Psychological explanations: Psychodynamic explanations Flashcards
Psychodynamic explanations
a group of theories influenced by Freud
└where unconscious conflicts from early childhood interactions with parents determine future (criminal) behaviour
Psychological explanations: Psychodynamic explanations
parts
Inadequate superego
└Weak superego, Deviant superego, Over-harsh superego
Maternal deprivation theory
Bowlby’s 44 thieves study
Inadequate superego
list
Weak superego
Deviant superego
Over-harsh superego
Inadequate superego
└superego works on morality principle
└punishes ego through gilt for wrongdoing, rewarding it with pride foe moral behaviour
└Blackburn (1993)
└if superego is inadequate, criminal behaviour is inevitable because id is not controlled
└various types of inadequate superego:
Inadequate superego
person
Blackburn (1993)
Maternal deprivation theory
person
Bowlby (1944)
Maternal deprivation theory
└ability to form meaningful relationships in adulthood is dependent on warm continuous relationship with mother figure
└maternal bond= unique and superior
└lack of this can lead to affectionless psychopathy
└(lack of guilt, empathy, emotion)
└=criminal behaviour more likely
Bowlby’s 44 thieves study
person
Bowlby (1944)
Bowlby’s 44 thieves study
procedure and findings
└44 criminal teenagers
└interviewed for signs of affectionless psychopathy- lack of affection/guilt/empathy
└families interviewed to ask about prolonged early separation from mothers
└control group of non-criminal emotionally disturbed people
└14/44 thieves affectionless psychopaths
└12/14 experienced prolonged separation
└5/30 remaining thieves experienced separation
└control group: 2/44 experienced separation
└=early separation/deprivation →affectionless psychopathy
Psychodynamic explanations
limitations
summary
Gender bias - Hoffman (1975)
Contradictory evidence
Methodological issues with Bowlby’s research - Michael Rutter (1981)
Correlation not causation - Hilda Lewis (1954)
Psychodynamic explanations
limitations
Gender bias
└assumption of the theory is that girls develop a weaker superego than boys
└they don’t experience castration anxiety, so are under less pressure to identify with their same sex parent, so their superego (thus their sense of morality) is less fully realised
└=females should be more prone to offending than males
└no statistical evidence to prove this
└e.g. male to female ratio in prison
└Hoffman (1975)
└study where children had to resist temptation
└hardly any gender differences
└if anything girls tended to be more moral than boys
Psychodynamic explanations
limitations
Contradictory evidence
└little evidence that children raised without a same sex parent are less law abiding
└=contradicts Blackburn’s weak superego argument
└if children raised by criminal parents go on to offend
└may be due to genetics or socialisation rather than a deviant superego
└the idea that criminal behaviour reflects an unconscious desire doesn’t seem likely
└as most offenders try to conceal their crimes in an attempt to avoid punishment
Psychodynamic explanations
limitations
Methodological issues with Bowlby’s research
└Bowlby’s 44 thieves study criticised
└researcher bias- supporting research for own theory
└Michael Rutter (1981)
└Bowlby mixed up privation and deprivation
└deprivation= loss of the primary attachment figure after attachment has developed
└privation= failure to form any attachment in the first place
└claimed long term damage more likely to be as result of privation
Psychodynamic explanations
limitations
Correlation not causation
└Hilda Lewis (1954)
└analysed data form 500 young individuals
└found maternal deprivation was a poor predictor of future offending and the ability to form close relationships in adolescence
└correlations doesn’t mean causation (deprivation and offending)
└may be other factors- e.g. genetic factors (biological) or influence of other people (differential association theory)
