Early Trait Theory and Positivism

Vocabulary terms covering the history, major figures, and concepts of Early Trait Theory and Positivism as discussed in the lecture.

Positivism

A view in criminology that criminality is a product of abnormal biological or psychological traits, influenced by forces beyond an individual's control.

Historical Context of Positivism

Developed through technological and medical advancements during the War of 1812, the Civil War of 1861, and the Spanish American War in 1898.

Medical Advancements (19th Century)

Key developments including germ theory, x-rays, sterilization, and vaccines that helped society understand biology and scientific explanations.

Craniometry

A scientific method testing skull size by filling them with seeds to predict intellect and argue for the superiority or inferiority of individuals.

Franz Josef Gall

The developer of phrenology who argued the brain is the organ of the mind and that mental powers could be analyzed through science.

Phrenology

The study of the size and shape of the brain and its lobes to indicate character or mental abilities, assuming the brain is divided into regions.

Cesare Lombroso

Considered the father of criminology; he argued criminals were physically inferior and biologically predisposed to deviant behavior.

Atavism

The idea that a criminal feature or individual is a throwback to an earlier stage of evolutionary development.

Determinism

The assumption that human behavior is determined by factors beyond free will and free choice, rather than a cost-benefit analysis.

Born Criminals

Individuals who Lombroso claimed would commit crime throughout their lives because they were biologically different, abnormal, and inferior.

Stigmata

Visible markings, such as asymmetrical faces, eye defects, or unusual facial features, used to identify a predisposition to crime.

Insane Criminals

A category of offenders who lack stigmata but lack the ability to control their criminal disposition, often described as neurological atypicalities.

Passionate Criminals

Lombroso’s category for female offenders whose crimes were motivated by hysteria or emotions like anger, love, or family honor.

Physiognomy

A theory suggesting that bodily aspects and animalistic traits indicate a person's lack of evolution and criminal disposition.

Somatotyping

Sheldon's model that looked at body types to predict behavioral characteristics and criminal propensity.

Endomorphic

A body type described as more obese, generally associated with being jolly and lazy.

Mesomorphic

A muscular body type with aggressive temperaments, seen as having a high propensity toward committing crime.

Ectomorphic

A thin body type associated with individuals who are shy and introverted.

Lombroso’s Prison Policy

Advocated for shorter prison sentences to allow for rehabilitation and isolation, while warning that long-term incarceration causes loss of work habits.

Asylums

State-funded institutions for treating the mentally ill that saw a rise in population during the nineteenth century.

Eugenics

The theory of racially improving society through planned breeding, often involving involuntary sterilizations and social exclusions to remove criminal traits.

Critiques of Early Trait Theory

Argued to be prejudice and faulty because it implies certain races, genders, or body types are predisposed to crime while refusing the possibility of rehabilitation.