ASSIGNMENT ON

“CRIMINOLOGY”
Topic: Psychological Explanation of Crime

Course Title: Criminology; Course Code: LLBH 415

Prepared for:
Ms. Fahima Akther
Lecturer
Department of Law
Green University of Bangladesh

Prepared by

Srabani Sharmin
171011002
Department of Law
Green University of Bangladesh

Submission Date: 07-01-2021

Contents
Intelligence and Crime: Explaining The IQ-crime Correlation.................................2
Psychoanalytic theory & Sigmond Freud..................................................................4
Concept of the Mind...............................................................................................5
Conscious Mind.................................................................................................6
Subconscious Mind............................................................................................7
Unconscious Mind.............................................................................................7
Models of the Mind................................................................................................8
Id: Meeting Basic Needs...................................................................................8
Ego: Dealing With Reality................................................................................9
Superego: Adding Morals...............................................................................10
Freud's Psychosexual Stages of Development.....................................................11
Oral Stage (0 to 18 Months)...........................................................................12
Anal Stage (18 Months to 3/4 years)..............................................................13
Phallic Stage (3/4 to 5/6/7 years)....................................................................14
Latency Stage (7 to 12 years)..........................................................................14
Genital Stage (puberty to adult)....................................................................14
Criticisms of Psychoanalytical Theory................................................................16
Conclusion...............................................................................................................17
References...............................................................................................................18

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 Psychological Explanation of Crime

Intelligence and Crime: Explaining The IQ-crime Correlation

Once the IQ-crime correlation is measured, the next task is to explain it. Why are
IQ and crime negatively correlated? Explanations of the IQ-crime correlation
typically take one of three approaches, that: (1) IQ and crime are spuriously, not
causally, correlated; (2) low IQ increases criminal behavior; or (3) criminal
behavior decreases IQ.
A popular argument against IQ as a cause of crime criticizes IQ tests as only
measuring middle-class knowledge and values rather than innate intelligence. As a
result, the observation that some minority groups and the poor score low on IQ
tests simply reflects their diverse cultural backgrounds. These same groups also
commit proportionately more crime because they suffer structural disadvantages
such as poverty and discrimination. Consequently, the same people who score low
on IQ tests also tend to commit more crime, and so IQ and crime are empirically
correlated, thus this correlation is not causal but reflects only culturally biased
testing of intelligence.
A variation of this argument holds that the structural disadvantages that increase
crime rates also reduce educational opportunities thus lessening individuals' ability
and motivation to score well on IQ tests. The IQ-crime correlation occurs only
because they are both rooted in structural disadvantage, which, in statistical terms,
represents a "spurious" correlation.
Although these discrimination hypotheses have wide appeal, they have received
fairly little support in empirical studies, for IQ and crime are significantly
correlated within race and class groups as well as when statistically controlling for
race, class, test-taking ability, and test-taking motivation (e.g., Hirschi and
Hindelang; Lynam et al.).
Another argument against IQ as a cause of crime holds that school teachers and
administrators treat students differently by perceptions of the students' intelligence
—giving negative labels and fewer educational opportunities to less intelligent
students. These labels and constrained opportunities, in turn, produce feelings of
alienation and resentment that lead students to delinquent peers and criminal
behavior (Menard and Morse). As such, society's reaction to intelligence, and not

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any property of intelligence itself, increases criminal behavior. Unfortunately, few
studies have adequately tested this labeling hypothesis.
A final argument against IQ holds that even if all people commit crime with equal
frequency, less intelligent people would be less able to evade detection and would
be arrested more often. This detection hypothesis has received some empirical
support in that IQ scores tend to correlate more strongly with officially recorded
crime than self-reported crime. However, most studies still find a significant
correlation between IQ and self-reported crime, which is not easily explained by
differential police detection (e.g., Moffitt and Silva).
In contrast to the above spurious arguments, some explanations emphasize IQ as a
cause of crime. The earliest causal explanation, popular during the early 1900s,
portrayed criminals as so "feebleminded" and "mentally deficient" that they could
neither distinguish right from wrong nor resist criminal impulses. This
feeblemindedness hypothesis, however, lost favor long ago as it became clear that
few criminals are actually mentally deficient and most recognize, though may not
follow, behavioral norms (Moffitt et al.).
A more recent, and more compelling, causal explanation emphasizes the
importance of intelligence—especially verbal intelligence—during childhood
socialization. The socialization of children involves constant verbal
communication and comprehension of abstract symbols; therefore, children with
poor verbal and cognitive skills have greater difficulty completing the socialization
process, which puts them at risk of under controlled, antisocial behavior. Empirical
studies overall have supported this developmental hypothesis (Moffitt, p. 116), and
it fits with the especially strong correlation between verbal IQ and crime.
A final causal explanation links IQ to crime through school performance. Less
intelligent students do less well in school, which results in academic frustration.
This frustration, in turn, weakens their attachment and commitment to schooling,
and a weakened bond to school, as per social control theory, allows for more
criminal behavior (Hirschi and Hindelang). This school-performance hypothesis
has received strong support from empirical studies, and it is probably the most
widely accepted explanation of the IQ-crime correlation (Moffitt).

