psychodynamic explanation

psychodynamic explanations

a perspective that describes the different forces (dynamics), most of which are unconscious, that operate on the mind and direct human behaviour and experience

role of personality

• the superego is formed at the end of the phallic stage, when children resolve the oedipus complex

• works on the morality principle and punishes the ego using guilt, or rewards it with pride depending on behaviour

Blackburn (1993) inadequate superego

if the superego is inadequate (weak, deviant or over harsh) when the id, governed by the pleasure principle, isn’t properly controlled, may lead to criminal behaviour

types of inadequate superego- the weak superego

• during the phallic stage the superego is formed through resolution of the oedipus or electra complex

• if same sex parent is absent during the phallic stage, a child will not internalise a fully formed superego as they never practiced identification, makes immoral or offending behaviour more likely

types of inadequate superego- the deviant superego

• a child internalises the same sex parents moral attitudes to form their superego

• if these internalised moral attitudes are immoral or deviant this would lead to a deviant superego and can lead to offending behaviour

types of inadequate superego- over harsh superego

• excessively punitive or harsh parenting styles creates a child with an over harsh superego, showing crippling guilt and anxiety

• this may unconsciously drive a need for punishment, so the individual performs criminal acts to satisfy the superegos needs

the role of emotion

• an inadequate superego will allow emotional demands, eg anxiety, to guide behaviour

• psychodynamic approaches focus on the emotional life of the individual and its role in offending, unlike other theories of crime

• eg role of anxiety and guilt in the development of offending behaviour

theory of maternal deprivation- Bowlby (1944)

• argued the ability to form meaningful relationships in later life depends on forming a warm, continuous relationship with mother figure as a child, also crucial to later wellbeing and development

• failure to establish this relationship in infancy or childhood (maternal deprivation) means a child experiences damaging and irreversible consequences

• maternal deprivation is linked to development of a personality type known as affectionless psychopathy, lack of guilt and empathy, more likely to engage in criminal behaviour

44 Juvenile thieves- Bowlby (1944)

• interviewed juvenile thieves and their families

• 14 showed personality and behavioural characteristics classified as affectionless psychopathy

• 12 of those had experienced prolonged maternal separation during the first 2 years of their lives

• in a control group, only 2 had experienced separation

• concluded the effects of maternal deprivation had caused affectionless and delinquent behaviour

strength- research support for link to superego

• Goreta (1991) conducted a Freudian style analysis of 10 offenders referred for psychiatric treatment, in all those assessed, disturbances in superego formation were diagnosed

• each offender experienced the need for punishment manifesting itself as a desire to commit acts as wrongdoing and offend, possibly due to an over harsh superego, they showed unconscious feelings of guilt and self punishment

• this evidence seems to support the role of psychic conflicts and an over harsh superego as a basis for offending

counterpoint of research support for link

• if this theory were correct we’d expect harsh, punitive parents to raise children who often feel guilt, evidence suggests the opposite is true, such children are rebellious with few feelings of guilt or self criticism

• calls into question the relationship between a strong, punitive internal parent and excessive feelings of guilt within the child

limitation- Freudian theory is gender biased

• psychodynamic theory assumes girls develop a weaker superego than boys as they don’t experience castration anxiety so have less pressure to identify with their mothers, should mean women are more likely to offend

• however there are 20x more men than women in prison and Hoffman (1975) found no differences in children’s moral development, when children were required to resist temptation, in some cases girls seemed to be more moral than boys (alpha bias)

• suggests there is alpha bias at the heart of Freud’s theory and means it may not be appropriate as an explanation of offending behaviour

limitation- Bowlby’s theory is based on an association between maternal deprivation and offending

• Lewis (1954) analysed 500 interviews with young people, maternal deprivation was a poor predictor of future offending and the ability to form close, healthy relationships in adolescence

• even if there is a link its not a causal relationship, there are countless other reasons for it, eg maternal deprivation may be due to growing up in poverty, also linked to later offending

• suggests maternal deprivation may be one of the reasons for later offending behaviour, but not the only reason

strength- contribution

• psychodynamic explanations were first to link moral behaviour or offending to early childhood experience and emotional factors, not seen in other theories, now seen as common sense in criminology

• however, unconscious concepts aren’t open to empirical testing, arguments such as the inadequate superego can only be judged on their face value

• suggests although psychodynamic explanations have made a useful contribution to the debate, the lack of credible scientific basis is an issue