personality Flashcards
(28 cards)
what idea does Freud use regarding how children are motivated?
Uses the idea that a small child is inherently motivated by pleasure seeking and self-destructive impulses (Id – immediate gratification of desires)
according to Freud’s idea, what may cause long-term damage for the child growing up?
if the child is raised in a dysfunctional family
when is the superego formed?
formed at the end of the phallic stage (3-6) when children resolve the oepidus complex/ electra complex.
what principle does the superego work on?
Works on the morality principle and punishes ego through guilt for wrongdoing and pride for moral behaviour.
what causes a weak superego?
When the same-sex parent is absent during the phallic stage, we fail to internalize the moral values of the parent
acting in ways to gratify the Id
what are the consequences of a weak superego in terms of the id?
their Id will dictate their behaviour, no longer knowing what’s right and wrong and fulfilling any aggressive/ violent impulses/urges
what did Bowlby argue about forming meaningful relationships in adulthood?
argued that the ability to form meaningful relationships In adulthood was
dependant on the child froming a warm, continuous relationship with a mother-figure.
what would failure to establish this motherly bond mean for the child?
the child will experience consequences later on such as the affectionless psychopathy personality type
what does the affectionless psychopathy personality type mean in terms of criminality?
meaning lack of guilt, empathy and feelings for others
More likely to engage in delinquency
what did Glueck and Glueck conduct
conducted a comprehensive review Compared a group of 18 men and 500, 11-year-old youths to a control group of 500 young people of similar age in institutions for juvenile offenders.
what did Gluck and Gluck show regarding young offenders?
young offenders were 1.5 times more likely to have experienced a distant relationship with his mother. In addition, parenting skills also seemed to have an impact on likelihood of criminal behaviour
what’s an issue with Glueck and Glueck’s data?
Retrospective data – open to distortions, difficult to assess childhood experiences, reliant of self-reported info
what did Healy and Brenner state that criminal acts result from?
stated that criminal acts result from inner unsatisfied desires and dissatisfaction
(ego - Satisfies the id by fulfilling its urges indirectly and symbolically, such as fantasising about violence).
These unsatisfied wishes stem from a failure to experience strong emotional ties with another person, usually a parent.
what does Freud’s explanation suggest that individuals have no control over?
individuals have no control over their offending behaviour
as the defence mechanisms, used by the unconscious mind to reduce anxiety, that cause them to act the way they do
are determined by the egos response to unconscious conflicts
what questions does Freud’s explanation raise with regards to control over free will?
This would mean the individual has no free will with regard to committing offences as they cannot control their unconscious
Raising the question as to whether they should be punished, can be socially sensitive, having negative implications on victims
what does extraversion (E) introversion mean on Eyesenk’s scale?
individuals crave excitement and stimulation, so are prone to engage in dangerous, risk-taking behaviour
what’s an issue with extroverts in terms of criminality?
Tend not to condition easily (learning from mistakes, would not be affected as strongly by punishment as an introvert would.
what does Neuroticism (N) stability mean on Eyesenk’s scale?
individuals are easily agitated and anxious, their general instability means their behaviour is hard to predict
what neurotic behaviours relate to criminality?
more impulsive behaviours, volatile and react strongly to situations
Also effects learning which may relate to difficulty taking on board social rules
what is Psychoticism (P)?
Eyesenk later added another dimension to the criminal type, Psychoticism (P)
seen in people who are self –centered, cold and lack empathy for others
what did Eyesenk develop to determine personality type?
Eyesenk developed the ‘Eyesenk personality questionnaire’ (EPQ), placing respondents along E,N and P dimensions to determine personality type
The criminal type scores highly on all three dimensions
what empirical evidence is there to support existence of a criminal type
Eyesenck’s personality traits in repeat offenders were investigated (133 violent and 180 non-violent males in high-security prison)
according to empirical evidence, what did the criminal thinking ‘style’ correlate with?
Criminal thinking ‘style’ correlated with high psychoticism, neuroticism and extraversion suggesting validity in eyesenck’s theory due to association with recidivism rates.
what is an issue with the empirical evidence according to Farrington’s findings?
However inconclusive as Farrington found little evidence that eyesenck’s questionnaire (EPQ) was and adequate measure for predicting offending in juveniles or adults
