(Freud’s superego theory) Psychological explanations of crim

• Under developed superego


  if the same-sex parent is absent during the phallic stage, the child is unable to identify with them and internalise their values into their superego. This underdeveloped superego means the ego is less likely to feel guilt and thus more likely to give in to the impulses of the id
• Over developed superego


  If the superego is over-developed, the person may feel excessive guilt. However, rather than making them less likely to commit crime, an over developed superego makes a person more likely to commit crime because of an unconscious desire to be caught and punished in order to alleviate the intense feelings of guilt created by the superego
• Deviant superego


  The child successfully identifies with their same-sex parent and internalises their values into their own superego. However, the same-sex parent's values are deviant, which the child internalises, making them more likely to commit crimes.
• AO3-conflicting evidence

  According to Freud, women have weaker superegos than men. But if this were true, women should commit more crimes than men because women would be more likely to have an underdeveloped superego. However, the opposite is true, which suggests that psychodynamic explanations of criminal behaviour are inaccurate.