Psychodynamic Explanations Flashcards
What are the three types of inadequate superego?
- The weak superego.
- The deviant superego.
- The over-harsh superego.
What are the two psychodynamic explanations of criminality?
- Inadequate superego.
- Maternal deprivation theory.
What are the three parts of the personality?
Id, Ego and Superego.
Who created the inadequate superego theory?
Freud created the 3 parts of the personality and Blackburn created the theory of the inadequate superego.
What is the focus of Bowlby’s theory?
The lack of a mother to attach to during infancy leading to criminal behaviour, specifically affectionless psychopathy.
What causes the weak superego?
An absent same sex parent in the phallic stage.
Which principle is the Id?
Pleasure principle.
What is the weak superego?
Would result in a person with few if any usual inhibitions against antisocial behaviour.
How does the 3 parts of the personality relate to crime?
The superego punishes the ego with feelings of guilt for fault, and rewards it with feeling of satisfaction for moral behaviour. In criminals the superego is weak or deficient.
What causes a deviant superego?
Caused by the internalisation of an immoral superego from deviant parents.
Which principle is the Superego?
Morality principle.
What is the deviant superego?
A child might develop a superego in the normal way, but the superego itself has deviant values.
What is the strong superego?
The individual may be unconsciously driven to perform criminal acts to satisfy the superego’s desire for punishment.
What causes the strong superego?
An excessively harsh superego which cripples the individual with guilt and anxiety.
Which principle is the Ego?
Reality principle.
Which type of superego struggles to inhibit impulses of antisocial behaviour?
The weak superego.
What is the study which provided evidence for the maternal deprivation theory?
The 44 thieves study. (Bowlby, 1944)
How did Bowlby view the maternal relationship?
The relationship was seen by Bowlby as unique, superior to any other , and vital to the child’s well-being and development.
How does Bowlby say affectionless psychopathy occurs?
Due to not forming a good maternal relationship within the first years.
Describe the study of the 44 theives?
Bowlby interviewed 44 juvenile thieves and their families. 14 of the sample showed characteristics of ‘affectionless psychopathy’. Of this 14, 12 has experienced prolonged separation from their mothers during infancy.
What is affectionless psychopathy?
Characterised by a lack of guilt, empathy and feeling for others.
Why are maternally deprived individuals likely to engage in crime?
They cannot feel guilt or empathy therefore would have no remorse for victims.
AO3 - Untestable hypothesis.
Psychodynamic explanations lack falsifiability; these theories are not open to empirical testing. Therefore, the theories about inadequate superego leading to crime contributes very little evidence to our understanding of crime and how to prevent it.
AO3 - Lack of evidence.
There is little to no evidence that children raised without a same-sex parent are less law abiding or fail to develop a full conscience. This contradicts the superego argument. Similarly, if children raised by deviant parents go on to commit crime, this could be due to genetics or socialisation.
AO3 - Gender bias.
Within Freudian theory there is an idea that girls develop a weaker superego than boys because they do not experience castration anxiety and therefore do not feel pressured to identify with the mother. The implication of this is that more females should be criminals than males, however, prison statistics oppose this as there are many more male inmates than female.
AO3 - Correlation no causation.
Lewis (1954) analysed data drawn from interviews with 500 young people and found that maternal deprivation was a poor predictor of future offending. There are countless other reasons for this apparent link such as genetic factors and the influence of others.
AO3 - Methodological issues.
The 44 thieves study has been heavily criticised as having researcher bias. Bowlby also failed to draw a distinction between deprivation and privation within his research.
