INDIVIDUALISTIC THEORIES OF CRIME : PSYCHODYNAMIC Flashcards
what 3 psychodynamic theories are there?
Freud psyche
Bowlby’s 44 Thieves
Megargee ‘overcontrolled offender’
what is a psyche according to Freud?
it is our personality
what is the psyche made up of?
made up of ego, superego and the id
the ego is…
the rational thinking side
the superego is…
the decision maker
the id is..
the desires or primitive instincts
how many types of superego are there?
3
what are the 3 types of superego?
weak superego
deviant superego
strong superego
how does one develop a weak superego?
from abnormal family relationships
what are the consequences of abnormal family relationships on the superego?
don’t learn right from wrong, leads to criminality as don’t learn N+V
how does one develop a deviant superego?
from a criminal same-sex parent
does someone with a deviant superego know right from wrong?
yes, but they choose to participate in crime because that is their N+V
how does one develop a strong superego?
when a child internalises the adults N+V
why do people with a strong superego give into criminality so easily?
because they feel they need to punish themselves for even thinking about the id desires so they commit crime for the punishment
what does a strong superego not do?
express aggression in normal ways such as through sport
what happens when the strong superego doesn’t express anger?
these sexual or aggressive desires build up and are eventually released in overly aggressive or violent ways
what year did Bowlby conduct his 44 Thieves study?
1951
Bowlby believed in…
maternal deprivation
what did Bowlby’s study find?
found that 39% of young criminals had experienced maternal deprivation in comparison to 5% who were non-criminal
what does Bowlby’s study support from Freud?
supports the need for a stable home environment to move from the pleasure principle to the reality principle
what is the pleasure principle and reality principle?
children progress from pleasure principle where the id is dominant to the reality principle where the ego is dominant
what year did Megargee conduct his study?
1966
who did Megargee study?
an 11 year old boy who violently stabbed his brother 34 times
what did the finding from Megargee’s study show?
the overcontrolled offender had the inability to express anger and eventually exploded
how did Blackburn support Megargee’s findings?
found that those with violent convictions had fewer previous convictions than those with moderate violent charges and also scored lower on measures of aggression
how can Megargee’s findings be criticised?
doesn’t distinguish whether these offenders don’t experience anger or don’t express it
how can Bowlby’s theory be criticised?
small sample of only men, only explains crime after it has happened
what did Freud’s theory draw attention to (a strength)?
it bought attention to the consequence of childhood experiences
what does Freud’s theory lack?
quantitative data
what can be said about Freud’s theory and it’s scientific credibility?
it lacks it as the unconscious brain cannot be tested on, also lacks objectivity because Freud knew his patients
