Forensics - Psychodynamic Explanations Flashcards
What are psychodynamic explanations of offending?
A group of theories influenced by the work of Sigmund Freud which share the belief that unconscious conflicts, rooted in early childhood and determined by interactions with parents, drive future behaviour – in this case, criminal behaviour.
What is the inadequate superego?
The superego is formed during the phallic stage of psychosexual development when children resolve the Oedipus or Electra complex. A healthy superego balances the id and ego by punishing deviant behaviour and rewarding moral behaviour. An inadequate superego can develop in three forms: (1) a weak superego due to an absent same-sex parent, which results in a lack of internalised morality; (2) a deviant superego if the child internalises deviant moral values from a criminal parent; (3) an over-harsh superego, which leads to excessive guilt and a drive to commit crime as a way to relieve this guilt.
What is Bowlby’s maternal deprivation theory?
John Bowlby (1944) proposed that a lack of continuous maternal care during the critical early years disrupts the ability to form meaningful relationships in adulthood, leading to affectionless psychopathy and criminal behaviour. He studied 44 juvenile thieves and found that 14 of them were affectionless psychopaths, with 12 of these having experienced prolonged maternal separation in early childhood. This suggests a strong link between maternal deprivation and offending behaviour.
What is one evaluation point about gender bias in psychodynamic explanations?
An implicit assumption within Freudian theory is that boys develop a weaker superego than girls, as boys have more intense conflict during the Oedipus complex. However, evidence does not support this claim. Hoffman (1975) found little difference between genders in moral development and even suggested that girls may be more morally developed than boys. This challenges the assumption that males are more prone to criminal behaviour based on a weaker superego.
What is one evaluation point about contradictory evidence for the psychodynamic approach?
There is little evidence supporting Blackburn’s inadequate superego theory. For example, children raised without a same-sex parent are not systematically more likely to offend. Similarly, the idea that individuals with a strong moral conscience commit crime to relieve guilt is unconvincing, as offending often involves minimising guilt rather than seeking punishment. These findings undermine the credibility of the inadequate superego explanation for offending.
What is one evaluation point about unconscious concepts in psychodynamic theories?
A major criticism of psychodynamic explanations is their lack of falsifiability. The concepts of the id, ego, and superego are unconscious processes, making them impossible to test empirically. This lack of scientific rigour means that the approach is regarded as pseudoscientific. For example, it is impossible to objectively measure the superego’s strength or test claims about its development. This undermines the psychodynamic approach as a valid explanation of offending.
What is one evaluation point about Bowlby’s maternal deprivation theory?
Bowlby’s research has been criticised for methodological issues, such as researcher bias and retrospective data. He may have overemphasised the link between maternal deprivation and affectionless psychopathy, as separation does not necessarily cause criminality. Furthermore, Rutter (1981) distinguished between deprivation (loss of attachment) and privation (failure to form an attachment), suggesting that privation may be more damaging. These criticisms weaken the validity of Bowlby’s claims and their application to understanding offending behaviour.
