Psycodynamic Explantions

Question 1

How does the psychodynamic approach explain offending behaviour

Answer 1

Look at influence of early childhood experiences on criminal behaviour later on in life

Question 2

What is the role of the superego

Answer 2

• superego part of personality that deals with morals
• superego is fully developed decided between right and wrong = feeling of guilt
• superego not developed more likely to commit crime not feeling guilt
• shaped by early childhood

Question 3

3 ways superego may not function properly

Answer 3

Deviant superego
- phallic stage child identifies with same same parent to overcome Oedipus complex by adopting behaviour of same sex parent
- same sex parent deviant from properly devoted superego = child adopt this behaviour = commit crime

Overdevelopment superego
- constant feeling of guilt
- crime acts a release mechanism
- only acts as one once criminal as been caught not during crime

Underdeveloped superego
- not developed pro poly between ages 4-6
- impaired ability to feel guilt
- results in impulsive and selfish behaviour = more likely to commit crime

Question 4

ID

Answer 4

Pleasure principle

Question 5

superego

Answer 5

Pleasure principle

Question 6

Ego

Answer 6

Balances out demands

Question 7

What are defence mechanisms

Answer 7

Used by ego to reduced anxiety cause by guilt to weaken Id and superego

Question 8

3 types of defence mechanisms

Answer 8

Displacement
- focus of a strong emotion has shifted from actual target to a neutral target
- eg man murders women as he’s angry at his gf

Sublimation
- a strong Id impulse is expressed in a more socially acceptable way
- eg footballer wanting to kill but gets involved with hooliganism

Rationalisation
- explaining criminal behaviour in rational and acceptable way when it’s actually negative
- eg man nursing pedos as they are bad for society

Question 9

Maternal deprivation hypothesis

Answer 9

• Bowlby used Freudian ideas to developed monotropic theory
• quality of relationship with primary caregiver has a major impact on the personality the child develops in adulthood
• disruption to this relationship = child may acquire negative representation of world and people around them
• difficulty forming healthy relationships
• criminal behaviour

Question 10

Strengths

Answer 10

Research
- Bowlby’s 44 juvenile thief’s and their mothers
- experience of maternal deprivation had an effect on the personality the child developed as an adult
- when delinquent had experienced early separation more likely to become affectionless psychopath = no guilt

Only theory that takes into account emotional factors for offending behaviour
- more complex explanation

Question 11

Weaknesses

Answer 11

Lacks falsifiability
- cannot be tested scientifically
- eg lack empirical research that has tested the relationship between superego and criminal behaviour
- make theory flawed

Only consider the effect of of the mother being absent
- more recent research suggest that while family changes may have effect of offending behaviour in later life not always due to maternal deprivation

Psych Determinist
- assumes if u experience problems or maternal deprivation in early childhood u will become mad criminal not always true
- ignores free will