psychodynamic

Question 1

inadequate superego

superego

Answer 1

superego formed at end of phallic stage when children resolve oedipus complex

works on morality principle. exerts influence by punishing ego through guilt for wrongdoing, while rewarding it with pride for moral behaviour.

Question 2

inadequate superego

Answer 2

blackburn (1993)- if superego is deficient then criminal behaviour is inevitable as the id is given free rein.

Question 3

weak superego

Answer 3

occurs if same sex parent absent during phallic stage. child cannot internalise a fully-formed superego as there is no opportunity for identification.

Question 4

deviant superego

Answer 4

occurs if the child internalises immoral or deviant values, and therefore does not associate guilt with wrongdoing
e.g. boy with criminal father

Question 5

over-harsh superego

Answer 5

based on identification with a parent who punishes excessively
cripples an individual with guilt and anxiety. unconsciously drives the individual to perform criminal acts in order to satisfy the superego’s need for punishment.

Question 6

inadequate superego

the role of emotion

Answer 6

inadequate superego allows primitive, emotional demands to guide moral behaviour. aknowledges the role of anxiety and guilt in the development of offending behaviour.
emotions such as lack of guilt relevant to understanding offending behaviour.

Question 7

maternal deprivation

Answer 7

• bowlby proposed that the presence of nurture from a caregiver is essential for normal psychological development, both emotionally and intellectually
• failure to establish such a relationship during the critical period causes damaging and irreversable consequences

Question 8

maternal deprivation and affectionless psychopathy

Answer 8

Bowlby associated affectionless psychopathy with maternal deprivation, identified by the inability to experience guilt or the emotions of others.
such individuals are likely to engage in acts of delinquency and cannot develop close relationships with others

Question 9

44 Thieves study (Bowlby 1944)

Answer 9

• investigated 44 juvenile thieves
• found through interviews with thieves and their families that 14 showed characteristics of affectionless psychopaty
• of this 14, 12 had experiences prolonged seperation from their mothers during infancy
• in non-offender group, only two experienced similar early seperation

concluded that effects of maternal deprivation caused affectionless psychopathy and delinquent behaviour in juvenile thieves

Question 10

strength

research support for link between offending and superego

Answer 10

goreta (1991)- freudian-style analysis of 10 offenders
all diagnoses with disturbances in superego formation
each experienced unconscious feelings of guilt and need for self-punishment. goreta explained this as a consequence of an over-harsh superego. the need for punishment manifested istelf as a desire to commit acts of wrongdoing and offend.

evidence seems to support role of psychic conflicts and over-harsh superego as basis for offending

Question 11

counter

Answer 11

generally central principles of inadequate superego theory not supported
if correct harsh, punitive parents would rasie children who contantly experience guilt and anxiety
kochanska (2001)- parents who discipline harshly tend to raise rebellious children who rarely express feelings of guilt or self-criticism

questions relationship between strong, punitive internal parent and excessive feelings of guilt

Question 12

limitation

gender bias

Answer 12

freud’s theory implicitly assumes that girls develop weaker superego than boys because identification with same-gender parent not as strong. don;t experience intense emotions of castration anxiety so feel less pressure to identify with mothers. superego less fully realised.
implies women more prone to offending than men.

rates of imprisonment show opposite true. in uk 20 times more men in prison than women.
hoffman (1975)- study where children required to resist temptation. hardly any evidence of gender differences. when there was, girls more moral than boys.

suggests that there is alpha bias at the heart of freud’s theory and may not be an appropriate explanation of offending behaviour

Question 13

limitation

Answer 13

bowlby’s theory only based on association between maternal deprivation and offending.
lewis (1954) analysed data from interviews w 500 young people. found maternal deprivation was poor predictor of future offending.
not necessarily causal relationship. countless other factors such as growing up in poverty. could explain maternal deprivation and also later offending.

not sole explanation. other factors at play. can’t demonstrate absolute causal relationship

Question 14

strength

contribution

Answer 14

psychodynamic expls some of first to link early childhood experiences to moral behaviour and offending. e.g. relationship with parents central to formation of superego.
now common sense in comtemporary criminology.

also draw attention to emotional basis of offending. e.g. guilt and anxiety. factor largely ignored by other theories like cognitive and biological.

useful contribution to debate

Question 15

lacks scientific credibility

Answer 15

unconscious concepts not open to empirical testing.
core principles unfalsifiable.
practical value of theories in relation to strategies to prevent crime limited