Psychological explanations: psychodynamic. Flashcards
Definition of psychodynamic explanations.
perspective describes different forces, most unconscious, operate on mind and direct human behvaiour and experience.
What is a Superego?
Formed at end phallic stage works on morality principle, exerts influence by punishing Ego through guilt for wrongdoing, rewards for good moral behaviour.
What does Blackburn say the affect of the inadequate Superego is?
offending behaviour inevitable because Id given free rain, not controlled.
What are the 3 types of inadequate Superego?
Weak Superego- same gender parent absent in phallic stage, kid can’t internalise fully formed Superego, no opportunity for identification. Make offending more likely.
Deviant Superego- Superego kid internalises has immoral values, lead to offending behaviour. E.g. kid raised by criminal dad unlikely associate guilt with wrongdoing.
Over-harsh Superego- led by overly harsh parenting, crippled by guilt and anxiety- drive to crime to satisfy Superego’s need for punishment.
What is the effect of a weak Superego?
allow emotional demands to guide moral behaviour.
Psychodynamic approach acknowledges role of anxiety and guilt in development of offending behvaiour.
Lack guilt, relevant to understanding offending behaviour.
Describe Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation.
ability form meaningful relationships in adulthood dependent upon upbringing with mother-figure.
Failure to establish relationship- kid experience damaging consequences, e.g. affectionless psychopathy.
Affectionless psychopathy- characterised by lack guilt, empathy for others- engage crime, can’t develop close relationships.
Describe Bowlby’s 44 juvenile thieves study.
interviews with thieves, their families.
14- personality and behavioural characteristics, classified as affectionless psychopathy.
Of 14, 12 experienced prolonged separation from mothers in infancy.
Non-offender group, 2 experienced early separation.
Effects of maternal deprivation caused criminal behaviour among juvenile thieves.
Give a strength of the psychodynamic approach, in terms of research support of a link between offending and Superego.
Goreta- analysed 10 offenders referred for psych treatment.
Diagnosed disturbances in Superego formation.
Experienced unconscious guilt, need self-punishment- consequence of over harsh Superego- manifesting as desire to commit crime.
Evidence supports role psychic conflicts and over-harsh Superego basis for offending.
Counterpoint for a strength of the psychodynamic approach, in terms of research support of a link between offending and Superego.
Central principles of inadequate Superego not supported.
If correct expect harsh parents to raise kids, constantly experience guilt and anxiety- incorrect.
Kochanska- Harsh parents raise rebellious kids, rarely feel guilt/ self-criticism.
Questions relationship between strong parent and guilt within kid.
Give a limitation of Freudian theory, in terms of it being gender-biased.
Freud assumes girls develop weaker Superego than boys because identification with same gender parent not as strong- girls don’t experience intense emotion associated with castration anxiety, less pressure identify with mother.
Superego/ sense morality less established- women inclined to commit crime than men, imprisonment rate says opposite.
Hoffman- study where kids required resist temptation. Found no evidence of gender differences- slight difference (girls more moral).
Suggests alpha bias in Freud’s theory, not appropriate explain offending behvaiour.
Give a limitation of the psychodynamic approach, in terms of Bowlby’s theory only being based on association between maternal deprivation and offending.
Lewis- analysed data from interviews, 500 young pp, found maternal deprivation poor predictor future offending and ability to form close relationships in adolescence.
Link between kids who experienced separation from mothers and offending in later life- not be causal relationship.
Suggests maternal deprivation contribute later offending behaviour