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Psychoanalytic theory & Sigmond Freud

Psychoanalytic theory is the theory of personality organization and the dynamics of

personality development that guides psychoanalysis, a clinical method for treating
psychopathology. First laid out by Sigmund Freud in the late 19th century,
psychoanalytic theory has undergone many refinements since his work.
Psychoanalytic theory came to full prominence in the last third of the twentieth
century as part of the flow of critical discourse regarding psychological treatments
after the 1960s, long after Freud's death in 1939. Freud had ceased his analysis of
the brain and his physiological studies and shifted his focus to the study of the
mind and the related psychological attributes making up the mind, and on
treatment using free association and the phenomena of transference. His study
emphasized the recognition of childhood events that could influence the mental
functioning of adults. His examination of the genetic and then the developmental
aspects gave the psychoanalytic theory its characteristics. Starting with his
publication of The Interpretation of Dreams in 1899, his theories began to gain
prominence.

Psychoanalytic and psychoanalytical are used in English. The latter is the older
term, and at first simply meant 'relating to the analysis of the human psyche'. But
with the emergence of psychoanalysis as a distinct clinical practice, both terms
came to describe that. Although both are still used, today, the normal adjective is
psychoanalytic.

Psychoanalysis is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as,

A therapeutic method, originated by Sigmund Freud, for treating mental disorders

by investigating the interaction of conscious and unconscious elements in the
patient's mind and bringing repressed fears and conflicts into the conscious mind,
using techniques such as dream interpretation and free association. Also: a system
of psychological theory associated with this method.

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Through the scope of a psychoanalytic lens, humans are described as having sexual
and aggressive drives. Psychoanalytic theorists believe that human behavior is
deterministic. It is governed by irrational forces, and the unconscious, as well as
instinctual and biological drives. Due to this deterministic nature, psychoanalytic
theorists do not believe in free will.

Concept of the Mind

Understanding the human mind is at the core of psychoanalytic theory. Since the
introduction of the theory of Sigmund Freud in the early 1900’s and despite the
many advancements in the study of psychoanalytic theory Freud’s basic thoughts
retain a strong hold on the shaping of views regarding the theory of the human
mind.

At the center of Freud’s theory are psychopathologies that result in a mental illness
within a subject. It is Freud’s premise that within the human mind is contained in
three levels of awareness or consciousness. It is the introduction of these
psychopathologies that affect people, thus requiring more than simply talking
about them. The effective treatment of these deep seated psychopathologies is
psychoanalysis.

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In the illustration below is Freud’s division of these three levels and the estimated
usage of each level. They are the conscious, subconscious, and unconscious.
Working together they create our reality.

Although acceptance of Freud’s psychoanalytical theory has ebbed and flowed

over time few professionals would suggest dismissing it. Within it is a model or
concept that has withstood the many tests of time.

Conscious Mind

Since consciousness is best understood as having an awareness of something,

being able to call it to mind, it would seem simple enough to qualify only those
events we can recall as the activities of the human mind.

There are two challenges to this view. First, there is the estimate that only about
10% of the minds work is made up of conscious thought and secondly, this view
does not explain those random events created within the mind.

The two functions that the capabilities of the conscious mind can address are:

 Its ability to direct your focus.

 Its ability to imagine that which is not real
While an important partner in the triad of the human mind, the conscious mind
serves as a scanner for us. It will perceive an event, trigger a need to react, and
then depending on the importance of the event, store it either in the unconscious or
the subconscious area of the human mind where it remains available to us.

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Subconscious Mind

Your subconscious is the storage point for any recent memories needed for quick
recall, such as what your telephone number is or the name of a person you just met.
It also holds current information that you use every day, such as your current
recurring thoughts, behavior patterns, habits, and feelings.

The workhorse of the mind/body experience Freud’s subconscious mind serves as

the minds random access memory (RAM). “Thus the unconscious mind can be
seen as the source of dreams and automatic thoughts (those that appear without any
apparent cause), the repository of forgotten memories (that may still be accessible
to consciousness at some later time), and the locus of implicit knowledge (the
things that we have learned so well that we do them without thinking).”

