evaluation for individualistic theories

• strengths of freud's psychodynamic theories

  • highlights importance of early socialisation
  • highlights importance of family relationships
  • influences policy making
• limitations of freud's psychodynamic theories?

  • doubt over existence of unconscious
  • unscientific
  • unobjective
• strengths of bowlby's psychodynamic theories

  • studies show juvenile delinquents have suffered from maternal deprivation
  • shows the importance of relationship between parent and child
• limitations of bowlby's psychodynamic theory

  • study later showed no evidence of criminality in children separated from parents
  • Sammons and Putwain found link link between maternal deprivation and criminality not accepted
  • overestimates childhood affect on the future
  • shows deprivation cannot be the only cause
  • was retrospective as it required accurate recall
• strength for Eysenck's personality theory

  • shows how measurable tendencies could increase the risk of offending
  • studies off support for high E, N and P
• limitations of Eysenck's personality theory

  • correlation between personality type and criminality is not cause and effect
  • lack validity as people lie in self report questionnaires
  • Farrington says prisoners are neurotic and psychotic but not extravert
• strengths of sutherland's learning theory

  • supports the fact that crime runs in family
  • Matthews found that juveniles have more deviant freinds
  • attitudes of work groups can normalise white collar crime
• limitations of sutherland's learning theory

  just because people learn how to commit crime does not mean that they will offend
• strengths of skinner's learning theory

  • shows how animals learn from experience so humans do too
  • Jeffery says if crime has a reward then people will offend
• limitations of skinner's learning theory

  • humans have free will
  • animal studies cannot be used to represent humans
  • ignores mental processes and personal values
• strengths of Bandura's learning theory

  • shows that we are social beings and learn from observing others
  • shows importance of role models
• limitations of Bandura's learning theory

  • not all observed behaviour is easily imitated
  • lab experiment so it is an artificial setting
  • ignores freedom of choice
• strengths of Yochelson and Samenow's cognitive theory

  • stimulated other research
  • cognitive behavioural therapy is a successful treatment
• limitations of Yochelson and Samenow's cognitive theory?

  • no control group
  • unrepresentative
• strengths of Kohlberg's cognitive theory

  • correctly predicts delinquents more likely to have immature moral development
  • Thornton and Reid found that this theory is better for crimes that have reasoning like robbery
• limitations of Kohlberg's cognitive theory

  • focuses on thinking not behaviour