INDIVIDUALISTIC THEORIES OF CRIME : PSYCHODYNAMIC

Question 1

what 3 psychodynamic theories are there?

Answer 1

Freud psyche
Bowlby’s 44 Thieves
Megargee ‘overcontrolled offender’

Question 2

what is a psyche according to Freud?

Answer 2

it is our personality

Question 3

what is the psyche made up of?

Answer 3

made up of ego, superego and the id

Question 4

the ego is…

Answer 4

the rational thinking side

Question 5

the superego is…

Answer 5

the decision maker

Question 6

the id is..

Answer 6

the desires or primitive instincts

Question 7

how many types of superego are there?

Answer 7

3

Question 8

what are the 3 types of superego?

Answer 8

weak superego
deviant superego
strong superego

Question 9

how does one develop a weak superego?

Answer 9

from abnormal family relationships

Question 10

what are the consequences of abnormal family relationships on the superego?

Answer 10

don’t learn right from wrong, leads to criminality as don’t learn N+V

Question 11

how does one develop a deviant superego?

Answer 11

from a criminal same-sex parent

Question 12

does someone with a deviant superego know right from wrong?

Answer 12

yes, but they choose to participate in crime because that is their N+V

Question 13

how does one develop a strong superego?

Answer 13

when a child internalises the adults N+V

Question 14

why do people with a strong superego give into criminality so easily?

Answer 14

because they feel they need to punish themselves for even thinking about the id desires so they commit crime for the punishment

Question 15

what does a strong superego not do?

Answer 15

express aggression in normal ways such as through sport

Question 16

what happens when the strong superego doesn’t express anger?

Answer 16

these sexual or aggressive desires build up and are eventually released in overly aggressive or violent ways

Question 17

what year did Bowlby conduct his 44 Thieves study?

Answer 17

1951

Question 18

Bowlby believed in…

Answer 18

maternal deprivation

Question 19

what did Bowlby’s study find?

Answer 19

found that 39% of young criminals had experienced maternal deprivation in comparison to 5% who were non-criminal

Question 20

what does Bowlby’s study support from Freud?

Answer 20

supports the need for a stable home environment to move from the pleasure principle to the reality principle

Question 21

what is the pleasure principle and reality principle?

Answer 21

children progress from pleasure principle where the id is dominant to the reality principle where the ego is dominant

Question 22

what year did Megargee conduct his study?

Answer 22

1966

Question 23

who did Megargee study?

Answer 23

an 11 year old boy who violently stabbed his brother 34 times

Question 24

what did the finding from Megargee’s study show?

Answer 24

the overcontrolled offender had the inability to express anger and eventually exploded

Question 25

how did Blackburn support Megargee’s findings?

Answer 25

found that those with violent convictions had fewer previous convictions than those with moderate violent charges and also scored lower on measures of aggression

Question 26

how can Megargee’s findings be criticised?

Answer 26

doesn’t distinguish whether these offenders don’t experience anger or don’t express it

Question 27

how can Bowlby’s theory be criticised?

Answer 27

small sample of only men, only explains crime after it has happened

Question 28

what did Freud’s theory draw attention to (a strength)?

Answer 28

it bought attention to the consequence of childhood experiences

Question 29

what does Freud’s theory lack?

Answer 29

quantitative data

Question 30

what can be said about Freud’s theory and it’s scientific credibility?

Answer 30

it lacks it as the unconscious brain cannot be tested on, also lacks objectivity because Freud knew his patients