Criminal Behavior - Ch. 2: Developmental Risk and Protective Factors

Developmental Pathways

various tracks individuals follow that lead to antisocial behavior

Risk Factors

Characteristics of experiences that place children at risk of antisocial or criminal activity

Protective Factors

personal characteristics or experiences that can shield children and adolescents from serious antisocial behavior

Cumulative Risk Model

suggests that an accumulation of risk factors and insufficient protective factors lead to antisocial and criminal activity in children and adolescents

Also called multiple risk model

Dynamic Cascade Model

Both the accumulation of risk factors and their interaction lead to criminal activity, in the absence of protective factors.

Also called the developmental cascade model

Resilience

A crucial protective factor in the individual that resists the influence of multiple risk factors.

Successful coping with or overcoming risk and adversity, the development of competence in the face of severe stress and hardship, and success in developmental tasks or meeting social expectations

Poverty

a situation in which the basic resources to maintain an average standard of living within a specific geographic region are lacking

#1 predictor of going to jail

Parental Practices

methods employed by parents to meet some specific goal they would like to have their children achieve

Parental Styles

Seemingly nongoal-directed approaches displayed by parents, although the goals may be implicit.

Authoritarian Style

The approach to parenting that sets a very rigid structure on the family setting and allows little decision making by the child.

Permissive Style

A relaxed parenting style characterized by few demands, controls, or limits.

Authoritative Style

The approach to parenting that sets firm rules yet encourages the development of autonomy in the child.

Neglecting Style

Style of parenting in which parents are detached and uninvolved in child's activities

Enmeshed Style

A parental style in which the parent takes extraordinary control of the child's life including imposing rigid rules and seeing even trivial, minor behaviors as problematic. Typically results in harsh punishment but inconsistent discipline.

Lax Style

A parental style that does not respond sufficiently to problematic or antisocial behavior in children but rather allows it to occur without disciplinary action.

Opposite of the enmeshed style and similar to the permissive style

Parental Monitoring

Supervision by parents of their children's activities. Poor parental monitoring is a strong risk factor for delinquency.

Attachment Theory

a theory about how our early attachments with our parents shape our relationships for the rest of our lives

Theory of Mind

the capacity to recognize the thoughts and feelings of other people

Language Impairment

an absence, loss, or delay in normal speech and language development

Psychometric Approach

The perspective that human characteristics, attributes, and traits can be measured and quantified.

Psychometric Intelligence

A more contemporary designation of intelligence as measured by intelligence or IQ tests

ADHD (Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)

a psychological disorder marked by extreme inattention and/or hyperactivity and impulsivity

Traditionally considered a chronic neurobiological condition, more contemporary perspectives see the behavioral pattern as a deficiency of interpersonal skills.

Self-Regulation

The ability to control one's behavior in accordance with internal cognitive standards.

Conduct Disorder (CD)

A diagnostic label used to identify children who demonstrate habitual misbehavior.

Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)

a rare psychological diagnosis in which a child has difficulty controlling behavior and emotions

Disruptive Behavior Disorders

A pattern that generally includes conduct disorder and oppositional disorder. Characterized by chronic violation of social norms and rights of others.

Three Conditions for Resilience

1. must have experienced adversity

2. must show signs of growth despite the adversity

3. must have protective factors to prevent and help recover from adverse event.

Latch Key Kid

a child who returns home from school to an empty house and uses their own house key to let themselves in because their parents or guardians are still at work