Theories of Crime Causation Flashcards

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the major schools, theories, thinkers, and concepts in criminological theory and crime causation.

Theory (Greek: Theoria)

A supposition or system of ideas intended to explain something, especially one based on general principles independent of the thing to be explained.

Theory of the Etiology of Criminal Acts

A formula devised by Dr. David Abrahamsen ($C = \frac{T + S}{R}$) stating that crime ($C$) occurs when an individual's tendencies ($T$) and situation ($S$) overcome their mental resistance ($R$).

Classical School of Thought

An 18th-century criminological perspective asserting that crime is a product of free will, rational choice, and personal hedonistic calculations of pleasure versus pain.

Cesare Beccaria

An Italian criminologist known as the Father of Classical School of Criminology and author of An Essay on Crimes and Punishments, who advocated that punishment should fit the crime and serve as a deterrent.

Social Contract Theory

The theory of how imaginary individuals come together to make a society work, as exemplified in the work of Jean-Jacques Rousseau.

General Deterrence

A component of deterrence theory aimed at preventing the general public from committing crimes through the fear of severe and swift punishment imposed on offenders.

Specific Deterrence

The use of punishment for criminal activity intended to discourage a specific individual who committed the crime from re-offending in the future.

Jeremy Bentham

An English philosopher and founder of Modern Utilitarianism who proposed utilitarian hedonism and formulated the concept of the Felicific Calculus.

Felicific Calculus

A pseudo-mathematical formula devised by Jeremy Bentham proposing that individuals calculate and weigh the pleasure (gain) versus pain (suffering) before deciding whether to commit an action.

Panopticon

A prison conceptualized by Jeremy Bentham consisting of a large circular building containing multiple cells around the periphery to allow a central observer to see everything.

Rational Choice Theory

A theory formulated by Ronald Clarke and Derek Cornish asserting that individuals use self-interest and logical thought processes to weigh the means, ends, costs, and benefits of committing a crime.

Neoclassical Criminology

A modification of classical doctrine acknowledging that free will is not absolute and that factors such as insanity, imbecility, or age affect an individual's capacity to exercise free will.

Positivist Criminology

An approach led by Cesare Lombroso and the Italian School that uses empirical observation, scientific analysis, and measurable facts to identify internal and external causes of criminal behavior.

Cesare Lombroso

An Italian physician known as the Father of Modern and Empirical Criminology who proposed that criminals are born as evolutionary throwbacks identifiable by physical atavistic stigmata.

Atavistic Stigmata

Physical features characteristic of earlier evolutionary stages—such as a low sloping forehead, handle-shaped ears, or long arms—that Lombroso associated with born criminals.

Moral Imbeciles

A category in Lombroso's criminal classification describing individuals identifiable through unfriendly, vain, and selfish behavior who appear insane from early childhood without obvious physical stigmata.

Criminaloids

A category of occasional criminals identified by Lombroso who commit crimes due to lesser physical stamina or self-control when confronted with opportunistic circumstances or fits of passion.

Enrico Ferri

An Italian criminologist and student of Lombroso who rejected free will and asserted that crime is caused by physical, anthropological, and social/economic conditions.

Raffaele Garofalo

An Italian jurist who coined the word Criminologia and attributed criminal behavior to psychological moral anomalies that violate natural sentiments of pity and probity.

Natural Crime

Conduct conceptualized by Raffaele Garofalo that offends basic human moral sentiments of pity (revulsion against voluntary infliction of suffering) and probity (respect for property rights).

Urban Ecology

The scientific study of the relation of living organisms with each other and their surroundings within an urban environment, developed by Robert E. Park and Ernest W. Burgess.

Concentric Zone Theory

A model published by Ernest Burgess in 1925 depicting urban growth in five concentric rings, predicting that areas of social deterioration and high crime concentrate in the transitional zone.

Bid Rent Curve

A theory stating that land values in concentric circles are based on accessibility and potential profits, with retail activities paying the highest rent at the town center.

Social Disorganization Theory

A theory by Clifford Shaw and Henry D. McKay postulating that crime in a neighborhood is caused by the weakening of traditional social bonds due to rapid migration, industrialization, and urban turnover.

Cartographic School of Thought

An approach in 19th-century criminology pioneered by Quetelet and Guerry that employed statistical maps and geographic data to examine the influence of social factors and climate on crime rates.

Thermic Law of Delinquency

A principle formulated by Adolphe Quetelet stating that crimes against persons are more common in hotter climates and seasons, whereas crimes against property are more common in cooler climates and seasons.

