Chapter 4: ⭐️ Developmental Pathways

Developmental Theories of Criminal Behaviour

Focus on the changeable, dynamic nature of criminality, emphasizing the role of different factors at various life stages.

Stability of Criminal Behaviour

Longitudinal studies show a small proportion of chronic offenders responsible for a large share of criminal activity, with criminal behavior peaking in late adolescence.

Gluecks’ Longitudinal Study

Examined early life experiences and chronic antisocial behavior, finding that early antisocial behavior predicts later criminal activity.

Wolfang & Colleagues’ Study

"Philadelphia Birth Cohort Study" identified a small percentage of participants responsible for the majority of offenses, with criminal activity peaking in adolescence.

David Farrington’s Study

"Cambridge study in delinquent development" followed boys from London, finding a small percentage committing multiple crimes and criminal activity declining after age 17.

Patterson’s Coercion Theory

Focuses on early-onset delinquency, highlighting the role of poor parental management and coercive interactions in shaping criminal behavior.

Moffitt’s Developmental Taxonomy

Distinguishes between life-course persistent and adolescent-limited pathways of delinquency, emphasizing early childhood risk factors.

Age-Graded Theory of Informal Social Control

Sampson & Laub's theory suggests that informal social controls influence criminal behavior, with structural turning points leading to desistance.

Neuropsychological Deficits

Prenatal and perinatal complications impacting temperament and later delinquency, with difficult temperaments linked to antisocial behaviors.

Childhood Externalizing Disorders

Include Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), associated with increased risk for antisocial behavior.

Parenting Styles

Different approaches to parenting, including authoritarian, authoritative, and permissive, based on parental responsiveness and demandingness.

Authoritarian

Parenting style characterized by strict rules, punitive discipline, and low warmth, associated with increased risk for aggression and delinquency in children.

Authoritative

Parenting style marked by warmth, reasonable limits, and high responsiveness, linked to high self-control and lower delinquency rates in children.

Permissive

Parenting style with few demands, high warmth, and low control, leading to lower self-regulation and poor school performance in children.

Parental Monitoring

Involves parents' awareness of children's activities, setting limits on behavior, and establishing rules to reduce the risk of delinquent behavior.

Peer Rejection

Refers to the exclusion or unpopularity experienced by a child within their peer group, which can have negative impacts on social and emotional development.