Psychodynamic Explanations of Offending

Question 1

What are the two Psychodynamic Explanations of Offending?

Answer 1

• The Inadequate Superego
• Maternal Deprivation

Question 2

Who proposed the Inadequate Superego?

Answer 2

Blackburn

Question 3

How does the Inadequate Superego explain offending behaviour?

Answer 3

If the Superego is somehow deficient or inadequate, criminality is inevitable due to a lack of moral restraint, meaning the Id can’t be properly controlled and is given free rein

Question 4

How many types of Inadequate Superego did Blackburn propose?

Answer 4

3

Question 5

What are the 3 types of Inadequate Superego?

Answer 5

• Weak Superego
• Deviant Superego
• Over-Harsh Superego

Question 6

Describe a Weak Superego

Answer 6

When the same-gender parent is absent during the phallic stage, when the Oedipus-Electra Complex occurs, meaning the child can’t internalise a fully-formed Superego because they can’t undergo Internalisation

Question 7

Describe a Deviant Superego

Answer 7

An internalised Superego with immoral or deviant values

Question 8

Describe an Over-Harsh Superego

Answer 8

An internalised overly critical and unforgiving Superego, resulting in intense guilt and anxiety, which unconsciously drives the individual to criminality in order to satisfy the Superego’s overwhelming desire for punishment

Question 9

How does Maternal Deprivation explain offending behaviour?

Answer 9

Prolonged separation without adequate substitute care in infancy increases the risk of affectionless psychopathy, in turn increasing the risk of individuals turning to criminality due to a lack of emotional restraint

Question 10

What is Affectionless Psychopathy?

Answer 10

A type of psychopathy characterised by an inability or difficulty feeling empathy or guilt

Question 11

Which 2 studies support Maternal Deprivation as an Explanation for Criminality?

Answer 11

• Bowlby 44 Thieves Study, in which 12 of the 14 thieves he identified as having been maternally deprived were characterised as affectionless psychopaths
• Farrington’s longitudinal study following 400+ boys starting at age 8, in which he identified poor parenting as a risk factor for criminality

Question 12

What supporting evidence is there for the Inadequate Superego as an Explanation of Offending?

Answer 12

Farrington’s longitudinal study following 400+ boys starting at age 8, in which he identified family criminality as a risk factor for offending, potentially linking to the idea of the deviant Superego

Question 13

What has the Inadequate Superego been criticised as an Explanation of Offending? (3 Points)

Answer 13

• It relies on inferences, which can’t be falsified or objectively tested and measured
• It is an example of psychic determinism
• There is no supporting published research or studies

Question 14

What evidence contradicts Maternal Deprivation as an Explanation of Offending?

Answer 14

• Lewis, who replicated Bowlby’s 44 Thieves Study with over 500 participants , and found that maternal deprivation was a poor predictor of future offending

Question 15

Why as Maternal Deprivation been criticised as an Explanation of Offending? (2 Points)

Answer 15

• It’s difficult to establish cause-and-effect
• It places blame exclusively on the maternal figure of the individual