Forensic - psychodynamic explanations Flashcards
What is an inadequate superego?
Freud - the superego, id and ego make up tripartite structure of personality. Superego works on morality principle and exerts influence by punishing ego via guilt for wrongdoing and rewarding w/ pride for moral beh.
If superego deficient or inadequate then criminal beh. is inevitable as id not properly controlled.
What are the 3 types of inadequate superego?
The weak superego
The deviant superego
The over-harsh superego
What is a weak superego and what does it mean for an ind.?
Child has not identified w/ same-sex parent so has no morale code and becomes selfish and aggressive. Could be due to absence of same-sex parent during phallic stage. Superego not fully formed and child lacks understanding between right and wrong. Doesn’t punish child w/ guilt.
Means child will show criminal/immoral beh. as superego doesn’t hold them back.
What is a deviant superego and what does it mean for an ind.?
Child identifies w/ same-sex parent who is immoral or has immoral standards of beh. Freud called this pseudo-heredity. Child internalises unacceptable morals.
Don’t see criminal beh. in same way as others and won’t associate guilt w/ showing criminal beh.
What is an over-harsh superego and what does it mean for an ind.?
Identification w/ v. strict parent leads to aggressively punitive superego. Drives ind.s to perform criminal acts to satisfy superego’s need for punishment. Superego is not forgiving as a healthy one is and increases guilt for wrongdoing. Child will seek opportunities to be reprimanded to reduce guilt.
Inadequate Superego AO3: Why does this exp. have gender bias?
Freud assumes girls have weaker superego than boys as don’t experience castration anxiety so under less pressure to identify w/ mothers. Superego and sense of morality less developed.
Implies females should be more prone to criminal beh. but this is not the case as there is little evidence of gender diff.s and females tend to be more morale than males and commit less crimes.
Inadequate superego AO3: What contradictory evidence is there against this exp.?
Children raised w/o same-sex parent not less law abiding as adults - contradicts weak superego.
Idea that criminal beh. reflects unconscious desire for punishment seems implausible - most offenders go to great lengths to conceal their crimes suggesting they don’t want punishment.
What is Bowlby’s maternal deprivation hypothesis in terms of offending?
Argued ability to form meaningful relationships in adulthood dependent on child forming warm continuous rel. w/ mother figure. Maternal bond seen as unique, superior to others and vital to well-being and dev. Failure to establish during first few yrs would have damaging and irreversible consequences later on.
What is a major consequence of maternal deprivation?
A particular personality type - affectionless psychopathy.
Characterised by lack of guilt, empathy and feeling for others. These ind.s more likely to engage in acts of delinquency and cannot dev. close rel.s w/ others.
MD AO3: What supporting evidence is there for this theory?
Bowlby’s 44 thieves study
Found through interviews that 14 were affectionless psycho.s. Of these 14, 12 experienced prolonged separation from mothers in infancy.
Non-criminal control, 2 experienced MD
Concluded MD caused affectionless and delinquent beh.
MD AO3: Why is there an issue w/ Bowlby’s 44 thieves study?
There was researcher bias - preconceptions of what B expected may have influenced responses in interviews. Failed to draw distinction between deprivation and privation in research.
Undermines as credible support MD as exp. of offending beh.
MD and IS AO3: Why is there and issue w/ cause and effect in this exp.
Link between these factors doesn’t necessarily indicate causal rel. between inadequate superego or MD. Many other reasons for this link such as genetics and influence of other ppl - (DAT)
MD and IS AO3: Why are they difficult to test?
IS proposes concepts that cannot be tested empirically and therefore difficult to falsify.
MD difficult to test scientifically. Makes use of natural experimental method for ethical reasons which struggles to meet criteria for carrying out scientific studies.
