UNIVERSITY OF KARACHI

Psychological perspective
of Crime
An insight on the theory of Freud

Course No: CRI-632

Farah Khan, Muhammad Bilal Rashid, Asim Ul Islam, Hafiz Sarmad and Muhammad Umair
6/20/2018

An Assignment Submitted to Mr. Prof. Dr. GM Burfat

2

Introduction
Criminology is the study of crime and crime causation, in a nut shell this branch
of sociology focuses on the factors or so to say elements which formulate human
behavior in such a manner that could be at later stage termed as delinquent, and thereafter
it examines that behavior and causes of it.

The academic definition of the subject is more complex, its states that it is a
scientific study of crime as a social phenomenon, of criminals and penal treatment 1. The
perspective of viewing human delinquent behavior are various in number, each
perspective carries different theories within. In this Assignment the authors have made an
attempt to examine the psychological perspective of criminology with in depth study of
Freuds theory of psychoanalysis.

Definition of Crime, Criminology and Criminal Behavior:

Theories of Crime:

There is no one cause of crime, crime is a highly complex phenomenon that

changes across cultures and across time.
Biological Theories of crime: Biological explanation of crime assume that some people
are "born criminals" who are physiologically distinct from non-criminals. The most
famous proponent of this approach is Cesare Lombroso.
Sociological Theories of crime: Scoiological approaches suggest that crime is shaped by
factors external to the individual: their experiences within the neighborhood, the peer
group and the family.
The Chicago School/Social Disorganization Theory: Social disorganization theory grew
out of research conducted by sociologists at the University of Chicago in the 1920s and
1930s. It key proponents were Clifford R. Shaw and Henry D. McKay, who used spatial
mapping to exmaine the residential location of juveniles referred to court. Shaw and
McKay found that patterns of delinquency were higher in areas characterized by poor
housing, poor health, socio-economic disadvantage and transient populations.
Anomie/Strain Theory: Anomie is a concept developed by one of the founding fathers of
sociology, Emile Durkheim, to explain the breakdown of social norms that often
accompanies rapid social change.
Subcultural Theory:Linked to anomie and strain are concepts of status frustration and
differential opportunity, which North American subcultural theorists used to explain the
delinquent activities and disadvantaged group in the 1950s and 60s.

1
Merriam Webster
3

Social Control Theory: Strictly speaking control theory does not address the causes of
crime, but rather focuses on why people obey the law. It explains conformity rather than
deviance. The Key components of social bonds are;
Attachment: The stronger the attachment and the stronger the expectations, the more
likely it is that the individual will conform.
Commitment: The more an individual commits his/herself to a particular lifestyle, the
more he/she has to lose if she/he becomes involved in crime.
Involvement: This Component comes down to time-the more time the individual spends
engaging in law abiding behavior, the less time he/she has to engage in law breaking
behavior.
Belief: This relates to upbringing, if an individual has been brought up to be law abiding,
they are less likely to becomes involved in crime.
Right Realism/Rational Choice Theory: This branch of criminology sees individuals are
rational actors: individuals are capable of making their own choices, which includes
choosing to commit crime.

Psychological perspective:

Theories of crime and delinquency tend to use either macro or mirco level of
analysis. Typically, the field of sociology has addressed crime and delinquency at the
macro level, primarily looking for societal and environmental influences that lead to
criminal behavior. Psychological theories tend to address crime and delinquency at the
individual level, primarily identifying individual differences that lead to criminal
behavior.2

Some psychological theorist attempt to provide a framework for identifying the

correlational relationships between psychological variables (pathology) within a person
and that person's delinquent behavior while others attempt to understand contingencies
responsible for maintaining non-confirming behavior labeled deviant. The psychological
understanding of the term deviance is that it is considered as ways which person has
learned, of coping with environmental and self-imposed demands3.

There are several fundamental assumptions, that are common for all the
psychological approaches to criminal behavior. There are the following;
 The individual is the primary unit of analysis.
 Personality drives behavior within individuals, because it is major motivational
element.

2
Psychological Theories of Crime and Delinquency, Megan Moore, School of Social Welfare, University of California
at Berkeley, California, USA, 2011
3
Principles of behavior modification, Bandura, A, Holt, Rinechart and Winston (1969)
4

 Crime can result from abnormal, dysfunctional or inappropriate mental processes

within the individual's personality.
 An individual may have purpose of criminal behavior if it addresses certain felt
needs.
 Normality is generally defined by social consensus, that is, what is considered as
"typical" "normal" or "acceptable" by the majority of individuals in a certain
social group.
 Defective or abnormal, mental processes may be caused by a variety of factors
such as diseased mind, inappropriate learning or improper conditioning, the
emulation of inappropriate role models, and adjustment to inner conflicts.

