non sociological approaches to crime and deviance

physiological: cesare lombroso

- criminals are born with 'atavistic' features and have definite biological failings that prevented them from developing into fully human beings
- showed ape-like features and sometimes 'savage' features (large jaws, high cheek bones, large ears, long arms, thick skulls, extra nipples, toes and fingers)
- 40% of criminals born criminals + driven into it by biology

physiological: sheldon

- body shape correlated to personality
- mesomorph more likely to get involved in crime at early age due to intimidating appearance
- endomorph = middle class -> white collar crime

physiological: sheldon body shapes

- ectomorph - thin wiry frame - introverted and restrained
- endomorph - heavy and rounded - sociable and relaxed
- mesomorph - solid, muscular frame - aggressive and adventurous

physiological: klinefelter's syndrome

suggests an additional chromosome makes people aggressive and results in criminal behaviour

psychological theories

- see the deviant as different from the population as a whole
- they are abnormal in normal population
- the abnormal predisposes them to deviance, however cause of deviance are different

psychological: eysenck

personality theory, argues criminality is an inherited characteristic like personality and intelligence
- extroverts are less easily controlled and more prone to criminality - individual takes longer to learn the rules of society

psychological: bowlby

maternal deprivation
- mother provides emotional security for growing child - without this the child will show psychopathic personality (breaks the law + feels no remorse so does it again)
- study based on 44 juvenile thieves

psychological: PMT

80% of female crime occurs around the period of menstruation