theory Strengths weaknesses
Freud’s psychodynamic approach - Each part of the personality relates to - Theory is no longer accredited for due
a different part of the brain to the difficulty in proving things such
- Used to build many psychodynamic as the unconscious
theories - Lack of quantitative data, Freud knew
- Considers both nature and nurture his patients therefore his research
was not objective
Bandura’s social learning theory - Establishes a cause and effect - Children had never played with Bobo
relationship before
- Experiment and its variables were - Unethical
controlled, greater ecological validity - Lab study, therefore below ecological
validity
Eysenck's personality theory - His research on soldiers supports (he - Deterministic as it suggests that
predicted they would score high on personality is genetic and cannot
neuroticism) change- lack of reliability
- Takes into account both nature and - Reductionist explanation
nurture - Relies on self report measures-
- Links nicely with diathesis stress subject to response bias
model
Merton’s strain theory - Allows for individuality as people - Deterministic as not all of the lower
react differently to strain class results to crime
- Explains why working class crime - Fails to explain crime that does not
rates may be higher have any monetary gain
Marxism - Provides an explanation for a variety - Little to nothing to say about the
of crimes across a variety of social victims of crime
classes - Explanation is one dimensional, no
- Highlights the impact of selective law allowance for complexity of influences
enforcement on law making
- Only theory that considers white
Freud’s psychodynamic approach - Each part of the personality relates to - Theory is no longer accredited for due
a different part of the brain to the difficulty in proving things such
- Used to build many psychodynamic as the unconscious
theories - Lack of quantitative data, Freud knew
- Considers both nature and nurture his patients therefore his research
was not objective
Bandura’s social learning theory - Establishes a cause and effect - Children had never played with Bobo
relationship before
- Experiment and its variables were - Unethical
controlled, greater ecological validity - Lab study, therefore below ecological
validity
Eysenck's personality theory - His research on soldiers supports (he - Deterministic as it suggests that
predicted they would score high on personality is genetic and cannot
neuroticism) change- lack of reliability
- Takes into account both nature and - Reductionist explanation
nurture - Relies on self report measures-
- Links nicely with diathesis stress subject to response bias
model
Merton’s strain theory - Allows for individuality as people - Deterministic as not all of the lower
react differently to strain class results to crime
- Explains why working class crime - Fails to explain crime that does not
rates may be higher have any monetary gain
Marxism - Provides an explanation for a variety - Little to nothing to say about the
of crimes across a variety of social victims of crime
classes - Explanation is one dimensional, no
- Highlights the impact of selective law allowance for complexity of influences
enforcement on law making
- Only theory that considers white
