caregiver
What did Bowlby argue
-that children need a bond with their mother in order to develop normally this should be continuous from birth until age 5
-if the bond is broken the child can find it impossible to develop meaningful relationships later in life
Bowlbys study
studied 44 juvenile thieves
39% of thieves experienced separation before the age of 5
what did bowlby conclude the consequences of maternal deprivation were
-an inability to form attachments in the future
-affectionless psychopathy
-delinquency
-problems with cognitive development
Two strengths of Bowlbys theory
1) research support
2)shows the need to consider parent child relationships when exploring criminality
2weaknesses of Bowlbys theory
1)the study was retrospective
2)considers the 39% of delinquents who had seperation but doesn’t account for the other 61%
What is operant conditioning
a method of learning that occurs through rewards and punishment
positive reinforcement
behaviour that is rewarded is more likely to be repeated
punishment
behaviour that leads to an undesirable result is not likely to be repeated
skinner box
-rat in a box
-if it pushes the lever it gets treats
-rat learns that if they push the leaver they get food
differential reinforcement
if crime has more rewarding consequences than punishments for an individual they are more likely to engage in criminal behaviour
2 strengths of skinners operant conditioning
1) skinner proved that animals learn from experience through reinforcement.
2)it’s logical that if crime is more rewarding for an individual they will be more likely to offend
3 weaknesses of skinners operant conditioning
1)the evidence is largely based on animals
2)ignores humans free will
3)ignores internal mental processes such as thinking and personal values
what is social learning theory
suggests that behaviour is learnt through the observation of models. Very young children imitate the behaviour they see in social situations
how does banduras social learning theory explain the causes of criminality
-we learn aggressive behaviour by imitating people
vicarious reinforcement (SLT)
whether we imitate mainly depends on the consequences of that behaviour
bobo doll experiment (SLT)
4-5yr olds shown a film of an adult being verbally and physically aggressive to a doll each group got shown a different reaction and those who saw the model being rewarded were most likely to imitate the behaviour
2 strengths of banduras social learning theory
1) takes into consideration that humans are social beings and learn from the experiences of others
2) shows the importance of role models in learning
three limitations of banduras theory
1)based on laboratory experiments the findings might not be valid in real life situations
2)ignores freedom of choice
3)not all observed behaviour is easy to imitate
what is sutherlands differential association theory
criminal behaviour is learnt largely through family and peer groups
imitation (differential association)
individuals learn criminal skills and techniques by observing those around them
learned attitudes (differential association)
socialisation into attitudes and values about the law and criminal justice system
pro crime attitudes (differential association)
if exposed to these values they may go onto offend
anti crime attitudes (DAT)
would reduce the likelihood of criminal behaviour
What did walmsley find that supported differential association theory
that a third of UK prisoners claimed to have a family member also in prison
three strengths of differential association theory
1)supported by evidence that crime runs in families
2)Matthews found that juvenile delinquents are more likely to have friends who commit anti social acts
3) sutherland has evidence that the attitudes of work groups can normalise WCC
1 weakness of differential association theory
1)not everyone who is exposed to criminal influences becomes a criminal
What is eysencks personality theory
for each personality type there are associated traits
extroverts (eysenck)
outgoing
prefer company of others
get bored easily
experience positive emotions
introverts (eysenck)
prefer own company
more cautious
less sociable
what is neuroticism (eysenck)
a tendency to experience negative emotions
what is stable (eysenck)
calm, even tempered and care free people
what did eysenck find
that criminals score highly on extroversion and neuroticism
why are extroverts more likely to be criminal
nervous systems needs a high level of stimulation from their environment so are constantly seeking excitement
this leads to impulsive rule breaking behaviour
why are neurotics most likely to be criminal
hard to condition into following societies rules because their high anxiety levels prevent them from learning from their mistakes
what is psychoticism
egocentric agressive impulsive and lacking empathy. they have higher levels of testosterone.
2 strengths of eysencks personality theory
1)useful for describing how measurable tendencies can increase a persons risk of offending
2)some studies of offenders support eysencks predictions
2 weaknesses of eysencks personality theory
1)Farmington tested prisoners and found that they had a high P score but were not extroverted
2)people could lie in their self report studies
what is criminal personality theory
Yochelson and Samenow- criminals are prone to faulty thinking which makes them more likely to commit crime
Yochelson and samenows study
studied 240 long term offenders, most of whom committed to a psychiatric hospital. they showed a range of errores in their thinking and decision making. These errors in their thinking caused them to commit crime
2 strengths of criminal personality theory
1)this idea has lead to further research
2)successful treatments such as CBT have been developed based on these ideas
2 weaknesses of criminal personality theory
1)Yochelson and samenow did not use control groups
2)their sample was unrepresentative
What is moral development theory
Kohlberg argues that criminals are stuck in an immature stage of moral development
pre conventional moral reasoning (moral development theory)
very young children define right and wrong simply in terms of whether an act brings punishment or reward
post conventional moral reasoning
by adulthood sense of right and wrong is determined by our own deeply held moral principles which are seen as more important than the laws of the land
How does Kohlbergs moral development theory explain the cause of criminality
-criminals don’t develop their moral thinking
-they think of rewards or punishments not the impact their action may have on other people
one strength of moral development theory
1)studies show delinquents are more likely to have immature moral development as the theory predicts
2 weaknesses of moral development theory
1) theory is truer for crimes such as theft but less so for violence
2) someone may be clearly capable of thinking morally while acting immorally
