Section 5.1: Psychoanalytic Theory – Learning Resources

Section 5.1 Overview

Section 5.1, “Psychoanalytic Theory,” delves into Freud’s groundbreaking contributions to understanding criminal behavior through the lens of psychoanalytic theory. It underscores the role of unconscious mental processes, early childhood experiences, and fundamental drives in shaping behavior, using Freud’s model of the id, ego, and superego to dissect the psychological roots of criminality. This section posits that criminal actions often stem from deep-seated psychological conflicts, providing a unique perspective on the motivations behind criminal acts. By integrating psychoanalytic concepts with criminological analysis, Section 5.1 offers insights into criminal behavior as the manifestation of complex internal struggles, highlighting the importance of psychological factors in comprehensively addressing and understanding criminality.

Section Level Student Learning Outcomes

• SLO 1: Identify Freud’s psychoanalytic model’s role in explaining criminal behavior through the dynamics of the id, ego, and superego.
• SLO 2: Analyze how early childhood experiences in Freud’s psychosexual stages can contribute to criminal tendencies.
• SLO 3: Evaluate the influence of defense mechanisms on criminal impulses as identified by psychoanalytic theory.
• SLO 4: Apply psychoanalytic interpretations to case studies to understand the psychological underpinnings of criminal actions.
• SLO 5: Critique the empirical validity and contemporary relevance of psychoanalytic theory in modern criminology and its integration with other psychological approaches.

Modification History

File Created:  02/15/2024

Last Modified:  02/16/2024

[Contents]

This work is licensed under an Open Educational Resource-Quality Master Source (OER-QMS) License.