Psychological Theories of Crime and Mental Health

Psychological theories

Focus on individual experiences influencing criminal behavior.

Freud's Model of the Psyche

Explains behavior through id, ego, and superego.

Id

Innate desires and drives influencing behavior.

Ego

Conscious mediator between id and superego.

Superego

Moral conscience developed through social attachments.

Anxiety in psychology

Warning signal motivating corrective actions.

Defense mechanisms

Ego strategies to cope with anxiety.

Manifest delinquency

Observable antisocial behavior in individuals.

Latent delinquency

Hidden or potential antisocial behavior.

Erik Erikson

Focused on ego identity development.

David Abrahamsen

Emphasized personality distortions affecting impulse control.

Hans Eysenck

Developed the PEN model of personality.

PEN model

Personality viewed through psychoticism, extroversion, neuroticism.

Psychoticism

Traits like aggression and egocentrism in personality.

Extroversion

Sociable and assertive personality traits.

Neuroticism

Linked with anxiety and emotional instability.

Biological explanation of crime

Includes genetics and conditioning factors.

Low cortical arousal

Associated with increased antisocial behavior.

Pavlovian conditioning

Learning through association influencing behavior.

Mixed support for Eysenck

Evidence for personality-criminality link is inconsistent.

Early psychological perspectives

Focus on childhood experiences and internal conflicts.

Contemporary psychological perspectives

Incorporate intelligence, biology, and mental illness.

Policy implications

Influence of psychological theories on criminal justice.

Mental health and crime

Connection between psychological issues and criminal behavior.

Eysenck's model

Personality theory linking traits to criminality.

High psychoticism

Consistently associated with criminal behavior.

Extroversion and neuroticism

Their relationship to criminality varies by methodology.

Kohlberg's moral development

Framework outlining stages of moral reasoning.

Preconventional morality

Morality based on avoiding punishment and exchange.

Stage 1 of morality

Focus on avoiding punishment as right behavior.

Stage 2 of morality

Emphasizes equal exchange of favors or scores.

Conventional morality

Adult morality maintaining family and social order.

Stage 3 of morality

Values generosity and forgiveness, golden rule.

Stage 4 of morality

Emphasizes good citizenship and societal laws.

Corrective justice

Impartial law application and offender's societal debt.

Commutative justice

Focus on contractual agreements for social order.

Postconventional morality

Balancing individual rights with societal rules.

Stage 5 of morality

Social contract perspective on moral reasoning.

Stage 6 of morality

Equal consideration of individual perspectives in morality.

Maximizing quality of life

Focus of Stage 6 moral reasoning.

Equity in distribution

Fairness emphasized in moral decision-making.

Principle of utility

Moral actions based on benevolence and outcomes.

Gilligan's work

Examined gender differences in moral orientations.

Morality of care

Orientation where girls focus on relationships.

Morality of justice

Orientation where boys emphasize fairness and rules.

Bowlby's attachment theory

Focuses on emotional bonds and their features.

Specificity in attachment

Attachments are selective and focused on individuals.

Duration of attachment

Attachments can be lifelong and persistent.

Engagement of emotion

Intense emotions are tied to attachment relationships.

Course of development

Infants form attachments within the first nine months.

Learning in attachment

Social interaction is key to developing attachments.

Biological function of attachment

Attachment behaviors support survival across species.

Forty-Four Juvenile Thieves study

Highlighted mother-child relationship's impact on behavior.

IQ (Intelligence Quotient)

Quantified measure of intelligence introduced by Binet.

Binet-Simon Intelligence Test

First metric scale of intelligence developed.

Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test

Revised version of Binet's original test.

Goddard's intelligence testing

Introduced Binet's model to the United States.

Feeble-mindedness

Label for low IQ, categorized into types.

Kallikak Family Study

Examines hereditary feeble-mindedness and eugenics.

Edwin Sutherland

Critiqued intelligence tests; emphasized social factors in delinquency.

Hirschi and Hindelang

Found significant IQ-crime behavior association.

IQ and Delinquency

IQ predicts delinquency alongside social class.

Empirical Studies

Lower IQ correlates with criminal justice contact.

Differential Detection Hypothesis

Lower IQ individuals more likely detected for crimes.

James Q. Wilson

Co-authored 'Crime and Human Nature' on crime explanations.

Operant-Utilitarian Theory

Links genetic factors to criminal behavior.

Street Crime

Focus on crimes occurring in public spaces.

Social Environment

Cultural shifts contribute to rising crime rates.

Family Relationships

Parenting affects development of criminal behavior.

Biological Factors

Include gender, intelligence, impulsiveness influencing crime.

Criticisms of Wilson and Herrnstein

Lack of empirical testing and selective literature review.

Psychopathy vs. Sociopathy

Sociopathy stems from social dysfunction; psychopathy from defects.

Robert Hare

Developed PCL-R to assess psychopathy in adults.

PCL-R Factors

Measures callousness and unstable antisocial lifestyle.

Primary Psychopaths

Display charm, lack of conscience, and irresponsibility.

Secondary Psychopaths

Share traits with primary but show more emotional turmoil.

Destructive Behaviors

Include drug abuse and interpersonal aggression.

Low-Fear-Quotient Theory

Explains psychopathy via innate fear response variability.

Fear-Quotient Continuum

Primary psychopaths show low fear and socialization issues.

Criminal Careers of Psychopaths

Distinct patterns in antisocial behavior types and timing.

Psychopathy and Criminality

Psychopathy is distinct from general criminal behavior.

Treatment Seeking

Psychopaths seek treatment for personal gain, not improvement.

Prevalence of mental disorders

Higher among detained individuals than general population.

Thinking for a Change

Cognitive-behavioral program for criminality issues.

Mixed results on recidivism

Evaluations of Thinking for a Change show varied outcomes.

Booster sessions

Future research suggested for enhancing treatment effectiveness.

Collaborative psychopharmacology

Client involvement improves mental illness treatment outcomes.

Assertive community treatment

Services provided in clients' communities, not clinical settings.

Family psychoeducation

Educates families on mental illness and support systems.

Supported employment

Assists clients in obtaining and maintaining competitive jobs.

Illness management and recovery

Clients manage their illness and take recovery responsibility.

Integrated dual disorders treatment

Simultaneous treatment for mental illness and substance abuse.

Mental-health courts

Specialized courts for individuals with mental illnesses.

Judicially supervised treatment plan

Participants engage voluntarily in structured mental health treatment.

Eligibility criteria for mental-health courts

Based on functioning level, disorder severity, and persistence.

Insanity defense

Legal excuse for criminal acts due to mental illness.

M'Naghten rule

Standard: unaware of actions or wrongfulness due to insanity.

Irresistible impulse test

Claim of inability to control behavior due to mental disease.

Durham rule

Not responsible if behavior is product of mental disease.

ALI/MPC standard

Lack of substantial capacity to appreciate criminality.