Psychodynamic explanation of offending

• Psychodynamic Explanation 


  Based on the unconscious and operates on the mind and direct human behaviour and experience
• Issues with the superego linked to offending

  • The superego is usually formed at the end of the phallic stage of development after resolving the Oedipus or Electra complex
  • If the Superego is deficient then offending behaviour is inevitable because the ID is not properly controlled
• What are the 3 types of inadequate superegos identified?

  1. Weak superego
  2. Deviant superego
  3. The over-harsh superego
• Weak Superego

  • Same sex parent is absent during the phallic stage
  • Child cannot internalise a fully formed superego as there is no opportunity for identification
  • Makes offending behaviour more likely
• Deviant Superego

  • The superego the child internalises has immoral values
  • Leads them to committing crimes
  • If a boy is raised by a criminal father then they are also likely to become a criminal
• The over-harsh superego

  • A healthy superego is based on identification with a parent who has firm rules but forgives mistakes
  • An overly harsh parenting style leads to an overly-harsh superego who experiences guilt and anxiety
  • Drives the person to commit crimes to satisfy the superego's need for punishment
• Theory of Maternal Deprivation

  • Forming meaningful relationships in adulthood is dependent upon the child forming a relationship with their primary caregiver within the critical period
  • Failure to do this has damaging consequences
  • One consequence is developing affectionless psychopathy where you have a lack of guilt and empathy for others
  • They are likely to engage in delinquent behaviour
• Bowlby's 44 Juvenile Thieves Study

  • Compared 44 juveniles with a control group
  • Did interviews with thieves and families
  • In the juvenile group 14 showed affectionless psychopathy with 12 of them experiencing early separation
  • In the control group only 2 experienced early separation but none had affectionless psychopathy
• AO3 Psychodynamic: Research Support

  • Freudian style analysis of 10 offenders referred to psychiatric treatment
  • Disturbance in superego formation were identified in all of them
  • Each offender experienced guilt and need for self punishment
  • Support for the over-harsh superego where the need to be punished by superego is fulfilled by the desire to commit crimes
• AO3 Psychodynamic: Gender Bias

  • Freud's theory suggests that girls develop a weaker superego due to not experiencing castration anxiety
  • This would then suggest women would be more prone to offending behaviour than males
  • In the UK there are 20 times more men than women in prisons
  • The gender bias makes Freud's Theory difficult to generalise
• AO3 Psychodynamic: Real World Application

  • Theories on the link between early childhood experiences and later criminality can be applied to reduce crime
  • Freud's ideas can be used to ensure superegos are not under or overdeveloped with parenting classes
  • The idea of maternal deprivation is taken into consideration in adoption care
• AO3 Psychodynamic: Issues with Bowlby's study

  • Bowlby carried out the interviews himself so may suffer from researcher bias
  • The data is correlational as we cannot assume the maternal deprivation is causing the affectionless psychopathy
  • We cannot establish cause and effect