Psychodynamic explanation Flashcards
Blackburn argued that…
Blackburn argued that criminal behaviour arises as the result of an underdeveloped superego
Describe Freud’s tripartite structure of the personality
Id = Bad
Ego = Mediates between the two
Superego = Good
Describe what an inadequate superego means…
Inadequate superego –>
Id is given ‘free reign’ –>
Carry’s out selfish impulses –>
Criminal behaviour
The psychodynamic explanation for offending is based upon:
Freud’s inadequate superego theory
State the three types of superego Blackburn proposed
1) Weak superego
2) Deviant superego
3) Over-harsh superego
Describe the weak superego
“No parent –> Weak superego”
Weak superego: Failure to identify with same sex parent during phallic stage –>
Child does not internalise a fully-formed superego (There is no parent to successfully identify with)
Describe the deviant superego
“Criminal parent –> criminal child”
Deviant superego: A child may be raised by a criminal parent, meaning the superego internalises deviant behaviour [either genetic (passed through genes) or SLT (modelling and imitation)]
Describe the over-harsh superego
“I must be punished, so I commit crimes
Over-harsh superego: The superego is excessively harsh and focused on punishment, leading to a heightened sense of guilt and an unconscious drive to commit crime in order to be punished
Support Freud’s inadequate superego theory
- It is a very holistic explanation
- Role of emotions, upbringing and biological factors
- Complete and therefore has good internal validity
Criticise Freud’s inadequate superego theory
- Gender bias in Freud’s original study
- Freud believed female’s superego’s were underdeveloped compared to males, yet his research was based upon females only –> beta bias (minimising differences)
- Furthermore, the UK female prison population is just approx. 5% Contradicts Freud’s research
- Lacks validity & gender bias
Psychodynamic explanations for offending include:
Freud’s inadequate superego
Bowlby’s Maternal deprivation hypothesis (MDH
State the AO3 for Bowlby’s MDH
A warm, continuous maternal bond is essential for normal development and well-being.
If this is not present (e.g. through a mother not being at home much) then the child will develop an affectionless psychopathy personality type.
This means a lack of guilt and empathy –> Increased likelihood of criminal behaviour
Bowlby’s 44 thieves study
Describe Bowlby’s 44 thieves study
44 thieves
14 = Affectionless psychopaths
12 = Experienced prolonged separation from their mothers during their early childhood
2 = Experienced similar separation in a non-criminal group
Criticise Bowlby’s MDH
The study was carried out in the clinic Bowlby worked
Small sample size
Lacks external validity
Un-generalisable
Lacks population validity
Investigator bias as he could’ve chosen the cases that fitted his hypothesis
Lacks internal validity
