psychodyamic explanation

• What is the psychosexual development?

  according to Freud...

  a series of stages that children pass through in which pleasure, or gratification, is focused on a particular biological function and body part

  
• What is the main psychosexual stage in offending? And what is it?

  Phallic stage

  - 3-6 yrs

  - complexes can occur

  - oedipus complex

  - at end of phallic stage they develop their superego
• What is Id, Ego, Superego?

  ID: what I want - selfish/sex/aggression

  
  

  EGO: mediator - rational

  
  

  SUPEREGO: the ideals/morals - right/wrong

  - learn from same sex parent

  
  

  (Id outweighs the superego)
• What is the inadequate superego?

  Blackburn (1993)

  If superego isn't developed (problems in phallic stage)

  If superego = inadequate then criminal behaviour is inevitable as Id is given 'free reign' and not properly controlled

  
• What are 3 problems that occur if the superego doesn't develop?

  1) weak superego

  2) deviant superego

  3) over-harsh superego
• What is the weak superego?

  Abnormal relationship w/in family or parent is absent during development of phallic stage

  No opportunity for this identification so cannot internalise a fully formed superego

  This results in more criminal behaviour as would act in ways that gratified their id
• What is the over-harsh superego?

  Excessively over-powerful superego renders a person anxious and guilty most of time, as every time they acted on Id's desires, their superego punishes them for it

  - This = person committing crimes in order to get caught/punished as it satisfies superegos need for punishment
• What is Bowlby's theory of maternal deprivation? (include 44 thieves study)

  Ability to form meaningful relationships in adulthood rely on: close/warm/continuous relationship w/ mother

  Disruption to this relationship damage persons ability to relate to others = 'affection-less psychopathy'

  44 thieves study 15 were labelled affectionless psychopaths and 12/15 of juvenile delinquents experienced disruption to attachments - maternal deprivation / prolonged separation from mother during infancy Compared to 2 of non-delinquent had experienced maternal deprivation.
• What is 1 LIMITATION of the psychodynamic explanation for offending? (PEEL...gender bias)

  Point:

  There's gender bias.

  Evidence:

  Girls don't experience castration anxiety

  Explain:

  Means girls don't have pressure to identify w/ mother, so superego and sense of morality = less recognised.

  Implies females have weaker superegos, so would result in more female offenders.

  However, not supported by evidence (more male offenders than female)

  Link:

  Therefore, suggests the inadequate ego is not a valid reasoning for offending as it doesn't apply to both males and females
• What is 1 LIMITATION of the psychodynamic explanation for offending? (PEEL...falsifiability/testability)


  Point:

  Lacks falsifiability (not testable)

  Evidence:

  many unconscious concepts w/in Freudian theory mean application to crime not open to empirical testing

  Explain:

  Absence of supporting evidence creates arguments such as the inadequate superego, and this can only be judged on their face validity rather than scientific worth.

  So psychodynamic explanation is considered pseudoscientific

  Link:

  Therefore suggests that the theory isn't scientific so weakens the reliability of it as a explanation for offending
• What is 1 LIMITATION of the psychodynamic explanation for offending? (PEEL...Bowlby theory = methodological issues)

  Point:

  Bowlby's maternal deprivation theory has many methodological issues.

  Evidence:

  44 thieves study as supporting evidence for the inadequate superego theory has many flaws

  Explain:

  Accused of researcher bias, preconceptions of what expected to find may influenced responses of interviewees.

  Also failed to draw a distinction between deprivation and privation w/in the research.

  Many of the thieves studied had experienced privation, which many considered to be more damaging than deprivation

  Link:

  Therefore suggests main evidence supporting inadequate superego is not reliable