freud's psychodynamic theory

• id: the pleasure principle

  the first area of our unconscious personality to develop. It is what drives instinctive, animal-like, selfish and pleasure seeking behaviours. these traits are commonly found in children. however, if the Id is the most dominant part of our personality later in life, individuals will be highly likely to behave impulsively and antisocially which results in criminality.
• superego: the morality principle

  the last area of our unconscious to develop, it is responsible for our conscience, ethics and morals. superego's are developed by internalising the values and behaviours of those who socialise us e.g., parents, friends etc. If the superego is dominant later in life, an individual is likely to feel extreme guilt and anxiety.
• ego: the reality principle

  the part of our personality that is responsible for subsiding the urges and demands of the id and superego, it is the balance between both so neither can dominate our personality. If the ego cannot find a balance e.g., weakened by childhood trauma, then an individuals personality can become unstable which leads to irrational decisions.
• freud's psychodynamic theory

  he used the analogy of an iceberg to describe the mind which is said to be divided into three regions based on depth and accessibility of information. the conscious (visible tip of the iceberg), the preconscious (just below the surface), and the unconscious (vast submerged portion).
• likelihood of engaging in criminal behaviour


  id: an individual will act impulsively and irrationally

  ego: an individual will be moralistic and judgemental when perfection is not achieved

  superego: an individual will struggle to accept change and have a fixed/rigid lifestyle
• 1 strength


  freud's theory explores the innate drives that motivate our behaviour, recognising that past experiences can influence current behaviour.
• 1 strength

  this explanation is one of the earliest to highlight the importance of family structure and socialisation on child development and how this can affect adult behaviours
• 1 weakness


  the theory is reliant on concepts such as the 'superego' that cannot be tested in a specific way. due to this, individuals doubt that this exists making the explanation of criminality flawed.
• 1 weakness


  there are anomalies that the psychodynamic explanation cannot account for, e.g., some people commit crime even though there is no history of crime in their family, as well as those who grow up in a criminal family and do not commit crime themselves.