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Chapter 9: Freud's Theories and Violence

Freud's ideas have serious implications for understanding destruction, violence, aggression, and criminal behaviors.

Instincts & Violence

Instincts & Violence:

Eros: Crimes involving acquisition, like theft, robbery, sexual crimes, illegal land occupation.

Thanatos: Crimes involving destruction, death, demolition; violent rape, murder, torture, terrorism, suicide.

Psychosexual Stages and Violence

Psychosexual Stages and Violence:

Fixation at Oral Stage:

Underfed/neglected child: orally dependent, manipulative, aggressive to fulfill needs.
Overindulged child: resists maturity, aggressive to regain dependency.
Oral fixation can result in Narcissism: selfish, lacks empathy, commits crimes for personal gain.

Fixation at Anal Stage:

Anal retentive: obsessive, stingy, orderly, perfectionist, stubborn.
Anal expulsive: lack self-control, messy, careless; expulsive violent types may engage in terrorism.

Fixation at Phallic Stage:

Oedipus/Electra complex; identification with same-sex parent; leads to feelings of inferiority, inadequacy.
Adults fixated may have trouble forming relationships, vulnerable to manipulation, could fit terrorist profile.

Fixation at Genital Stage:

Earlier unresolved fixations manifest; lack of guidance can lead to sexual violence.

Id, Superego, and Ego in Violence

Id and Violence:

Inflated Id linked to oral fixation/narcissism; thrill and pleasure seeking; irresponsible, impulsive, inability to empathize, failure to consider consequences.

Superego and Violence:

Inflated superego can drive crimes related to punishment for wrongdoing; internalized parental unforgiving attitudes; punishing oneself or others to uphold moral standards.

Ego and Violence:

Well-developed ego prevents crime via logic and awareness of consequences.

Threatened ego can cause displaced aggression; inflated ego can lead to calculated crimes seeking power, maximizing gain, minimizing loss.

Psychoanalysis and Crime Scene Investigation

Psychoanalysis and Crime Scene Investigation:

Id-dominated criminals: leave many clues; disorganized crimes.

Superego-dominated criminals: may leave clues leading to capture.

Ego-dominated crimes: harder to investigate; require understanding of motive and planning.

Key Concepts in Freud's Theories

Eros and Thanatos
Life and death instincts linked to crimes

Psychosexual Fixations
Oral, anal, phallic stages and violence

Id Dominance
Impulsive, pleasure-seeking behavior

Superego Influence
Moral-driven or punitive crimes

Ego Mediation
Balanced or calculated actions

Crime Scenes
Linked to personality structures

Summary of Important Points

Aspect	Description
Instincts	Eros (acquisition crimes), Thanatos (destructive crimes)
Oral Fixation	Dependency, manipulation, narcissism
Anal Fixation	Retentive (obsessive) or expulsive (disorganized)
Phallic Fixation	Inferiority, relationship issues
Id/Superego/Ego	Impulsivity, morality, logic in violence
Crime Investigation	Personality structures affect scene clues

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