Unconscious Mind

The unconscious mind is where all of our memories and past experiences reside.
These are those memories that have been repressed through trauma and those that
have simply been consciously forgotten and no longer important to us (automatic
thoughts). It’s from these memories and experiences that our beliefs, habits, and
behaviors are formed.

A review of the earlier illustration shows the unconscious, sitting a layer deeper in
the mind under the subconscious. Although the subconscious and unconscious has
direct links to each other and deal with similar things, the unconscious mind is
really the cellar, the underground library if you like, of all your memories, habits,
and behaviors. It is the storehouse of all your deep seated emotions that have been
programmed since birth.

Freud’s psychoanalytic theory teaches that it is here, in the unconscious mind that
necessary change can occur through the use of psychoanalysis.

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Models of the Mind

The id, ego, and superego are names for the three parts of the human personality
which are part of Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic personality theory. According to
Freud, these three parts combine to create the complex behavior of human beings.
Let's look at several examples of id, ego, and superego.

Id: Meeting Basic Needs

The id is the most basic part of the personality. It also represents our most
animalistic urges, like the desire for food and sex. The id seeks instant gratification
for our wants and needs. If these needs or wants are not met, a person can become
tense, anxious, or angry.

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Sally was thirsty. Rather than waiting for the server to refill her glass of water, she
reached across the table and drank from Mr. Smith's water glass, much to his
surprise.
A hungry baby cried until he was fed.
A toddler who wanted another helping of dessert whined incessantly until she was
given another serving.
In line at the salad bar, Amy was so hungry that she shoved a handful of croutons
in her mouth as she waited for the line to move.
Bart was stuck in traffic. He just wanted his vehicle to move! Enraged at the
situation, Bart pulled his car onto the shoulder and sped forward, not caring that he
was clipping people's side mirrors as he tried to get ahead of the cars in front of
him.

Ego: Dealing With Reality

The ego deals with reality, trying to meet the desires of the id in a way that is
socially acceptable in the world. This may mean delaying gratification and helping
to get rid of the tension the id feels if a desire is not met right away. The ego
recognizes that other people have needs and wants too, and being selfish isn't good
in the long run.

Sally was thirsty. However, she knew that her server would be back soon to refill
her water glass, so she waited until then to get a drink, even though she really just
wanted to drink from Mr. Smith's glass.
In line at the salad bar, Amy really wanted to shove a handful of croutons into her
mouth. However, since her boss was there, she decided to wait another minute or
two until she sat down to eat.
Mary really wanted to borrow her mom's necklace, but knew her mom would be
angry if she took it without asking, so she asked her mom if she could wear it.

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Hillary was so sweaty after her workout that she wanted to change her clothes right
there by the car. However, she knew the other people around her would not
approve, so she waited until she was in the restroom to change.
Tim really wanted to slug Mark for what he had just said. However, Tim knew if
he hit Mark, he would be kicked off the baseball team, and since he loved baseball,
he unclenched his fists and walked away.

Superego: Adding Morals

The superego develops last, and is based on morals and judgments about right and
wrong. Even though the superego and the ego may reach the same decision about
something, the superego's reason for that decision is based more on moral values,
while the ego's decision is based more on what others will think or what the
consequences of an action could be on the individual.
Sarah knew she could steal the supplies from work and no one would know about
it. However, she knew that stealing was wrong, so she decided not to take anything
even though she would probably never get caught.
Maggie couldn't remember the answer to test question #12, even though she had
studied. Nate was the smartest kid in the class, and from where Maggie sat, she
could see his answers if she turned her head slightly. When Mrs. Archer turned her
back, Maggie almost cheated, but her conscience stopped her because she knew it
was wrong. Instead, Maggie took a guess at the answer and then turned in her
paper.
The cashier only charged the couple for one meal even though they had eaten two.
They could have gotten away with only paying for one, but they pointed out the
cashier's mistake and offered to pay for both meals. They wanted to be honest and
they knew that the restaurant owner and employees needed to make a living.
On the playground, two kids were making fun of Joseph because he wore glasses.
John was tempted to join in so that he could make himself look good, but when he
thought about how bad Joseph must already feel, he knew that he couldn't.
Will had worked hard all season to break the school record in cross-country.
During his last race, he had the opportunity to cut a corner and therefore lower his
time, because no officials were watching that part of the course. As much as he

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wanted to break the school record, Will knew he wouldn't feel good about himself
if he cheated, so he stuck to the course and ran as fast as he could.

