Unit 2 - Individualistic theories 2.2 Flashcards
Who came up with the Psychodynamic theory?
Fraud
Psychodynamic
What makes up the tripartite personality?
Id, ego and superego
Psychodynamic
Summarise the id.
Developed at birth
Pleasure principle
Demands instant gratification
Resides in the unconscious mind
Psychodynamic
Summarise the ego.
Developed at 2 years (anal stage)
Reality principle
Demands conflict reduction
Resides in the conscious mind
Psychodynamic
Summarise the superego.
Developed at 5 years (phallic stage)
Morality principle
Demands we do the right thing
Resides in the unconscious mind
Psychodynamic
Why does a weakly developed superego lead to criminal behaviour?
It is unable to keep the ‘id’ in line - children who do not have their same-sex parent present cannot internalise their moral code.
Psychodynamic
Why does an unforgiving superego lead to criminal behaviour?
Makes us feel guilty and thinks about acting out the id’s criminal desires which makes us feel like we should be punished - therefore commit crimes to be caught and punished.
Psychodynamic
Why does a deviant superego lead to criminal behaviour?
The superego is less responsive - if a child’s same-sex parent is immoral, they will go on to develop an immoral set of beliefs.
Psychodynamic
Why does a dominant id lead to criminal behaviour?
Individuals are ruled by their id and therefore seek immediate pleasure and gratification regardless of the cost - these individuals do not pass through the phallic stage successfully.
Psychodynamic
Three evaluations for this theory.
Difficulty associating with testing some of this theory’s concepts - heavily relies on concepts like the unconscious mind whose existence is difficult, if not impossible to prove - does not hand itself to scientific testing so has low validity.
Reduces the complex phenomena of criminality down to just the unconscious mind - too simplistic and unrealistic.
Is deterministic - implies we are controlled by the unconscious mind and if you have an absent parent you will develop a weak superego and you cannot overcome it - is pessimistic and does not align with our CJS that states we are responsible for our actions.
Who came up with the Psychological theory?
Eysenck
Psychological
According to Eysenck, what do all criminals have high levels of?
Extraversion, neuroticism and pyschoticism.
Psychological
What is extraversion?
A measure of how outgoing, sociable and active someone is.
Psychological
Why does extraversion cause criminality?
Because the cerebral cortex is understimulated so those with high levels of extraversion seek out extra stimulation through committing crimes.
Psychological
What is neuroticism?
A measure of how easily agitated and emotionally unstable someone is.
Psychological
Why does neuroticism cause criminality?
Because the limbic system is easily overwhelmed by stressful situations so those with neuroticism act more unstable and react quickly to stress and threat.
Psychological
What is psychoticism?
A measure of how impulsive, aggressive and selfish someone is.
Psychological
Why does psychoticism cause criminality?
Because individuals have high dopamine levels which leads to a lack of empathy and therefore feel no remorse about committing crimes.
Psychological
Three evaluations for this theory.
Ignores individual differences - too simplistic to say that all criminals have the same personality type e.g. someone who spontaneously robs on the street is very different to someone who carefully plans to defraud others - therefore it is wrong to ‘lump together’ the neurotic extrovert personality because it does not suit all criminals.
Research supporting Eysenck’s theory - found criminals scored higher than controls on measures of pyschoticism, neuroticism and extraversion - increases the theory’s credibility as it provides evidence.
Deterministic - states that if you have higher levels of P.E.N you will be a criminal no matter what - ignores free will and our CJS.
Who came up with the Social learning theory?
Bandura
Social learning theory
What does the Social learning theory state?
All behaviour is learned from the environment and learning that occurs in a social context.
Social learning theory
What is observation?
Watching and paying close attention to a role model’s behaviour.
E.g. An individual may observe a criminal steal money from a bank.
Social learning theory
What is imitation?
Copying a role model’s behaviour.
E.g. After observing a criminal steal money from a bank, the person now steals some money from a bank.
Social learning theory
What are role models?
Someone we look up to and identify with.
E.g. A criminal acts as a role model to a person who wants to be ‘cool’ like them.
Social learning theory
What is identification?
When an observer associates themselves with the role model and wants to be like them.
E.g. A person can see themselves in the criminal, if they were both males in their thirties from a working class background.
Social learning theory
What is modelling?
When a role model performs a precise demonstration of a specific behaviour.
E.g. A criminal models the behaviour to a person, then they meticulously plan how to steal some money and go on to execute it perfectly without being caught.
Social learning theory
What is vicarious reinforcement?
Reinforcement that is not directly experienced but occurs through observing someone else being rewarded for a behaviour.
E.g. A person sees a criminal be rewarded by gaining money for committing theft which makes the person want to steal money for the same reward.
Social learning theory
Three evaluations of this theory.
Bobo doll study was conducted in a lab under strict conditions - means it can be easily replicated by other psychologists to see if they get the same results - high credibility
Involved ethical issues - exposed children to aggression with the expectation they would imitate it - children were not protected from harm and could have faced long term consequences.
Deterministic - implies that if you have criminal role models ( e.g. a parent) you will imitate their behaviour no matter what - ignores free will and our CJS.