The psychological perspective of crime mainly includes;

a) The psychodynamic perspective
b) Behavioral Theory
c) Cognitive Theory
d) Personality Theory
a) The Psychodynamic Perspective:
This perspective is largely based on the groundbreaking ideas of Sigmund Freud.
Freud thought that human behavior, including violent behavior, was the product of
"unconscious" forces operating within a person's mind. Freud also felt that early
childhood experiences had a profound impact on adolescent and adult behavior. It is
interesting to note that Freud did not theorize much about crime and violence. The
psychoanalyst who is perhaps most closely associated with the study of criminality of
August Aichorn. He felt that exposure to stressful social enviornments did not
automatcially produce crime and violence, he stressed that most people exposed to
extreme stress and do not engage in serious forms of criminality. Aichorn felt that stress
only produced crime in those who had a particular mental state known as latent
delinquency. Latent delinquency, according to him, results from inadequate childhood
socialization and manifests itself in the need for immediate gratification (impulsivity) a
lack of empathy for others, and inability to feel guilt. 4

b) Behavioral Theories:
Behavior theory maintain that all human behavior -including violent behavior- is
learned through interaction with social environment. Behaviorist argue that people are not
born violent disposition. Rather, they learn to think the act violently as a result of their
day to day experiences5. These experiences, proponents of the behaviourist tradition
maintain, might include observing friends or family being rewarded for violent
behaviour, or even observing the glorification of violence in the media. Studies of family

4
Wayward Youth, Aichorn, Viking Press, New York 1935
5
Social Learning Theory, Albert Bandura, Englewood Cliffs, Prentice-Hall 1977
5

life, for example, show that aggressive children often model the violent behaviors of their
parents. Studies have also found that people who live in violent communities learn to
model the aggressive behavior of their neighbors6.
Behavioral theorists have argued that the following four factors help produce violence:
1) a stressful event or stimulus – like a threat, challenge or assault – that heightens
arousal;
2) aggressive skills or techniques learned through observing others;
3) a belief that aggression or violence will be socially rewarded (by, for example,
reducing frustration, enhancing self-esteem, providing material goods or earning the
praise of other people); and
4) a value system that condones violent acts within certain social contexts.7

c) Cognitive Theory:
Cognitive theorists focus on how people perceive their social environment and
learn to solve problems. The moral and intellectual development perspective is the branch
of cognitive theory that is most associated with the study of crime and violence. Piaget
(1932) was one of the first psychologists to argue that people’s reasoning abilities
develop in an orderly and logical fashion. He argued that, during the first stage of
development (the sensor-motor stage), children respond to their social environment in a
simple fashion by focusing their attention on interesting objects and developing their
motor skills. By the final stage of the development (the formal operations stage), children
have developed into mature adults who are capable of complex reasoning and abstract
thought. Kohlberg applied the concept of moral development to the study of criminal
behavior. He argued that all people travel through six different stages of moral
development. At the first stage, people only obey the law because they are afraid of
punishment. By the sixth stage, however, people obey the law because it is an assumed
obligation and because they believe in the universal principles of justice, equity, and
respect for others. In his research, Kohlberg found that violent youth were significantly
lower in their moral development than non-violent youth – even after controlling for
social background8. Another area of cognitive theory that has received considerable
attention from violence researchers involves the study of information processing.
Psychological research suggests that when people make decisions, they engage in a series
of complex thought processes.

d) Personality Theory

6
Criminal Behaviour: A Psychological Approach, Curt Bartol, Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall 2002
7
ibid
8
Stages in the Development of Moral Thought and Action, Kohlberg, L. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston
(1969) The Just Community Approach in Corrections, Kohlberg, L., K. Kauffman, P. Schart and J. Hickey Niantic:
Connecticut Department of Corrections. (1973)
6

The psychological concept of “personality” has been defined as stable patterns of

behavior, thoughts or actions that distinguish one person from another. A number of early
criminologists argued that certain personality types are more prone to criminal behavior.
The Gluecks, identified a number of personality traits that they felt were associated with
violence, including self-assertiveness, defiance, extroversion, narcissism and suspicion.
More recently, researchers have linked violent behaviors to traits such as hostility,
egoism, self-centeredness, spitefulness, jealousy, and indifference to or lack of empathy
for others. Criminals have also been found to lack ambition and perseverance, to have
difficulty controlling their tempers and other impulses, and to be more likely than
conventional people are to hold unconventional beliefs9.

Theory of Freud:

Sigmund Freud was the founding father of psychoanalysis/Psychoanalytic theory,

it was a method of treating mental illness and also a theory which explains human
behavior.
The Psychoanalytic or Psychodynamic theory of criminology refers to application of
Freudian psychology to analysis of criminal motives and behavior. Unlike sociological
accounts, it does not look at larger scale external issues such as poverty, culture and peer
pressure, but instead focuses on the specific formative childhood influences on the
individual. It therefore does not explain certain groups of people are more of less likely to
commit crimes but instead focuses on why people commit crime.
Freud argues that a driving motive in certain types of crime is a sense of guilt proceeding
commission of a crime and that some criminals commit their crime in order to be
punished as a way of dealing with that guilt while others seek to get away with crimes to
prove that they do not need to feel haunted by guilt. This sense of guilt is deeply rooted in
childhood trauma.
According to some of the models, criminals often have a minimally developed ego and
thus are unable to resist instant gratification. The ego which is a pragmatic rational
component that guides and direct our impulses according to such things as long term
objectives, feasibility and weighing of consequences. The theory sums up the desire of
commissions of crime and keeping away from it by stating that the criminal lacks will
power to resist, if it is not lacking it is weak usually.
Freud argues that human nature is inherently antisocial. People are born with an "id" that
pushes them to essentially act in selfish ways. However, society and its rules create a
"superego" that tries to suppress the id. The id can be seen as our bad side telling us to do

