lo2 Flashcards
What is sheldon’s somatotypes theory?
- saw criminals as physically different from non-criminals.
- certain body types are linked to criminal behaviour.
What are the somatotypes sheldon identifies?
- endomorph.
- ectomorph.
- mesomorph.
What does sheldon describe endomorphs to be like appearance wise?
- rounded.
- soft.
- tending to fat.
- lacking muscle or tone.
- wide hips.
What does sheldon describe ectomorphs to be like appearance wise?
- thin.
- fragile.
- lacking fat and muscle.
- flat chested.
- narrow hips and shoulders.
- high forehead.
What does sheldon describe mesomorphs to be like appearance wise?
- muscular.
- hard bodied.
- little fat.
- strong limbs.
- broad shoulders.
- narrow waist.
What does sheldon describe endomorphs to be like personality wise?
- sociable.
- relaxed.
- comfortable.
- outgoing.
What does sheldon describe ectomorphs to be like personality wise?
- self-conscious.
- fragile.
- inward looking.
- emotionally restrained.
- thoughtful.
What does sheldon describe mesomorphs to be like personality wise?
- adventurous.
- sensation-seeking.
- assertive.
- domineering.
- enjoy physical activity.
Which somatotype does sheldon believe is more likely to be a criminal?
MESOMORPH
- more likely to be attracted to risk-taking crime involves.
- imposing physique and assertive can be important assets in crime.
What kind of theory is sheldon’s somatotype theory?
Psychological.
Who was sigmund freud?
- founding father of psychology.
- developed a branch of psychology called the psychodynamic approach.
What is the psychodynamic theory?
- see our personality as containing active forces that cause us to act as we do.
- these forces are powerful urges, feelings and conflicts within the unconscious mind.
- criminal behaviour is a result of an individual’s failure to resolve these inner conflicts in a socially acceptable way.
- psychoanalysis.
How are our early childhood experiences related to criminal behaviour according to the psychodynamic theory?
- determines our personality and future behaviour
↳ ‘the child is father to the man’. - determines whether we will go on to act in anti-social ways.
What was the mary bell case?
- born in glasgow in scotland where she shared a one bedroom house with her mother.
- she had witnessed work as prostitute where she would engage in violent acts for pleasure with her clients.
- her mother had attempted to kill her but realised she could earn extra money through prostituting her out.
- abuse caused her to turn into a killer at 11.
- strangled, mutilated and killed two young boys aged 4 and 3
↳ martin brown and brian howe.
-she was sentenced to juvenile prison.
What is a case that supports the psychodynamic theory?
The mary bell case.
What three elements does sigmund freud believe personality contains?
- the ego.
- the id.
- the superego.
What is the function of the ego?
- tries to strike a balance between their conflicting demands.
- pulled in opposite directions between desires (id) and the conscious (superego).
- behaviour is a result of the struggle between the id and superego.
What is the function of the id?
- the unconscious, instinctive, animal part of the mind.
- contains powerful, selfish, pleasure-seeking needs and drives such as the desire for sex, food and sleep.
What is the function of the superego?
Contains our conscience or moral rules which we learn through interactions with our parents during early socialisation in the family.
What is the ego governed by?
The reality principle which learns from experience that in the real world our actions have consequences such as a child learning to say please to obtain what they want.
What is the id governed by?
The pleasure principle which is the blind desire to satisfy its urges at any cost.
What are the consequences of the ego?
- learns that sometimes it may have to repress ratification of the id’s desires.
- acts in ways to satisfy the id’s desires but that is also morally acceptable to the superego.
What are the consequences of the id?
If we acted on these urges whenever we felt them they would often lead to antisocial and criminal behaviour.
What are the consequences of the superego?
If we act or even think of acting contrary to it, it punishes us with feelings of guilt and anxiety.
What is an individual with a weakly developed superego?
- someone who is solely focused on their own pleasure could tie in with criminality.
- someone who is id ridden takes what they want with no remorse/thought for anyone else.
What do psychoanalytic theories believe?
- see anti-scoail behaviour as caused by an abnoamrl relationshop with psarents during ealry socialisatin suxh as negect or excesseviely alx or strict oareting.
What do psychoanalytic theories believe?
- see anti-social behaviour as caused by an abnormal relationship with parents during early socialisation such as neglect or excessively alx or strict parenting.
↳ could result in a weak, over-harsh or deviant superego.
What would weakly developed superego cause?
An individual will feel less guilt about anti-social actions and less inhibition about acting on the id’s selfish or aggressive urges.
What would too harsh and unforgiving superego cause?
- deep-seated guilt feelings in the individual.
- craves punishment as a release from these feelings.
- could lead to them engaging in compulsive repeat offending in order to be punished.
What does bowlby’s maternal deprivation theory state?
- there’s a link between maternal deprivation and deviant or anti-social behaviour.
- child needs a close, continuous. relationship with its primary acrer from birth to the age of 5 in order to develop normally.
- broken mother-child attachment through separation even for a short period of time
↳ leaves the child unable to form meaningful relationships emotional with others
↳ emotionless psychopathy.
What did bowlby study to support hs maternal deprivation theory?
- 4 juvenile thieves who had been referred to a child guidance clinic.
- 39% of them had suffered from maternal deprivation before the age of 5 compared with only 5% of a control group of non-delinquents.
What are the strengths of the psychodynamic theories by freud?
- points to the importance of socialisation and family relationships in understanding criminal behaviour.
- psychoanalytic explanations have had some influence on policies for dealing with crime and deviance.
What are the weaknesses of the psychodynamic theories by freud?
- doubt the existence of an unconscious mind.
- unscientific and subjective.
- rely on accepting the psychoanalysts claims that they can see into the workings of the individual’s unconscious mind to discover their inner conflicts and motivations.
What are the strengths of the psychodynamic theories by bowlby?
- more of his sample had suffered from maternal deprivation.
- shows the need to consider the role of parent-child relationships in explaining criminality.
What are the weaknesses of the psychodynamic theories by bowlby?
- problematic especially when recalling emotive experiences.
- what about the 61%.
- deprivation cannot be the only cause.
- overestimated how far early childhood experiences have a permanent effect on later behaviour.
- link between maternal deprivation and criminality is no longer widely accepted.
