Psychodynamic explanations Flashcards
According to the psychodynamic approach what do offenders have?
An Id which is insufficiently controlled/moderated
Why is the id insufficiently controlled?
Because of problems with the development of the superego
What is the last aspect of personality to form?
The superego, developing towards the end of the phallic stage
What is the major conflict of the phallic stage?
- Oedipus and electra complex.
- To resolve this anxiety they identify with a same sex parent and internalise their superego
Which gender internalises their same sex parents superego more?
Females
What are the types of inadequate superego?
- Weak superego
- Deviant superego
- Over harsh superego
Weak superego
The superego is weak due to failure to identify fully with a same-sex parent.
Deviant superego
The superego is deviant due to identification with a deviant same-sex parent.
Overharsh superego
- An over-harsh superego is excessively punitive meaning the individual is crippled by guilt and anxiety.
- Crimes are committed to fulfil the unconscious desire for punishment.
What are the advantages of the idea of an inadequate superego?
This theory combines innate drives such as those in the id (nature) and the effects of early experience (nurture).
What are the disadvantages of the idea of an inadequate superego?
- Lacks falsifiability
- Ignores social conditions
- Statistics don’t support
- Psychic determinism
- genetics and learning are ignored
- idea of an unconscious desire for punishment
How do statistics not support the idea of an inadequate superego causing crime?
According to Freud male identification with the same-sex parent is stronger, therefore males should be more moral than females. This is simply not supported by crime statistics, the evidence is that more males offend than females.
How does the inadequate superego adhere to psychic determinism?
it suggests that offenders cannot be held responsible for their crimes. If problems are rooted in childhood experience behaviour cannot change.
