forensic psychology: psychological explanation (psychodynamic)

Question 1

what does the psychodynamic explanation of crime involve?

Answer 1

.the superego

Question 2

which stage is the superego formed?

Answer 2

.formed at the end of the phallic stage

Question 3

how is the superego formed?

Answer 3

.when the child resolves oedipus complex or the electra complex

Question 4

what is the oedipus or electra complex?

Answer 4

.where the child has to identify with the same sex parent

Question 5

what does the superego do?

Answer 5

.punishes the id for wrong doing through guilt and praises moral behaviour

Question 6

who came up with the psychodynamic explanation of crime?

Answer 6

.blackburn 1993

Question 7

what did blackburn 1993 say?

Answer 7

.he argued that if the superego is somehow deficient or inadequate then the ‘id’ is given free reign because their is no superego to punish the ego for doing wrong

Question 8

what are the 3 types of inadequate superego?

Answer 8

.weak superego
.deviant superego
.over harsh superego

Question 9

what is the weak superego?

Answer 9

.absence of the same sex parent in the phallic stage
.so child fails to identify with same sex parent
.superego not fully formed -lacks understanding of right and wrong so cannot punish child through guilt
.shows criminal behaviour as the superego does not hold them back

Question 10

what is the deviant superego?

Answer 10

.child identifies with same sex parent but the parent is immoral
.child internalise unacceptable morals
.don’t see criminal behaviour as bad
.don’t associate guilt with criminal acts

Question 11

what is the over-harsh superego?

Answer 11

.due to overly harsh parenting
.individual is crippled by guilt and anxiety
.child unconsciously seeks opportunities to be punished
.may commit crime to satisfy the superegos need for punishment

Question 12

what are some negatives to the psychodynamic explanation of crime?

Answer 12

.untestable concepts -based on an old theory which was only supported by case studies. -theory based on the superego which is unconscious so is not tangible therefore cannot gather direct evidence or be measured directly
.gender bias -freuds theory uses idiographic themes to come up with nomothetic ideas however cannot be applied to women. -both freud and blackburn said women are more immoral however there is evidence in society to contradict this (more men in prison)

Question 13

why did freud and blackburn say women are more immoral?

Answer 13

.because they don’t suffer from castration anxiety so have less pressure to identify with their mother

Question 14

what is the 2nd psychodynamic explanation to criminality?

Answer 14

.the theory of maternal depreciation

Question 15

what is maternal deprivation?

Answer 15

.prolonged period of separation (loss of emotional care) from a maternal figure

Question 16

who came up with the theory of maternal deprivation?

Answer 16

bowlby 1946

Question 17

what did bowlby (1946) say about the theory of maternal deprivation?

Answer 17

.failure to establish a maternal bond during the first few years of life meant that the child will experience damaging and irreversible consequences when they are older

Question 18

what is an example of a damaging and irreversible consequences

Answer 18

.the development of a personality trait known as affectionless psychopathy

Question 19

what is affectionless psychopathy characterised by?

Answer 19

.lack of guilt
.lack of empathy
.lack of feelings for others

Question 20

what does the maternal deprivation mean in terms of criminality?

Answer 20

.maternally deprived individuals are more likely to engage in acts of delinquency and cannot develop close relationships with others

Question 21

what did bowbly’s (1946) study consist of?

Answer 21

.interviewing 44 juvenile thieves and their families
.comparing to a control group of non-criminals.

Question 22

what did bowlby (1946) find?

Answer 22

.14 of the studied sample expressed traits of affectionless psychopathy
.12/14 experienced prolonged separation from their mothers

Question 23

what are the negatives to the theory of maternal deprivation as an explanation to criminality?

Answer 23

.bowlby failed to distinguish between deprivation and privation (never forming a bond) -many of the thieves had experienced privation instead of deprivation so evidence supports never forming a bond instead forming a bond and being deprived of it
.Lewis analysed data from 500 studies and found that maternal deprivation was a poor predictor of future offending -Lewis has a large sample size and found there was no link whatsoever between maternal deprivation and criminality