Studied by 1 person
biosocial factors
factors resulting from the interaction of individual biological and social characteristics (i.e., determinants), which predispose individuals to certain behaviours
neurocriminology
the study of the interaction between social and biological factors as they relate to crime
biological determinism
the idea that individual physical and mental characteristics are governed solely by heredity
somatotyping
the practice of attempting to draw connections between a person's behaviour or temperament and the individual's body type of physique
Franz Joseph Gall
phrenology: specific mental abilities and characteristics are localized in specific regions of the brain
Johann Gaspar Spurzheim
he allowed for some measure of free will to control the behavioural tendencies associated with the shape of the skull
Charles Buckman Goring
CRIME = Heredity + Environment
believes that poor mental and physical state makes a person a criminal personality
compared 3,000 recidivist criminals with a control group consisting of soldiers, hospital patients, and university students
Earnest A. Hooton
pioneer of constitutionalism
believed that physical differences, together with social and environmental factors, could be used to predict crime (criminals inferior in most bodily measurements, tattoo, low forehead, nasal anomalies, compressed faces, narrow jaws, thin lips)
Ernst Kretschmer
Proposed relationship between body build and personality type
personality groups: cycloids and schizoids
three body types: asthenic, pyknic, and athletic
William Sheldon
linked personality to physique on the grounds that both are governed by genetic endowment
endomorphic (large) = viscerotonic (extroverted), mesomorphic (average) = somotonic (assertive and active), ectomorphic (skinny) = cerebrotonic (introverted)
XXY type (Klinefelter's syndrome)
associated with degeneration of the testes, sterility, breast enlargement, tallness and thinness, and social and/or school learning problems. Alcoholism, homosexuality, frustration-based outbursts, and over-representation among the mentally challenged have also been reported among those with the syndrome
XYY chromosome theory
the theory that the extra Y chromosome found in some males predisposes them to criminal or anti-social behaviour
Richard Herrnstein
concluded that the evidence suggests a more complex chain of connections between the influence of genetic affects and constitutional and environmental factors on the likelihood for criminogenic behaviour
Henry Herbert Goddard
crime is the result of low-grade mentality (primarily feeblemindedness, which is an inherited quality)
Hans Eysenck
developed a personality scale to predict a person's propensity to commit a crime based on three dimensions (psychoticism, extroversion, and neuroticism)
strongest link between personality and criminality appears in his work
Alexander Schauss
among the first to relate violent delinquent behaviour to bioenvironmental behaviour (specifically diets - 32% higher sugar intake for juvenile offenders)
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
a psychological and/or biological disorder characterized by inability to concentrate
epigenetics
the study of genetic modifications caused by external (i.e., environmental) factors that do not alter the DNA sequence but affect how cells "read" genes, effectively turning them "on" or "off"
Sarnoff Mednick
Biosocial Theory
believed we are all occasionally prone to do things that violate the norms, values, and rules of society
behaviour triggered by the automatic nervous system (ANS)
also thinks that we do not follow these impulses because of socialization
Eysneck
Biosocial Theory
first to argue that introversion is an inherited trait, and that they were more prone to produce anti-social behaviour
autonomic and central nervous system characteristics affect individual’s responsiveness to punishment and propensity for anti-social outcomes
extroverts experienced cortical under-arousal and were less responsive to punishment than were introverts, but they would be more likely to act anti-socially where an opportunity presented itself
life course theory
an integrated theory used to identify factors that predispose individuals to criminal activity, which involves the study of changes in the offending pattern of an individual over the course of his or her life
Terrie E. Moffitt
Biosocial Theory
proposed that "the biological roots of antisocial outcomes are present before or soon after birth
Heuristic Biosocial Model of Violence
demonic possession
control of an individual by a supernatural spirit or power, typically identified as the cause of deviant or criminal behaviour
evil
relative and evolutive historically associated with deviant behaviour today it is understood as individual behaviour modern way definition is that "evil" behaviour is simply a maladaptive (i.e., inappropriate) coping mechanism
Actus Rea
crime
Actus Reus
guilty act
Mens Rea
guilty mind
Henry Maudsley
believed that criminals were "morally degenerate"—lacking in moral development instrumental in laying the legal framework for diminished responsibility due to mental disease
