individual differences - cognitive factors

cognitive distortions

A form of irrational thinking

Hostile Attribution Bias

Minimilisation

Hostile Attribution bias

When the person usually thinks the worst, having negative interpretations of others behaviour

Often leads to aggression

Minimilisation

The consequence of a situation is under-exaggerated

Offender can reduce feelings of guilt, and allows them to accept their actions.

Example - burglary from a wealthy persons house is okay because they are wealthy

Kohlberg’s level of moral reasoning (1969)

1. Preconventional stage - children accept rules of authority figures and judge actions by their consequences

2. Conventional - conformity to the rules is desirable but not out of self interest. In order to maintain positive human relationships and social order

3. Postconventional - defines morality in terms of abstract moral principles that apply to all societies

Level of moral reasonings link to crime

• only 10% of adults reach postconventional stage, so most common stage is Conventional

• Adults breaking the law here believe it’s justified if it helps maintain relationships

Hollin et al (2002)

• most criminals at preconventional stage

• break law if they believe rewards outweigh the costs

• links to children under 10 being unable to be charged as they don’t understand moral reasoning

Shonenberg and Justye (2014)

• 55 antisocial violent offenders

• compared their response to ‘normal’ individuals

• faces were angry, fearful or happy in varying intensities

• offenders likely to interpret any face with slight anger as aggressive

Kennedy and Grubin (1992)

sex offenders often downplay their behaviour when giving accounts of their crime

Gudjosson and Sigurdsson (2007)

• used questionnaire

• assessed 128 juvenile offenders

• 38% didn’t consider consequences of their actions

• 36% were certain they wouldn’t be caught

Supports pre-conventional stage idea

Chen and Howitt (2007)

• assessed 330 male adolescent offenders

• ages 12-18 in Taiwan

• used test based on Kohlbergs stages

• Those with more advanced reasoning were less likely to be involved for violent crimes

Krebs and Denton (2005)

moral principles are only 1 factor in moral behaviour and may be overridden by more practical factors such as making personal financial gains.

Found when analysing real life moral decisions, moral principles were used to justify behaviour after it had been performed

gender bias - Gilligan (1982)

Kohlberg only used boys

Gilligan suggested the theory is based on a male perspective, of justice and not care.