Psychodynamic Explanations^ Flashcards
Inadequate Superego
Blackburn
offending beh is inevitable if the superego (morality pri) is not working properly and the id (pleasure principle) takes over
The Weak Superego
same sex parent is not present at the phalic stage
child’s superego can’t develop fully as they dont have a role model to identify with
unconsciously internalised values that don’t allign with society as they haven’t identified with SSP so id takes over
The Deviant Superego
if a child internalises a superego with immoral values
more likely to commit crimes as they have internalised poor beh to be their norms
The Over-Harsh Superego
leads to a child being overwhelmed with guilt/anxiety
usually due to strict parents
displacement - constantly being anxious can lead to taking out the feelings somewhere else
commit crimes to meet their innate need to be punished
Role Of Emotion
ISE leads to emo demands guiding moral beh
lack of guilt is relevant in understanding offender beh and the role of maternal deprivation
Maternal Deprivation
Bowlby
if a child experience MD they can develop affectionless psychopathy (lack of guilt, empathy)
likely to commit crimes and not form close relations
Supported this with the 44 juvenile thieves study
- 14/44 had AP
- 12/14 had long separation from mothers in infancy
- in CG only 2 had MD
Research Support
for the link between offending beh and the superego
Goreta
- Freudian style analysis of 10 offender referred for psychiatric treatment
- assessed and found disturbance in SE formation
- each had unconscious feeling of guilt and need for punishment
consequence for Over-Harsh SE, the need for punishment is shown as a desire to offend
VS Research Support
the central principles of SE are not supported
Kochanska et al
- if theory is correct, the expectation is that strict parents will raise kids full of guilt and anxiety
- but its the opposite as they tend to raise rebellious kids who rarely show guilt
Gender Bias
Freud’s theory of criminal beh
- assumes girls have a less developed SE
- less pressured to identify with same-sex parents than boys, so more immoral
research shows the opposite, prison is mostly male
Hoffman
- found little evidence for GD in offending
- if there is any, they show girls are more moral than boys
Freud’s theory can’t be generalised and its inaccurate
Other Factors
Bowlby’s theory is reductionist as it only explains MD’s effect on offending beh
Lewis
- analysed 500 interviews
- MD is a poor predictor of future OB
Bowlby’s link is correlational over causal
Many other factors that contribute to OB
Contribution
One of the first approach to consider the effects of circumstances during early childhood and the role of emotion on offending
It’s not included in other theories such as cog approach
VS Contribution
the PA is based on the unconscious mind, it can’t be scientifically tested and proven true
So, it has to be taken at face value or false causal relations can be established