his ideas helped inform the basis of Canadian prison education programs
Isaac Ray
most influential forensic psychiatrist who described "moral insanity" as a disease never established by a single diagnostic symptom
Gustav Aschaffenburg
German pioneer of psychiatric criminology argued that we are influenced less by heredity than by our social environment
psychological explanations of criminal behaviour
intrapsychic (internal psychological) factors and those emphasizing learning factors
Although the learning theories are more widely accepted today, we will begin with Freud's intrapsychic approach, as it was one of the first influential theories to treat individual personality as an observable and measurable factor in criminal behaviour
criminal personality
a personality type characterized by such traits as anti-social behaviour, social immaturity, and nervous systems that produce criminal tendencies not easily modified by punishment - believed by some to be typical of criminals but correctable
Sigmund Freud
wrote about the best-known intrapsychic and positivist perspective which is psychodynamic theory
psychodynamic theory
freud's theory that behaviour - including criminal behaviour - is an expression of internal conflict stemming from unresolved experiences during childhood, often submerged in the subconscious
id
Represents, Old part of the brain, (psychoanalysis) primitive instincts and energies underlying all psychic activity
ego
the largely conscious, "executive" part of personality that, according to Freud, mediates among the demands of the id, superego, and reality. The ego operates on the reality principle, satisfying the id's desires in ways that will realistically bring pleasure rather than pain.
superego
the part of personality that, according to Freud, represents internalized ideals and provides standards for judgment (the conscience) and for future aspirations
organic disorder
brain damage or skewed brain chemistry
functional disorders
mental, experiential, or psychic in origin but have no known physical basis
guilt
comes before the crime
sublimation
satisfying an impulse (e.g., aggression) with a substitute object, in a socially acceptable way (i.e., sports)
regression
a movement backwards in psychological time caused by exposure to stress (e.g., child begin to such thumb or wet bed after witnessing violence)
displacement
satisfying an impulse (i.e., aggression) with a substitute object (e.g., someone mad at their boss might kick their dog)
projection
involves individuals attributing their own unacceptable thoughts, feelings, and motives to another person (e.g., you hate someone but your superego tells you that such hatred is bad. you believe they hate you instead)
denial
involves blocking external events from awareness. if some situation is too much to handle, the person just refuses to experience it
repression
an unconscious mechanism employed by the ego to keep disturbing or threatening thoughts from becoming conscious
psychoanalysis
freud's approach to treating internal conflict and tension that results from certain unresolved, often unconscious experiences, a "talking therapy" that often focuses on the patient's early childhood and dreams in order to bring repressed fears to consciousness
cognitive, moral development, and behavioural
3 primary types of learning theory
environment → mind → behaviour
mentalistic/cognitive model of human behaviour
cognition
the mental processes through which we organize our thoughts and make sense of the world around us include: attention, perception, memory and language
Frustration-Aggression Theory
thought to provide a viable explanation for most criminal acts, and it was the primary theoretical perspective to justify the use of treatment focused on rehabilitation
Aggression is always a consequence of frustration
risk of aggression escalates with the degree of outside interference, the frequency of frustrating experiences, and the intensity of the event that instigated the frustration
greater perceived risk of punishment = less likely to commit the crime
aggression is often redirected (no inflicting pain on the actual source of frustration)
once frustration is vented = less desire to act aggressively (catharsis)
based on social learning theory and the assumption that an individual's personality and behaviour are shaped through environmental influences, which is also considered part of cognitive psychology
Hostile Agression
aggression stemming from feelings of anger and aimed at inflicting pain or injury
instrumental aggression
aggression as a means to some goal other than causing pain
Thanatos
an innate drive toward disintegration
Albert Bandura
identified three kinds of learning: observational learning, response simulation, and vicarious reinforcement
moral development theory
the theory that morality develops in stages
Jean Piaget
four primary stages of mental development
Lawrence Kohlberg
theorized that all individuals pass through a common series of stages in which they develop their moral reasoning skills. As we progress through the stages, we learn to make decisions about right or wrong and determine the ethically/morally acceptable course of action based on circumstances.
