Psych Explanations

Question 1

What is included in psychological theories?

Answer 1

• Eysenck’s Theory
• Psychoanalytic
• Bowlby’s Attachment Theory

Question 2

Describe Bowlby’s theory

Answer 2

• Attachment between infant and caregiver effects life throughout adulthood
• Maternal deprivation leads to long-term emotional damage e.g. affectionless psychopathy can lead to criminality
• Study of 44 Juvenile Thieves

Question 3

Describe Eysenck’s theory

Answer 3

• Viewed offending as natural behaviour as it gives people instant gratification; focuses on why people aren’t criminal
• Focuses on bio influences but considers societal
• Looks at Lombroso’s theory; believes somotypes have an influence on criminality (effect personality and therefore criminality)
• Criminals often are neurotic, extraverts, psychotic
• Extraverts are poorly conditioned and fail to learn behaviour in a socially acceptable way (active, carefree, dominant, thrill seekers, low bored threshold)
• Neurotics are conditioned poorly as anxiety interferes with learning (anxious, low self-esteem, emotional highs and lows, irrational)
• Psychotics associated with anti-social behaviour (aggressive, cold, impulsive, ego-centric)
• Criminality results from failure of socialisation to stop immaturity (immaturity = sole concern for self, needs immediate gratification)
• To stop criminality, anti-social behaviour needs punishing through conditioning
• Extraverts/neurotics/psychotics = poor conditioning = poor socialisation = do not learn to not be a criminal

Question 4

Evaluate Eysenck’s Theory

Answer 4

• Brings together lots of different levels of explanation
• Theory relates to general criminality
• Some suggest theory is based on flawed data; little research to back up claims
• Considers both social and bio theories
• Social aspect is no more than reward and punishment

Question 5

Describe psychoanalysis

Answer 5

• Freud never focused on criminals; briefly pointed out their egos were disturbed
• Believed some had unknown guilt so commit crimes to give themselves mental relief (give them somewhere to put guilt on)

Question 6

Evaluate psychoanalysis

Answer 6

• Ideas were highly influential in looking at early life experiences
• Research often fails to support Freudian ideas
• Many psychologists fail to use his ideas as therapy is often time consuming and fails to work

Question 7

Describe Social Learning Theory

Answer 7

• Vicarious learning; observe and imitate others
• ## Research suggests aggression can be taught this way e.g. Bobo Doll

Question 8

Evaluate Social Learning Theory

Answer 8

• Accepted way of learning general behaviour; many fail to see how it relates to criminality
• Doesn’t explain everything e.g. why do people reoffend after being punished, why do people continue offending after seeing friends be punished
• Stresses importance of criminality being learnt in same way as other behaviours; criminals are ordinary people, just learnt wrong behaviour, no need to assume some sort of pathology; means it is likely there is treatment available