Psychodynamic

• Explain theory of psychoanalysis made by Freud?


  Early childhood experiences determine our personality and future behaviour

  early experiences determine whether we go on to act in anti-social ways
• What does psychodynamic theories suggest about criminal behaviour?


  see personality as driving forces that cause us to act as we do

  • forces = powerful urges, feelings + conflicts within our unconscious mind
  • Criminal behaviour is the result of an individuals failure to resolve those inner conflicts in a socially acceptable way
• How does psychoanalysis theory relate to crime?

  see anti-social behaviour as caused by an abnormal relationship with parents during early socialisation

  • neglect/ strict parenting
  • resulting in weak, over-harsh, deviant superego
• According to Freud what are the 3 elements that make up a humans personality?

  Id

  Ego

  Superego
• What is the ID


  Pleasure principle

  contains powerful, pleasure seeking needs and drives

  Desire to satisfy urges at any cost

  • leads to anti-social and criminal behaviour
• What is the Ego?


  Reality principle - learnt from experience that actions have consequences

  mediator between ID and Superego

  learns that sometimes we may have to repress gratification of the ID’s desires

  In a well adjusted person the ego acts in a way that satisfies the ID’s desires but that is also morally acceptable
• What is the superego?

  Morality principle

  contains conscious moral rules - learnt through interactions with our parents during early socialisation

  Child internalises its parents ideas of right and wrong

  Develops an internal “nagging parent”

  • if we think to act against our superego it will fill us with guilt or anxiety
• What happens when an individual has a deviant superego?

  Child has been successful socialised into a deviant moral code

  • child has a good relationship with his criminal father then internalises his fathers criminal values
  • superego would not inflict guilty feelings on him when he is contemplating criminal acts
• What happens if an individual has a too harsh/ unforgiving superego?

  Craves punishment as a release from feelings

  may engage in compulsive repeat offending in order to be punished
• What happens if an individual has a weakly developed superego?

  will feel less guilt about anti-social actions
• What are the strengths of Freud’s theory?

  importance of early socialisation and family relationships in understanding criminal behaviour

  psychoanalytic explanations have had some influence on policies for dealing with crime and deviance
• What are the limitations of Freud’s Theory?

  doubt of existence of unconscious mind

  unscientific and subjective - rely on accepting the psychoanalyst‘s claim that they can see into the workings of an individuals unconscious mind to discover their inner conflicts + motivations
• What is Bowlby’s maternal deprivation theory?

  Argues there is a link between maternal deprivation and deviant behaviour

  A child needs a close and continuous relationship with his mother from birth to 5 yrs in order to develop normally

  • if broken may leave the child unable to form meaningful relationships with others leading to criminal behaviour
• What is the evidence for Bowlby‘s theory?

  Study of 44 juvenile thieves who had been referred to a child’s guidance clinic

  • found 39% suffered maternal deprivation before the age of 5
  • control group only 5%
• What are the strengths of Bowlby’s theory?

  research showed that more of his sample of 44 juveniles had suffered maternal deprivation than control group

  • shows the need to consider the role of parent-child relationship in explaining criminality
• What are the limitations of Bowlby’s theory?


  retrospective study - delinquents and mothers had to accurately recall past events - problem if they are emotional events

  Researchers now note the idea of the link between maternal deprivation and criminality is no longer widely accepted