psychodynamic explanation of offending Flashcards
wat is the Superego
works as the morality principle and exerts its influence by punishing the ego through guilt for wrongdoing,
WHO SUGGESTED The dEfiCIENT SUPEReGo
BLACKBURN
WHAT WAS BLACKBURN sAYING
suggested that if the superego is somehow deficient or inadequate then offending behaviour is inevitable because the Id is given free reign and not properly controlled
wat are the 3 types of inadequate superego
- the weak superego
2.the deviant superego - the overhears superego
The weak superego
If the same-gender parent is absent during the phallic stage, a child cannot internalise a fully formed superego as there is no opportunity for identification - this would make immoral or offending behaviour more likely
The deviant superego
If the superego that a child internalises has immoral or deviant values this would lead to offending behaviour - eg a boy raised by a criminal father is not likely to associate guilt with wrongdoing
The overharsh superego
created by an excessively punitive or overly harsh parenting style leads to a child with over-harsh superego who is crippled by guilt and anxiety
- this may unconsciously drive the individual to perform criminal acts in order to satisfy the superegos overwhelming need for punishment
maternal deprivation
Bowlbys 44 thieves
-argued that the ability to form meaningful relationships in adulthood was dependant upon the child forming a continuous relationship with a mother figure
-failure to establish such a relationship during the first few years means a child is likely to experience a number of damaging and irreversible consequences in later life
affection less psychopathy
Methodological concerns
Methodological concerns: Bowlby’s (1944) study took the form of interviews with the subjects. However, this method has been criticised for researcher bias as Bowlby’s own theories and pre-conceived ideas may have influenced the questions he asked and his interpretations of the answers. For example, Bowlby’s expectation that maternal deprivation could cause a child to become a psychopath could have biased him to diagnose children who were separated from their mothers as such. Because of this, Bowlby’s maternal deprivation hypothesis may not be valid.
conflicting evade ce
: According to Freud’s theory, women have weaker superegos than men (because a boy’s fear of being castrated is stronger than a girl’s fear of losing her mother’s love). If this were true, though, this would predict that women commit crimes than men because women would be more likely to have an underdeveloped superego. However, the opposite is true: Men are (on average) more likely to commit crimes than women, which suggests that psychodynamic explanations of criminal behaviour are inaccurate.
unscientific
Science is about what can be observed and measured, but psychodynamic concepts are often impossible to test. For example, Freud’s theories claim that many of the psychological concepts that explain behaviour are below conscious level, which means that even the individual themself can’t observe them! The fact that these concepts can’t be measured or observed means the psychodynamic explanations of criminal behaviour based on these concepts may be unfalsifiable and unscientific.
other factors
: There are many examples of people who experienced maternal deprivation or had an absent same-sex parent who do not go on to become criminals. This suggests that other considerations besides psychodynamic factors (e.g. biology) are needed to fully explain criminal behaviour.