Freud's Psychosexual Stages of Development

Freud proposed that personality development in childhood takes place during five
psychosexual stages, which are the oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital stages.
During each stage sexual energy (libido) is expressed in different ways and
through different parts of the body.

These are called psychosexual stages because each stage represents the fixation of
libido (roughly translated as sexual drives or instincts) on a different area of the
body. As a person grows physically certain areas of their body become important
as sources of potential frustration (erogenous zones), pleasure or both.

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Freud (1905) believed that life was built round tension and pleasure. Freud also
believed that all tension was due to the build-up of libido (sexual energy) and that
all pleasure came from its discharge.

In describing human personality development as psychosexual Freud meant to

convey that what develops is the way in which sexual energy of the id accumulates
and is discharged as we mature biologically. (NB Freud used the term 'sexual' in a
very general way to mean all pleasurable actions and thoughts).

Freud stressed that the first five years of life are crucial to the formation of adult
personality. The id must be controlled in order to satisfy social demands; this sets
up a conflict between frustrated wishes and social norms.

The ego and superego develop in order to exercise this control and direct the need
for gratification into socially acceptable channels. Gratification centers in different
areas of the body at different stages of growth, making the conflict at each stage
psychosexual.

Oral Stage (0 to 18 Months)

In the first stage of psychosexual development, the libido is centered in a baby's

mouth. During the oral stages, the baby gets much satisfaction from putting all
sorts of things in its mouth to satisfy the libido, and thus its id demands. Which at
this stage in life are oral, or mouth orientated, such as sucking, biting, and
breastfeeding.

Freud said oral stimulation could lead to an oral fixation in later life. We see oral
personalities all around us such as smokers, nail-biters, finger-chewers, and thumb
suckers. Oral personalities engage in such oral behaviors, particularly when under
stress.

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Anal Stage (18 Months to 3/4 years)

During the anal stage of psychosexual development the libido becomes focused on
the anus, and the child derives great pleasure from defecating. The child is now
fully aware that they are a person in their own right and that their wishes can bring
them into conflict with the demands of the outside world (i.e., their ego has
developed).

Freud believed that this type of conflict tends to come to a head in potty training, in
which adults impose restrictions on when and where the child can defecate. The
nature of this first conflict with authority can determine the child's future
relationship with all forms of authority.

Early or harsh potty training can lead to the child becoming an anal-retentive
personality who hates mess, is obsessively tidy, punctual and respectful of
authority. They can be stubborn and tight-fisted with their cash and possessions.

This is all related to pleasure got from holding on to their faeces when toddlers,
and their mum's then insisting that they get rid of it by placing them on the potty
until they perform!

Not as daft as it sounds. The anal expulsive, on the other hand, underwent a liberal
toilet-training regime during the anal stage.

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In adulthood, the anal expulsive is the person who wants to share things with you.
They like giving things away. In essence, they are 'sharing their s**t'!' An anal-
expulsive personality is also messy, disorganized and rebellious.

Phallic Stage (3/4 to 5/6/7 years)

The phallic stage is the third stage of psychosexual development, spanning the ages
of three to six years, wherein the infant's libido (desire) centers upon their genitalia
as the erogenous zone.

The child becomes aware of anatomical sex differences, which sets in motion the
conflict between erotic attraction, resentment, rivalry, jealousy and fear which
Freud called the Oedipus complex (in boys) and the Electra complex (in girls).

This is resolved through the process of identification, which involves the child
adopting the characteristics of the same sex parent.

Latency Stage (7 to 12 years)

The latency stage is the forth stage of psychosexual development, spanning the
period of six years to puberty. During this stage the libido is dormant and no
further psychosexual development takes place (latent means hidden).
Freud thought that most sexual impulses are repressed during the latent stage, and
sexual energy can be sublimated towards school work, hobbies, and friendships.

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Much of the child's energy is channeled into developing new skills and acquiring
new knowledge, and play becomes largely confined to other children of the same
gender.

Genital Stage (puberty to adult)

The genital stage is the last stage of Freud's psychosexual theory of personality
development, and begins in puberty. It is a time of adolescent sexual
experimentation, the successful resolution of which is settling down in a loving
one-to-one relationship with another person in our 20's.

Sexual instinct is directed to heterosexual pleasure, rather than self-pleasure like

during the phallic stage.

For Freud, the proper outlet of the sexual instinct in adults was through
heterosexual intercourse. Fixation and conflict may prevent this with the
consequence that sexual perversions may develop.

