LT9: Psychodynamic Explanations

LT9: Psychodynamic Explanations

1. AO1

   • Monotropy + MDH
     • Prolonged separation between mother and child = lifelong irreversible -ve consequences
       • Monotropic mother bond = Template
       • 1 of these = Affectionless Psychopathy
         • Lack affection/empathy/guilt
           • Easier to act criminally!
             • Don't care/understand feelings of others
               • And have no moral responsibility
     • Separation from mother = ONLY -ve effect if
       • A) Occurs before 2.5 YOs
         • B) No substitute
       • Sensitive to consequences if before 5
     • Child Guidance Clinic
       • Caught stealing
         • Had frequent, prolonged separation from mother
     • 44 Thieves
       • 39% had early separation, compared to 0% of controls
         • 14/44 met criteria for AP
           • Those w/ AP also had highest separation
             • 86% of AP's, Vs 17% of them
               • Early deprivation = Delinquency
   • Inadequate Superego
     • Id = Primitive Wants/Drives
     • Ego = Mediator between impulsive id & Moralistic Superego
     • Superego - Formed at end of phallic, moral principle, causes guilty
     • Roots of offending also found in early period as psyche (id, ego, sup.) are found in same years
     • Blackburn - Deficient Superego = Id has free rein
     • 3 Types
       • 1 - Weak/Underdeveloped Superego
         • Developed due to abnormal relations in family
           • EG Absent same sex parent to resolve complex
         • Results in person with few, if any, instincts against antisocial behaviour
           • Act to gratify id
         • 2 - Deviant Superego
           • A - Superego = Internalisation of same sex parent
             • B - Punishes behaviours parent would find unacceptable
               • C - Normal son raised w/ crim father? Superego doesn't react to acts father would engage in
                 • D - Not associate guilt w/ what others consider 'wrong doing'
           • 3 - Overdeveloped Superego
             • Very anxious/guilty when acting on id
               • Supergo punishes
                 • Commit crimes
                   • Assuage guilty by superego
             • Prevents expression of antisocial impulses
               • Normally, they'd express these via defense mechanisms (EG Aggressive sport)
                 • If superego prevents this, a bottling up effect could happen where it overwhelms the ego

2. AO3

   • Weaknesses
     • P: Gender Bias
       • E1: Women weaker superego cus they don't identify as strongly
         • E2: Freud believed there was little reason for anyone to identify with being a woman due to lower social status
           • L: Alpha bias - Exaggerating differences
             • If Freud was right, we'd see more female convicts than men, but ratio is 1:20
     • P: Methodological issues w/ Bowlby
       • E1: Natural exp, no random allocation, too many EVs for casuality
         • E2: Investigator Effects - Bowlby himself evaluated P's and diagnosed them. Knew own hypothesis, lack ovjective analysis
           • E3: Deprivation V Privation? Sample would've been privated > deprived, uncontrolled EV
             • E4: Small sample size, not appropriate for universal claims, ability to generalise is limited
   • Strengths
     • P: Supporting Evidence
       • E1: Goreta - 10 Offenders, psychiatric treatment showed faulty superego
         • E2: Each offender had unconscious guilt, need to self-punish, overdeveloped superego
           • L: Credibility
             • CP: Central principles of inadequate superego are incorrect. Harsh parents would raise guilty children? No - Kochanska et al suggests opposite is true
               • Homosexual couples? Children can't resolve conflict, right? No, crime rates are the same