psychodynamic theories Flashcards
(25 cards)
what branch theories are psychodynamic from?
Individualistic
criminal behaviour is the result of an individual’s failure to resolve…
inner urges/conflicts in a socially acceptable way
who is the main person in psychoanalysis?
Freud
what is conscious and unconscious motivation?
conscious - aware of what you are doing and why
unconscious - unaware of why you act the way you do
according to Freud, what is personality governed by?
early childhood experiences
What is our mind?
mainly unconscious - made up of three elements (ego, id, superego)
what are the key features of the id?
100% unconscious, demands immediate gratification, seeks basic desires, animalistic urges
what is the pleasure principle?
seeking of pleasure and avoiding pain to satisfy needs
what are the key features of the superego?
mostly unconscious, weak, ‘nagging parent’, moral conscience
what are the key features of the ego?
mostly conscious, the ‘executive’, reality principle, seeks rational control
what is the reality principle?
ability of the mid to assess the reality of the external world
what is the role of the ego?
to strike a balance between demands of the id and superego
e.g. satisfy urges of id in a moral way
what happens when the id is dominant?
criminality occurs - the mind is unable to control the urges
What is a theory that Freud influenced?
Bowlby’s maternal deprivation theory
what does a child need from its primary carer?
a close, continuous relationship from birth till the age of 5
what happens when maternal attachment is broken?
it can lead to ‘affectionless psychopathy’ and criminal behaviour
what did Bowlby base his theory on?
studied 44 juvenile thieves who’ve been referred to a child guidance clinic. 39% suffered maternal deprivation before the age of 5
what positive contributions did psychodynamic theories have?
pointed in some useful directions for later researchers to follow
what did Blackburn (1993) identify?
the importance of childhood experiences and parent-child relationships
what did Hollin (1989) identify?
many important variables relating to delinquent behaviour in adolescence
psychodynamic explainations have had an influence on…
policies for dealing with crime and deviance on a practical level
why are psychodynamic theories no longer widely accepted?
they rely heavily on concepts e.g. unconscious mind. existence is basically impossible to prove
how are psychodynamic theories NOT useful to prevent crime?
they explain behaviour, but only after it has happened
what does Howitt (2009) say on psychodynamic theories?
very time consuming but not successful at treating offending
