Psychodynamic explanation - AO1 Flashcards
What is the superego?
- Formed at the end of the phallic stage when children resolve the oedipus complex
- Works on the morality principle and exerts its influence by punishing the Ego through guilt for wrongdoing
What are the three types of inadequate superego?
Blackburn (1993):
- The weak superego
- The deviant superego
- The overharsh superego
What is the weak superego?
If the same gender parent is absent during the phallic stage a child cannot internalise a fully formed superego - no opportunity for identification
This makes immoral or offending behaviour more likely
What is the deviant superego?
If the superego that a child internalised has immoral or deviant values this would lead to offending behaviour
What is the overharsh superego?
Excessively punitive or overly harsh parenting style - crippled with guilt and anxiety
May drive the individual to perform criminal acts in order to satisfy the Supergo’s overwhelming need for punishment
What is the effect of the inadequate superego?
Allows primitive, emotional demands to become uppermost in guiding moral behaviour
What is the theory of maternal deprivation?
Ability to form meaningful relationships in adulthood was dependent upon the child forming a warm, continuous relationship with a mother figure
- Failure = experience a number of damaging and irreversible consequences in later life
What is affectionless psychopathy?
Lack of guilt, empathy and feelings for others, likely to engage in acts of delinquency and cannot develop cllose relationships with others
What is Bowlby’s 44 thieves?
Through interviews, with thieves and families, he found 14 showed affectionless psychopathy
Of the 14, 12 had experienced prolonged separation from their mothers
Bowlby concluded that the effects of maternal deprivation caused affectionless and delinquent behaviour among the juvenile thieves