For example, fixation at the oral stage may result in a person gaining sexual
pleasure primarily from kissing and oral sex, rather than sexual intercourse.

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Criticisms of Psychoanalytical Theory

Orthodox Freudian psychoanalysis was challenged in the 1920s by Otto Rank,

Sandor Ferenczi, and Wilhelm Reich; later, in the 1930s, by Karen Horney, Erich
Fromm, and Harry Stack Sullivan. These critics of Freud stressed the interpersonal
aspect of the analyst-patient relationship (transference), and placed more emphasis
on the processes of the ego. Despite a number of detractors and a lack of controlled
research, Freudian psychoanalysis remained the most widely used method of
psychotherapy until at least the 1950s.
Today, Freud's method is only one among many types of psychotherapy used in
psychiatry. Many objections have been leveled against traditional psychoanalysis,
both for its methodological rigidity and for its lack of theoretical rigor. A number
of modern psychologists have pointed out that traditional psychoanalysis relies too
much on ambiguities for its data, such as dreams and free associations. Without
empirical evidence, Freudian theories often seem weak, and ultimately fail to
initiate standards for treatment.
Critics have also pointed out that Freud's theoretical models arise from a
homogeneous sample group—almost exclusively upper-class Austrian women
living in the sexually repressed society of the late 19th cent. Such a sample, many
psychologists contend, made Freud's focus on sex as a determinant of personality
too emphatic. Other problems with traditional psychoanalysis are related to Freud's
method of analysis. For Freudian analysis to reach its intended conclusions, the
psychoanalyst required frequent sessions with a client over a period of years:
today, the prohibitive costs of such methods compels most to seek other forms of
psychiatric care.

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Traditional psychoanalysis involved a distancing between therapist and client—the
two did not even face each other during the sessions. In recent years, many clients
have preferred a more interactive experience with the therapist. The subject matter
of Freudian analysis has also fallen into disuse, even among those who still
practice psychoanalysis: early childhood receives much less emphasis, and there is
generally more focus on problems the client is currently experiencing. By the early
21st cent., various kinds of psychoanalysis continued to be practiced, but the
theory and practice of psychoanalysis was increasingly overshadowed by cognitive
psychology and discoveries in neurobiology.

Conclusion

The Psychoanalytic Theory has made many contributions in the world of

criminology especially in the policy implications in recent years. There are
criticisms to every theory just as there are for this one. It is very rare that there is
an anonymous agreement on every aspect of a theory.
Even though there are fallacies in this theory there are other many great aspects
that have helped develop and spark ideas for other great theories. Hopefully one
day we will have enough information to be able to prevent these criminals from
acting before the crime is committed. Until then we have many theories to think
about and the policy implications that can possibly help prevent future crimes from
being committed
Psychoanalytic theory is a major influence in Continental philosophy and in
aesthetics in particular. Freud is sometimes considered a philosopher. The
psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan, and the philosophers Michel Foucault, and Jacques
Derrida, have written extensively on how psychoanalysis informs philosophical
analysis.
When analyzing literary texts, the psychoanalytic theory could be utilized to
decipher or interpret the concealed meaning within a text, or to better understand
the author's intentions. Through the analysis of motives, Freud's theory can be used
to help clarify the meaning of the writing as well as the actions of the characters
within the text.

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The id, ego and superego work together to create human behavior. The id creates
the demands, the ego adds the needs of reality, and the superego adds morality to
the action which is taken.
Even though each of these elements make up human behavior, they also constitute
some of our favorite characters in the books we read. Take a look at this list of
character trait examples to see what you'd like to incorporate in your next short
story or novel.

References

 Criminology by Monjur Kader

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychoanalytic_theory
 https://criminology.fandom.com/wiki/Psychoanalytic_Theory#:~:text=Sigm
und%20Freud%20founded%20psychoanalytic%20theory,theory%20is
%20the%20unconscious%20mind.&text=The%20Biological%20Theory
%20is%20focused,are%20predestined%20to%20commit%20crimes.
 https://www.encyclopedia.com/psychology/dictionaries-thesauruses-
pictures-and-press-releases/criminology-and-psychoanalysis
 https://www.simplypsychology.org/unconscious-mind.html
 https://www.ukessays.com/essays/criminology/freud-eysenck-crime.php
 https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-conscious-mind-
2794984#:~:text=In%20Sigmund%20Freud's%20psychoanalytic
%20theory,everything%20inside%20of%20our%20awareness.&text=While
%20we%20are%20unaware%20of,an%20influence%20on%20our
%20behavior.
 http://journalpsyche.org/understanding-the-human-mind/

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