9
The association of personality type in childhood with violence in adolescence , Atkins, R. Research in Nursing &
Health (2007). Individual differences conducive to aggression and violence: Trajectories and correlates of irritability
and hostile rumination through adolescence. Aggressive Behaviour Caprara, G. V., Paciello, M., Gerbino, M. and
Cugini, C. (2007). Egotism and delinquent behavior. Journal of Interpersonal Violence Costello, B. J. and R.G.
Dunaway. (2003).
7

bad things while our superego tires to persuade us to do the things that are socially
acceptable. The theory goes on and it does not hold that crime is caused by an id that is
out of control, but instead it holds that there is either something wrong with our superego
or with our "ego" (that is part of us that essentially mediates between the id and
superego). The tendency to commit crime arise because ego ignore superego. The
criminals often consist a badly trained superego and it is grown up with bad influences.
Criminal tendency also arise out of frustration because our superego is too strong and
makes the person feel guilty. The criminal desired to be punished and for that he does
acts which will get him punished.
Freud developed a topographical model of the mind, whereby he described the features of
mind's structure and function. Freud used the analogy of an iceberg to describe the three
levels of the mind. The first level was "the conscious" which represents the small amount
of mental activity, and this was something the person was aware about. It carries thoughts
and perceptions, as per the iceberg analogy it was the apparent/visible part of the iceberg.
The second level was "the Subconscious" this was the part which was beneath the ocean,
these were things that one could be aware of it he wanted or tried. This level represents
memories and stored knowledge. The third and last level was immersed in the ocean to
the deepest, it was called the "the unconscious" these were things the individual is
unaware about and cannot become aware of. This level carries the instincts-sexual and
aggressive, fear, unacceptable sexual desires, violent motives, irrational wishes, immoral
urges, selfish needs, shameful and traumatic experiences. At the later stage Freud
developed a more structural model of mind which comprised of the entities, id, ego and
superego, which he termed as "the psychic apparatus". These are not physical areas
within the brain, but rather hypothetical conceptualizations of important mental functions.
As mentioned above there are three elements or structures that make up the human
personality;
a) The id:
The id is the primitive part of a person's mental makeup that is present at birth. Freud
believed and advocated that the id represents the unconscious biological drives for
food, sex and other necessities over the life span. The id is concerned with instant
pleasure or gratification while disregarding concerns for others. The id comprises two
kinds of biological instincts, named as Eros and Thanatos. Eros is a desire to live, it
helps the individual to survive, it directs life-sustaining activities such as respiration,
eating and sex. The energy created by life instincts is known as libido. In contrast the
thantos is a desire to die, it is viewed as a set of destructive forces present in all
human beings. When the energy is directed outward onto others, it is expressed as
aggression and violence. Freud belived that Eros is stronger than Thanatos, thus
enabling people to survive rather than self destruct. He also believed that a constant
struggle between eros and thantos, results into unacceptable, abnormal and delinquent
behavior.
8

b) The Ego:
It is a thought to develop early in a person's life. Freud suggested that the ego
compensates for the demands of the id by giving an individual's actions or behaviors
to keep him or her within the boundaries for society. The ego is guided by the reality
principle.
c) The Superego:
It develops as a person incorporates the moral standards and values of the
community; parents; and significant others, such as friends and clergy members. The
focus of the superego is morality. The superego serves to pass judgments on the
behavior and actions of individuals.

Freud inculcate the theory that the ego mediates between the id's desire for instant
gratification and the strict morality of the superego. He stated that when a crime is
committed because an individual has an underdeveloped superego.

Conclusion:

The most common critique which is received to Freud's theory is that is good at
explaining the behavior but it does not predict the behavior, which is the fundamental
function of the science. Freud's theory however sets a great model to understand the
complexities of human mind, but it does not showcase as to how these tests should be
applied on an individual to perceive the reasons of his behavior in a particular manner.
Freud's models also lacks practically applicability, as he has addressed in his
theory about entities which are not physical and cannot be monitored. He talks about
behavior in detail, he also highlights what constitute behaviors, but he does not highlight
those factors affecting the human behavior and leading it towards delinquency, hence it
does not address the crime and criminal tendency and its cause in human.
Freud was also criticized for being sexist, his concept of psychosexual
explanation was considered as outrageous by those who practiced feminism.
Nevertheless, Freud gave a model to understand the functioning of human mind, which is
one of most reliable models for psychotherapy.