Psychodynamic explanations of offending

Question 1

Recap: what is the superego?

Answer 1

• Formed at the end of the phallic stage, when children resolve the Oedipus/ Electra complex.
• Works on the morality principle, and exerts its influence by punishing the ego through guilt for wrongdoing, whilst rewarding it with pride for good moral behaviour.

Question 2

What is the broad assumption of the psychodynamic explanation? (Blackburn)

Answer 2

• Blackburn argued that if the superego is somehow deficient or inadequate then offending behaviour is inevitable.
• This is because the Id is given ‘free rein’ and is not properly controlled.

Question 3

What are the 3 types of inadequate superego’s?

Answer 3

1. The weak superego.
2. The deviant superego.
3. The over-harsh superego.

Question 4

1. The weak superego.

Answer 4

• If the same-gender parent is absent during the phallic stage, a child cannot internalise a fully-formed superego as there is no opportunity for identification.
• This would make immoral or offending behaviour more likely.

Question 5

2. The deviant superego.

Answer 5

• If the superego that a child internalises has immoral or deviant values this would lead to offending behaviour.
• For instance, a boy who is raised by a criminal father is not likely to associate guilt with wrongdoing.

Question 6

3. The over-harsh superego.

Answer 6

• A healthy superego is based on identification with a parent who has firm rules but forgives transgressions.
• An excessively punitive or overly harsh parenting style leads to a child with an over-harsh superego who is crippled by guilt and anxiety.
• This may unconsciously drive the individual to perform criminal acts in order to satisfy the superego’s overwhelming need for punishment.

Question 7

The role of emotion

Answer 7

• The inadequate superego (weak, deviant or over-harsh) is to allow primitive, emotional demands to become uppermost in guiding moral behaviour.
• PA deals with the emotional lives of the individual (acknowledges the role of anxiety or guilt).

Question 8

Theory of maternal deprivation (recap)

Answer 8

• Bowlby argued that the ability to form meaningful relationships in adulthood was dependent upon the child forming a warm, continuous relationship with a mother-figure.
• Failure to establish such a relationship during the first few years of life means a child is likely to experience a number of damaging and irreversible consequences in later life.

Question 9

What is affectionless psychopathy?

Answer 9

• Develops as a result of MT.
• Characterised by a lack of guilt, empathy and feeling for others.
• Increases likelihood of individuals engaging in acts of delinquency and cannot develop close relationships with others.

Question 10

44 juvenile thieves study

Answer 10

• Through interviews with thieves and their families, that 14 of the sample he studied showed personality and behavioural characteristics that could be classed as AP.
• Of the 14, 12 experienced prolonged separation from their mothers during infancy.
• In a non-offender group, only two had experienced similar early separation.
• Bowlby concluded that the effects of MD had caused affectionless psychopathy and delinquent behaviour among juvenile thieves.

Question 11

Research support for the PE

Answer 11

Goreta: analysis of 10 offenders referred for psychiatric treatment.
- All had disturbances to their superego formation diagnosed.
- Each offender experienced unconscious feelings of guilt and the need for self-punishment.
- Goreta explained this as a consequence of a over-harsh superego, the need for punishment manifesting itself as a desire to commit acts of wrongdoing and offend.

• This evidence seems to support the role of psychic conflicts and an over-harsh superego as the basis for offending.

Question 12

Gender bias

Answer 12

• Freud’s theory is seen as sexist as he focuses on the Oedipus complex and adds the Electra complex as an after thought.
• In fact, Freud argued that females were less moral than males. This is because males fear castration by their fathers for moral transgressions, whereas females only fear losing their mothers love.
• However, the vast majority of criminals are male, not female. Males outnumber females in prisons throughout the world.
• Suggests there is alpha bias at the heart of Freud’s theory and means it may not be appropriate as an explanation of offending behaviour.
• Support: Hoffman found hardly any evidence of gender differences, and when there was, little girls tended to be more moral than little boys.

Question 13

Other factors: association

Answer 13

• Bowlby’s theory is only based on an association between MD and offending.
• Lewis= analysed data drawn from 500 young people and found that MD was a poor predictor of future offending and the ability to form close relationships in adolescence.
• Not a causal relationship, may be other factors causing offending.
• Suggests that MD may be one of the reasons for later offending behaviour, but not the only reason.