Psychodynamic explanations of crime

What are the two psychodynamic explanations for crime?

• Blackburn’s theory of the inadequate superego

• Bowlby’s maternal deprivation theory

According to the inadequate superego theory, what are the three types of inadequate superego?

• Weak

• Deviant

• Over-harsh

Upon which principle does the superego work?

Morality

Who developed the theory of the inadequate superego?

Blackburn

Which part of the tripartite personality would most likely take over if the superego isn’t functioning correctly?

The Id

What is meant by the weak superego?

• The same-sex parent is absent during the phallic stage, so the child cannot internalise a fully-formed superego

• This means there is no opportunity for identification, making immoral or criminal behaviour more likely

What is meant by the deviant superego?

The superego that the child internalises has immoral or deviant values, leading to offending behaviour (e.g. a boy raised by a criminal father is unlikely to associate guilt with wrongdoing)

What is meant by the over-harsh superego?

• The superego the individual internalises is excessively harsh, meaning they are crippled by guilt & anxiety

• This unconsciously drives the individual to perform criminal acts in order to satisfy the superego’s overwhelming need for punishment

Who developed the maternal deprivation hypothesis?

Bowlby

When would deprivation need to occur for there to be long-term & irreversible consequences for the child in later life?

Critical period (2-2.5 years old)

What is a personality type developed from maternal deprivation?

Affectionless psychopathy

What are the characteristics of affectionless psychopathy?

Lack of guilt, empathy & feeling for others

Discuss psychodynamic explanations of offending (16 marks)

Write your AO1 paragraph

• Firstly, one psychodynamic explanation for offending is Blackburn’s inadequate superego theory. The superego works on the morality principle & exerts its influence by punishing the ego through guilt for wrongdoing & rewards it with pride for moral behaviour.

• Blackburn argued that if the superego is inadequate, then criminality is inevitable as the Id would have free rein & not be controlled properly. There are three types of inadequate superego: weak superego (caused by the failure to identify with the same-sex parent), deviant superego (caused by internalising immoral values from a deviant parent) & an over-harsh superego (caused by excessive guilt that unconsciously drives the individual to commit crime to be punished).

• Secondly, another psychodynamic explanation is Bowlby’s maternal deprivation theory, which argues that maternal deprivation during the critical period (age 2-2.5 years) can cause irreversible long-term emotional damage. This may lead to affectionless psychopathy, characterised by a lack of guilt, empathy & feeling for others, increasing the risk of delinquency & criminality.

Discuss psychodynamic explanations of offending (16 marks)

Write your strength AO3 PEEL (real world applications)

• Point: One strength of psychodynamic explanations for offending is that they have real-world applications for crime prevention.

• Evidence: For example, Blackburn’s inadequate superego theory can be applied in parenting classes & adoption practices to help prevent the development of weak, deviant & over-harsh superegos.

• Explain: This suggests that parents can be taught to provide consistent discipline & moral guidance, while Bowlby’s ideas have influenced childcare practices aimed at reducing maternal deprivation.

• Link: Overall, this means that psychodynamic explanations have high theoretical & practical value, as they show how early experiences influence offending & suggest ways to prevent this.

Discuss psychodynamic explanations of offending (16 marks)

Write your strength AO3 PEEL (44 juvenile thieves study)

• Point: One strength of psychodynamic explanations for offending is that there is empirical evidence in support of Bowlby’s maternal deprivation theory.

• Evidence: For example, in the 44 juvenile thieves study, Bowlby found that 14 juveniles had affectionless psychopathy & of these 14, 12 had experienced maternal deprivation.

• Explain: This provides early support for a link between disrupted attachment & later delinquency, suggesting that early experiences can have irreversible long-term, emotional consequences.

• Link: As such, Bowlby’s research increases the validity & credibility of maternal deprivation as an explanation for offending.

Discuss psychodynamic explanations of offending (16 marks)

Write your limitation AO3 PEEL (Osborne & West)

• Point: One limitation of psychodynamic explanations for offending is that Blackburn’s theory relies on unfalsifiable unconscious processes.

• Evidence: For example, Osborne & West found that 40% of the sons of criminal fathers who went on to later offend themselves, may be influenced by genetics or socialisation rather than an internalised deviant superego.

• Explain: There is little evidence that the lack of a same-sex parent increases offending & the concept of an over-harsh superego seems implausible, as offenders often go to great length to conceal their crimes.

• Link: Overall, psychodynamic explanations are regarded as pseudoscientific (they don’t meet Karl Popper’s criteria) & contribute little to our understanding of crime & prevention.