classical conditioning
a process of behaviour modification in which a subject comes to respond in a manner to a previously neutral stimulus that has been repeatedly presented along with an unconditioned stimulus that elicits the desired response
Behavioural Learning Theory
A psychological theory maintaining that all behaviour is learned through some type of external stimulus (negative or positive)
not by inherent personality traits focus on specific behaviour rather than abstract concepts such as attitudes, interests, past experiences, or individual personality patterns
Classical Conditioning (Pavlov)
a type of learning in which one learns to link two or more stimuli and anticipate events
simultaneous conditioning
CS and US are presented at the same time
Delayed conditioning
when the CS precedes the onset of the ucs and may continue after the commencement of the UCS
Trace conditioning
when the CS is terminated before the onset of the UCS: there is a delay between the two stimuli
Backward conditioning
when the UCS precedes the CS least effective conditioning according to Adams
avoidance learning
a form of behavioural learning in which the individual learns to associate an undesirable behaviour with punishment and therefore avoids it
psychopathy
a personality disorder characterized by lack of empathy and remorse, an inability to learn from experience, low arousal levels, and anti-social behaviour
a growing body of literature suggests that many chromic criminal offenders suffer from some degree of psychopathy
low arousal
a condition in which an individual experiences lower than normal emotional arousal to external stimuli, often leading to restlessness, impulsivity, and sensation-seeking.
paraphilia
A condition characterized by abnormal sexual desires, typically involving activities, situations, or objects that most people do not consider sexually arousing.
pedophilia
a psychological disorder in which an adult (or older adolescent) is sexually aroused primarily by underage (usually prepubescent) children
crime and deviance hierarchy
mild crime: social diversions, moderate crimes: social deviations and conflict crimes
consensus crimes
Severe crimes
B.F. Skinner
maintained that human cognition could not be scientifically studied because, without a physical basis, it could not be observed and measured
Behavior modification
A psychological theory and treatment that focus not on changing personality (i.e., trying to make people "good") but behaviour, relying on a system of rewards and punishments.
token economy
A strategy used by behavioural therapists to reinforce a desired behaviour by rewarding the participant with poker chips, gold stars, or other "tokens." 2 basic schedule methods: ratio and interval
Behaviour modification (BM)
a systematic approach to changing behaviour through the application of the principles of conditioni
Auguste Comte
coined “positivist” to express what he considered the final stage of social development, in which metaphysical explanations would be replaced by a rational, scientific view of the world
positivist school of criminology
A school of criminological thought whose adherents use the scientific method to measure behaviour, and advocate rehabilitation over punishment.
Cesare Lombroso
laid the foundation for biological positivist theories and is the father of modern criminology
environment can play a role in an individual’s development
first true interdisciplinary criminological thinker
found numerous correlations between physical appearance and criminal activity (largely discredited)
he did not consider the possible effects that social labelling might have in triggering anti-social behaviour among those “labelled” as different or even evil
Paul Broca
based his theory of biological determinism in criminality on the concept of atavism
Atavistic → physical malformations (criminal stigma)
determinism
A doctrine that denies free will while maintaining that our decisions are decided by predictable and/or inherited causes that act on our character.
atavism
A biological condition supposedly rendering an individual incapable of living within the norms of a society.
deterministic
Based on or involving the belief that events and behaviour are caused by prior events and conditions existing outside the realm of free will.
weakness of methodology
limited application to the understanding of white-collar crime, organized crime, and political crime
a general fear that positivist-based policies will be intrusive and possibly lead to totalitarianism
failure to distinguish clearly between the roles of environment and heredity
biological, psychological, and sociological determinism has been challenged on four key issues:
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