Psychological Exp: Psychodynamic

Question 1

Psychodynamic Explanations

Answer 1

1) Freud’s psychodynamic approach suggests that the Superego is guided by the morality principle leading to feelings of guilt for wrongdoing.

2) Blackburn (1993) argued that if the Superego is inadequate (weak, deviant or over-harsh) then the Id (governed by the pleasure principle) is given ‘free rein’ - an uncontrolled Id means that offending behaviour is inevitable.

Question 2

1) Weak Superego

Answer 2

1) If the same-sex parent is absent during phallic stage a child cannot internalise a fully-formed Superego as there is no opportunity for identification.

This would make offending behaviour more likely.

Question 3

2) Deviant Superego

Answer 3

1) A child internalises the same-sex parent’s moral attitudes to form their Superego.

2) If these internalised moral attitudes are deviant this would lead to a deviant Superego and to offending behaviour.

Question 4

3) Harsh Superego

Answer 4

1) An excessively punitive or overly harsh parent creates a child who has an over-harsh Superego and the child is crippled by guilt and anxiety.

Therefore, they commit crimes to be caught and then punished

Question 5

Bowlby - Maternal Deprivation

Answer 5

1) Bowlby (1944) argued that a warm, continuous relationship with a mother-figure was crucial to future relationships, well-being and development.

2) A loss of attachment in infancy (maternal deprivation) could lead to affectionless psychopathy (lack of empathy and guilt) and increased likelihood of delinquency.

Question 6

44 Juvenile Thieves Study

Answer 6

1) Bowlby (1944) found that 14 of the 44 thieves showed signs of affectionless psychopathy - 12 of these had prolonged separation from their mothers in infancy.

2) In a control group, only two ‘thieves’ had experienced prolonged separation (maternal deprivation).

Question 7

Limitation of Bowlby’s Theory

Answer 7

BASED ON ASSOCIATION

1) Even if there is a link with maternal deprivation there are countless other reasons for it, for example maternal deprivation may be due to growing up in poverty.

Suggests maternal deprivation may be one of the reasons for later offending behaviour, but not the only reason.

Question 8

Limitation of Bowlby’s Theory

Answer 8

EVIDENCE IS FLAWED - BIAS

1) 44 Thieves study is flawed cause it was open to bias - Bowlby himself assessed both deprivation & psychopathy, knowing what he hoped to find.

–> Means he originally had no solid evidence.

Question 9

Limitation of Exp

Answer 9

UNFALSIFIABLE

1) Inability to scientifically test. As the behaviours are explained by unconscious acts, it is impossible to scientifically test them.
–> They are unfalsifiable. Overall, the theory is not as reliable nor as valid because of this.

CASE STUDIES

1) The majority of the psychodynamic approach was done from case studies.
This is a qualitative not quantitative method.
Therefore, the findings cannot be generalised to the public.