Sigmund Freud Theory

The motive of a criminal offence is the inner encouragement, drive, propensity of a person that directs the
will of the guilty party towards a criminal offence. The reasons for crime may be for:-
 Physiological and safety needs
 Will to power
 Esteem needs.

According to Sigmund Freud, our personality have three fundamental structures of the human mind:
 id
 ego
 superego

Ego: The ego acts as both a conduit for and a check on the id, working to meet the id’s needs in a
socially appropriate way. It is the most tied to reality and begins to develop in infancy. In contrast to the
instinctual id and the moral superego, the ego is the rational, pragmatic part of our personality. It is
partly conscious and partly unconscious. Its job is to balance the demands of the id and superego in the
practical context of reality.

So, if you walked past the stranger with ice cream one more time, your ego would mediate the conflict
between your id (“I want that cream roll right now”) and superego (“It’s wrong to take someone else’s
cream roll”) and decide to go buy your own cream roll.

Superego: The superego is the portion of the mind in which morality and higher principles reside,
encouraging us to act in socially and morally acceptable ways. The superego's function is to control the
id's impulses, especially those which society forbids, such as sex and aggression. It also has the function
of persuading the ego to turn to moralistic goals rather than simply realistic ones and to strive for
perfection. The superego consists of two systems: The conscience and the ideal self. The conscience can
punish the ego through causing feelings of guilt. For example, if the ego gives in to the id's demands, the
superego may make the person feel bad through guilt.

Id: The id operates at an unconscious level and focuses solely on instinctual drives and desires. Two
biological instincts make up the id,
o Eros or the instinct to survive that drives us to engage in life-sustaining activities,
o Thanatos or the death instinct that drives destructive, aggressive, and violent behaviour.

The id is the unconscious part of our psyche which responds immediately to basic urges, needs, and
desires. The personality of the newborn child is all id. The id is not affected by reality, logic or the
everyday world, as it operates within the unconscious part of the mind. It operates entirely
unconsciously (outside of conscious thought).

For example, if your id walked past a stranger eating cream roll, it would most likely take the cream roll
for itself. It doesn’t know, or care, that it is rude to take something belonging to someone else; it would
care only that you wanted cream roll.