Psychodynamic explanations

Question 1

strengths
Goreta

Answer 1

Goreta conducted a Freudian style analysis of ten offenders referred for psychiatric treatment finding disturbances in superego formation in all 10 e.g unconscious feelings of guilt and need for self-punishment (over harsh superego)

Question 2

strength research support 44 thieves study

Answer 2

14/44 of the thieves were identified as affectionless psychopaths. 12/14 of them had experienced maternal deprivation. This supports the idea that childhood experience (deprivation) leads to offending behavior when applied to the idea of the weak superego.
HOWEVER not everyone who experiences maternal deprivation goes on to offend it could be biology or adult socialisation.

Question 3

weakness alpha bias

Answer 3

According to Freud’s psychosexual stages males internalise their fathers more deeply in the phallic stage (oedipus) due to castration anxiety this would suggest males have stronger morals than females. However males are more than 20x more likely to offend and this contradicts the theory.

Question 4

weakness social sensitivity

Answer 4

The theory puts a lot of blame on parents due to the internalisation of their morals which can be affected by absence of parenting styles. It can be said to be deterministic as it rules out free will and says we are determined by our parents. Eysenck’s criminal personality says otherwise.