the superego is the morality principle. when this is inadequate the id (pleasure principle) has control and offending behaviour may occur as a result
3 types of inadequate superego
weak/underdeveloped
harsh/overdeveloped
deviant
weak/underdeveloped superego
if the same-sex n parent is absent during the phallic stage, the child won’t develop an adequate superego as they didn’t have the opportunity to identify with the aggressor
makes offending behaviour more likely as they have little control over their behaviour
harsh/overdeveloped superego
children with harsh or strict parents will develop an excessively harsh superego - they will feel guilty and offend with a wish to be caught so they feel less guilty
deviant superego
some children grow up with parents who have poor morals or are criminals, so the child’s superego internalises the immoral values so they don’t think offending is wrong
Goreta (1991)
10 offenders without any other psychological conditions completed a psychiatric assessment which was psychodynamic in nature
disturbances in superego formation were diagnosed in all cases and they showed a harsh/overdeveloped superego
