Psychodynamic theory - Freud
Psychodynamic Theories
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Psychodynamic theories are individualistic theories that focus on how an individuals upbringing can cause them to act in later life.
Most famous of these is Freuds psychodynamic theory, but other theories such as Bowlby's maternal deprivation theory also examines the upbringing
Freud focuses on the unconscious development of personality, focusing on three different concepts of peoples personality. THE ID, EGO AND SUPEREGO
THE ID
ID is the pleasure seeking component of our personality according to Freud, and this develops first in humans
Dominant part of our personality that dictates our wants and desires and is controlled by other aspects of our personality
Desire for satisfaction becomes more balanced with other factors as we get older - social situations and relationships available to us all limit our ability to satisfy needs.
The Superego
The super ego refers to a persons moral code. it is what stops us from doing things that are looked at as wrong
Responsible for our conscience, our morals and our ethics and these often clash with our needs to satisfy our needs.
An overdeveloped superego can lead people to develop extreme anxiety and guilt over actions they commit.
The Ego
The ego balances out the needs for satisfaction and the need to be moral and right
Also referred to as the reality principle, the ego is part of our subconscious that is self aware and grounded
It helps us to understand the consequences of our actions and helps us to satisfy our needs in an appropriate way
How does this cause crime
EVALUATION
The Superego being weakly developed could lead to crime because they wont feel much guilt or anxiety when committing wrongful acts meaning the ID out ways the Superego so people commit more crime
The Superego being overly harsh could lead to crime as it would feel high levels of guilt and therefore commit crimes to be punished
If the Superego was deviant then it could lead to crime as a child may be brought up in a family where crime is committed and normalized leading individuals to get into crime themself
Strengths: Examines how people are persuaded by their parents and explains the role of nurture in criminal behaviour
Has positive application for treatment of criminal behaviours such as positive parenting and psychoanalysis
Weaknesses: The ID, SUPEREGO and EGO cannot be disproven that they exist, therefore not scientific.
Fails to account for crimes committed by individuals that come from balanced family backgrounds