Inadequate Superego (Blackburn)

Blackburn (1993)

If superego is somehow deficient or inadequate, criminal behaviour is inevitable because the id is given ‘free rein’ and is not properly controlled.

Weak Superego

• If a same-sex parent is absent during the phallic stage, the child cannot internalise a fully formed superego as they cannot identify

• Results in a reduced sense of guilt and an inability to regulate impulsive desires of the id, resulting in individuals acting on their selfish or aggressive urges e.g. theft or violence

Deviant Superego

• Child identifies with a parent who has criminal values, internalising these morally unacceptable standards

• Likely to engage in criminal behaviour that aligns with their deviant values. May feel guilty if they fail to adhere to these criminal norms, which can explain why some individuals raised in criminal families or subcultures perpetuate criminal behaviour

Over-harsh superego

• Due to harsh or authoritarian parenting, where a child experiences severe punishment and internalises an overwhelming sense of guilt

• Results in guilt reduction - unconsciously seek punishment to alleviate overwhelming internal onflict

• Moral justification - self-loathing drives them to rationalise crimes as deserved, punishment as an outlet for perceived unfairness, consistent with a negative self-image

Research Support (+)

• Goreta (1991): Freudian-style analysis of 10 offenders referred for psychiatric treatment. In those assessed, disturbances in superego formation were diagnosed

• Each offender experienced unconscious feelings of guilt and the need for self punishment. This was explained as a consequence of an over-harsh superego, the need for punishment manifesting itself as a desire to commit acts of wrongdoing and offend

Gender bias (-)

• Claims females are more likely to commit crimes than males as they have an inherently weaker superego

• However, rates of imprisonment show the opposite is true, as about 20 x more men are in prison than women