2.2 Psychodynamic Theories of Criminality

• Theory of MD


  - psychodynamic theory of criminality created by psychologist Bowlby

  - he theorised that there was a critical period in which children needed to form and maintain an attachment with their mother or mother figure for healthy emotional development.

  - this had to be done within the first three years of a childs life.

  - he argued that frequent or prolongued seperations would result in the attachment breaking down.

  - this would cause permanent and irreversible emotional damage which would lead to affectionless psychopathy (no guilt or remorse for criminal behaviour) and low iq

  - they would then have an increased likelihood of criminality.

  - low iq could mean they struggle in school and would leave with poor qualifications and would have to commit crime to survive and make a living
• Bowlby's study of the 44 thieves


  - studies 44 juvenile thieves and compared them to 44 non juveniles

  - affection less psychopathy was only found in the juvenile group

  - this suggests AP may lead to offending

  - 12 reported separations from caregivers so suggesting AP was due to maternal deprivation.
• Evaluation


  + study of 44 thieves supports the theory

  - criticised for reasons including:

  —> the data was obtained through interviews which could be distorted through the social desirability bias

  —> criminals may not be the most honest group to interview, and may try to shift the blame onto their mothers or childhood.

  —> the study used retrospective data meaning the data gathered may be incorrectly remembered making it invalid

  - opposing data for the theory: lewis 1954: analysed data from 500 young people and found MD was a poor predictor of future offending.

  + has made a positive contribution to criminal psychology. Researchers have pointed to the importance of childhood experiences and parent child relationships as an influence on offending e.g Blackburn.
• What is the superego?


  - The superego, or the morality principle, is the moral part of the perosnality.

  - It wants us to maintain a moral standard of behaviour and sets the standard.

  - It punishes us with guilt when we do not meet this.

  - It comes from identification with the same sex parent.

  - If this doesnt develop properly, then this can often lead to criminality.
• Weak superego

  Why does this superego develop?

  - this is caused by absent or unloving parents.

  - identification is disrupted or absent which in turn leads to a weak superego.

  How does this superego lead to crime?

  - if it does not develop properly, it becomes weak and cannot balance the demands of the ID

  - personality is ruled by the ID and gives into the selfish demands.

  - this causes crime as the superego is overpowered and crime is due to the selfish and impulsive wishes of the id.
• Deviant superego

  Why does this superego develop?

  - this develops through identification with a deviant same sex parent.

  - the superego reflects standards of the same sex's parent.

  - we internalise their attitudes and behaviour through identification.

  How does this superego lead to crime?

  - if the parent has deviant attitudes, we will then have deviant attitudes .

  - this leads to crimes due to a lack of appropriate morals and not knowing how to behave correctly.
• Harsh superego

  Why does this superego develop?

  - develops as a result of strict and punitive parenting.

  - it upholds a very high standrard of behaviour to meet and punishes the individual with lots of guilt if they fail to meet it.

  How does this superego lead to crime?

  - the individual would feel guilty often and need punishment.

  - they would give into the overpowering desires of the ID and seek punishment.

  - they would commit crime with a wish to be caught so that the punishment could reduce their feelings of guilt.
• Evaluation - impulsivity


  - a problem of freuds theory of offending is that it suggests crimes are a consequence of impulsivity and impulsive desires of the ID.

  - this is a problem as it fails to account for crimes that are planned and require patience and meticulous organisation, such as fraud.

  - these cannot be explained as a result of immediate gratification

  - this is only a half explanation.
• evaluation - determinism


  - is deterministic

  - the cause is childhood events that create permanent damage in the adult personality.

  - the permanence of this means that the individual cannot exercise free will to stop being a criminal and would not take responsibility for their crimes, believing it is inevitable.

  - this means we are unable to prevent offending in society and raises a socially sensitive implications for now these individuals should be managed within society.