R/K Selection Theory

An evolutionary sub-theory proposing that male criminal behavior (such as sexual assault or domestic abuse) relates to a high-reproduction 'R' spectrum drive with minimal offspring investment.

Drive Reduction Theory

A motivational theory formulated by Clark Hull asserting that biological needs create states of internal tension (drives) that organisms seek to reduce to maintain homeostasis.

Hierarchy of Needs

A motivational pyramid introduced by Abraham Maslow proposing that lower-level deficiency needs (physiological, security, social, esteem) must be satisfied before fulfilling top-level growth needs.

Degeneration Theory

A 19th-century theory proposed by B.A. Morel claiming that environmental toxins and moral depravities cause progressive physical and intellectual deterioration passed down across generations.

Somatotype Theory

William H. Sheldon Jr.'s theory categorizing human physiques into endomorph, mesomorph, and ectomorph, linking mesomorphic (muscular) physiques with delinquent and aggressive behavior.

General Inferiority Theory

Earnest Albert Hooton's theory concluding that criminal behavior stems from inherited physical inferiority and biological predispositions that differentiate criminals from non-criminals.

Physiognomy

The practice or study of assessing a person's character, personality, or moral inclinations based on their external facial features.

Phrenology (Cranioscopy)

A pseudoscience founded by Franz Joseph Gall that mapped bumps and geography on the human skull to predict localized brain faculties and personality traits.

The Kallikak Family Study

A 1912 study by Henry Herbert Goddard claiming that intelligence, sanity, and morality are hereditary by comparing two family lines descended from the same Revolutionary War veteran.

Psychoanalytic Theory of Personality

Sigmund Freud's structure dividing the human mind into the unconscious pleasure-seeking Id, the reality-mediating Ego, and the moral conscience Superego.

Oedipus Complex

A concept in Freud's phallic stage of psychosexual development where a young boy experiences an unconscious desire to possess his mother and views his father as a rival.

Eysenck's Personality Theory

Hans Eysenck's model asserting that criminal behavior is linked to second-order traits—Extraversion, Neuroticism, and Psychoticism—rooted in autonomic nervous system balance.

James-Lange Theory of Emotion

A theory proposing that witnessing an external stimulus causes a physiological response, and the mind's interpretation of that physical sensation produces the emotional experience.

Cognitive Development Theory

Jean Piaget's framework outlining four stages (sensorimotor, pre-operational, concrete operational, formal operational) through which children intellectually construct their world.

Anomie Theory

Émile Durkheim's concept describing a state of normlessness or moral confusion in modern society resulting from rapid social change when social institutions lose control over individuals.

Imitation Theory

Gabriel Tarde's theory stating that individuals learn criminal behavior by observing and replicating the actions of others based on the degree of their social association.

Social Learning Theory

Albert Bandura's theory demonstrated by the Bobo Doll experiment showing that aggressive and social behavior is acquired through observation, modeling, and imitation of others.

Strain Theory

Robert K. Merton's theory asserting that deviance occurs when there is a disconnect between culturally valued goals (financial success) and the legitimate means available to achieve them.

Differential Association Theory

Edwin Sutherland's nine-proposition theory stating that criminal behavior is learned through communication within intimate personal groups, driven by an excess of definitions favorable to law violation.

Neutralization Theory (Drift Theory)

A theory by Sykes and Matza asserting that delinquents rationalize bad behavior using five techniques (denial of responsibility, injury, victim, condemners, appeal to higher loyalties) to eliminate guilt.

Labeling Theory (Social Reaction Theory)

Howard Becker's criminological theory positing that individuals become criminals because society applies negative labels to them, causing them to internalize the stigma and adopt a secondary deviant identity.

Social Bond Theory

Travis Hirschi's control theory proposing that strong social bonds—attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief—promote conformity and prevent individuals from committing crimes.

Routine Activity Theory

Lawrence Cohen and Marcus Felson's theory stating that crime occurs when three elements converge in time and space: a motivated offender, a suitable target, and the absence of a capable guardian.

Conflict Theory

A criminological perspective derived from Karl Marx viewing crime as a product of class competition over resources, where the ruling bourgeoisie uses law as a tool to control the proletariat.

Broken Windows Theory

A theory introduced by Kelling and Wilson suggesting that visible signs of disorder and civil neglect (like broken windows or graffiti) signal a lack of law enforcement and promote further crime.

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED)

An approach using effective physical design of built environments—focusing on territoriality, surveillance, and access control—to reduce criminal opportunities and the fear of crime.