Freud Flashcards
What is the name of Freud’s theory?
Freud’s psychodynamic approach to criminality
What are 3 parts of the mind?
The Id, the ego and the superego
What is the Id?
Focuses on instant gratification, born with it
What is the ego?
It controls the Id’s desires by meeting them in an acceptable way, get it at 2
What is the superego?
It represses the Id’s urges, get at 5
What causes crime?
An inadequate superego
Deviant, underdeveloped, overdeveloped
What is an underdeveloped superego?
It’s when you have an absent same sex parent so you don’t internalize their values
What is a deviant superego?
It’s when you have a criminal same sex parent so you internalize criminal values
What is an overdeveloped superego?
It’s when you have a harsh same sex parent, causing anxiety. You then commit crime to satisfy your need for punishment.
What are the strengths of this theory?
It can be proven though science, each part of Freud’s theory closely relates to different parts of the brain.
It allows us to see any issues from the age of 5, thus allowing us to make intervention policies to prevent crime
What are the weaknesses of this theory?
Freud used his own clients which can be seen as unethical
Freud took drugs that affected his ideas/study so it’s not reliable
It’s based on the unconscious mind so there’s no way to test if it’s accurate
