Psychodynamic Theories Flashcards
Psychic determinism
Freud takes a psychic deterministic view which means that our behaviour is governed by internal unconscious forces outside of our control. He argues that free will is an illusion. He argued that we have an unconscious mind. Mental processes that are inaccessible to consciousness but still influence us. Things such as violent motives, irrational wishes and immoral urges are in our unconscious mind.
What are the parts in a 3 part personality
Id - the pleasure principle will satisfy its urges at any costs. It contains selfish, pleasure-seeking needs and drives e.g. sex, food and sleep
Superego- Morality principle, it learns through interactions with our parents during early socialisation. If we act or think of acting against the superego, we fell guilty and anxiety
Ego- Reality principle, our behaviour based on the struggle between the Id and superego. It learns from experience in the real world, actions have consequences.
How the 3 part personality can cause criminality
A weak superego - can occur with children who grew up in a single parent family which can result in a person with few if any of the usual inhibitions against antisocial behaviour. They would act in ways that gratified their id regardless of the social restraints on doing so as they would not feel the guilt others feel.
A deviant superego - it is an internalisation of the same sex parent’s moral code . Consequently, a son raised normally in a family with a criminal father might develop a superego that acts without feeling that it is wrong.
Over harsh superego - makes a person feel intense guilt and so they seek punishment to satisfy their guilt. For example someone might witness a crime as a child which can affect their mental health and they seek to commit a crime later in life to satisfy their need for punishment.
Strengths of Freud theories
-Goreta (1991) found that 10 offenders in the psychiatric hospital had unconscious feelings of guilt and the need for self punishment. Explained as a Harsh superego, it supports the role of psychic conflict and an over harsh superego as a basis of offending.
-Freud claimed that he could discover the unconscious via dream analysis.
Weaknesses of Freud’s theory
-people might use it as an excuse that they has no control over.
-Opposes behavioural theories which argue criminal traits can be observed.
- Kochanska (2001) argued that punitive parents produce rebellious children who rarely express guilt or self criticism
- Gender bias. His claim that women develop a weaker superego is not mirrored with prison statistics.
Bowlby’s Theory
The maternal deprivation theory states that a child needs a warm continuous relationship with mother figure. Failure to establish this bond means the child has damaging and irreversible consequences. It means the child has a lack of guilt, empathy and feelings for others.
Theory that supports Bowlby’s theory
44 thieves study, 14 of these thieves have personality and behavioural characteristics of ‘affection less psychopathy’. Of the 14, 12 had prolonged separation from mother during infancy. A non criminal control group showed that only 2 had similar early experiences.
