SOSA_3281_W2025_week_4.2_-_Classical_Biological_and_Psychological_Theories

Classical, Biological, and Psychological Theories of Crime

The Road Within (2014)

• Film Overview: A young man with Tourette's Syndrome embarks on a road trip.

• Director: Gren Wells

• Writers: Florian David Fitz, Gren Wells

• Stars: Zoë Kravitz, Robert Patrick, Robert Sheehan

Biological Theories: Key Takeaways

• Contributions: Significant insights into criminal behavior through biological perspectives.

Strengths

• Scientific Basis: Utilizes empirical research and neurological studies.

• Prevention and Treatment: Focus on medical and therapeutic interventions.

• Measurable Hypotheses: Offers testable predictions about criminal behavior.

• Early Identification: Aids in recognizing risk factors in developmental stages.

• Rehabilitation Programs: Supports evidence-based frameworks for rehabilitation.

• Interdisciplinary Integration: Connects with genetics and neuroscience fields.

Weaknesses

• Oversimplification: Reduces human behavior to biological drives.

• Unethical Policies: Risks leading to discriminatory practices.

• Neglect of Context: Often overlooks social and environmental variables.

• Determinism Issues: Propensity for deterministic views dismissing free will.

• Resource Intensive: High costs associated with biological studies and interventions.

• Balanced Approach: Important to merge biological insights with social factors in crime prevention and rehabilitation strategies.

Modern Psychological Theories

Intelligence

• Definition: Refers to the social capacity to succeed in society.

• Observation: The "Bell Curve" links intelligence and crime.

Psychoanalytic Theories

• Freudian Insight: Focus on the interplay of id, ego, and superego in criminality.

• Underdeveloped Superego: Suggests crime arises from insufficient moral development in the superego.

Theory of Moral Development (Kohlberg)

Levels of Development

1. Pre-Conventional: Moral reasoning focused on rewards and punishments (children up to 10).

2. Conventional: Adolescents start valuing societal norms, influenced by peers.

3. Post-Conventional: Formation of independent moral principles that may not align with societal norms.

• Criminality Link: Those who don’t fully understand right from wrong may stall at the pre-conventional stage, needing punitive cues to navigate morality.

Attachment Theory (Bowlby)

• Concept: Emphasizes the mother-infant bond's critical role during the early months.

• Criminality: Lack of nurturing relationships may lead to criminal behavior.

Social Learning Theories

Key Theories

• Bandura’s Social Learning Theory: Youth mimic criminal behaviors from role models (family, peers, media).

• Sutherland’s Differential Association: Criminal behavior is learned via social interactions that endorse deviant norms.

Psychodynamic Theories

• Attachment Theory: Insecure early attachments can correlate with antisocial behavior.

• Freudian Concepts: An overactive id or a weak superego results in poor impulse control.

Integrative Models

• Integrated Cognitive Antisocial Potential (Farrington): Combines societal, individual, and situational dynamics to explain crime potential.

• Bio-Psycho-Social Frameworks: Holistic model integrating biological, cognitive, and social aspects, including environmental factors (e.g., poverty).

Character and Psychopathology

Personality Theories

• Assessment: Several personality tests exist to analyze correlations with criminal behavior.

• Theoretical Dimensions: Neuroticism, extraversion, and psychoticism are significant dimensions.

Critiques

• Psychopathology: Rising rates of incarceration involving individuals with mental health issues highlight societal responses to mental disorders.

Recap: Comparing Theories of Youth Crime

Theoretical Frameworks Comparison

• Integration: Modern approaches leverage aspects from various theories for more effective interventions.

Modern Sociological Theories of Crime

Introduction

• Historical Shift: Transition from biological determinism to sociological explanations post-Great Depression due to genetic determinism's limitations.

• Theories of Focus: Strain, Social Disorganization, and Learning perspectives emerged in the 1930s.

Early Social Structural Theories

Key Developers

• August Comte: Proposed scientific methods for studying social structures impacting crime.

• Adolphe Quetelet: Studied demographic characteristics influencing crime rates, concluding place characteristics significantly affect crime levels.

• Durkheim: Introduced social solidarity concepts: mechanical vs. organic solidarity affecting societal norms and crime.

Differences in Solidarity

• Mechanical Solidarity: Community adherence to strict norms; crime leads to punitive measures.

• Organic Solidarity: Community built on interdependence; crime leads to restorative justice approaches.

Early Structural Theory Principles

• Durkheim: Considered crime functional for establishing societal norms, strengthening community ties.

Strain/Anomie Theories

Robert Merton - Anomie Theory

• Definition: Anomie indicates a disconnection between societal goals and legitimate means.

• Adaptation Modes: Includes conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism, and rebellion, explaining varied criminal behaviors stemming from strain.

Sources of Strain

• Factors include failure to achieve goals and negative emotional states contributing to criminal behavior.

Merton's Modes of Adaptation Explained

1. Conformity: Adherence to societal goals through legitimate means.

2. Innovation: Seeking success through illegitimate means (e.g., theft).

3. Ritualism: Abandoning goals but maintaining legitimate means of livelihood.

4. Retreatism: Rejection of both goals and legitimate means (e.g., chronic homelessness).

5. Rebellion: Rejection of societal goals, aiming for systematic change.

Messner and Rosenfeld: Institutional Anomie Theory

• Concept: Highlights institutional imbalances in power correlating with crime rates; checks and balances among social institutions are crucial.

Social Disorganization Theory

• Definition: Crime prevalence is linked to community instability and lack of social cohesion.

• Influences: High poverty, unemployment, and segregation lead to resource depletion, which promotes delinquency.

Differential Association Theory

• Concept: Criminal behavior is learned through associations with peers.

• Peer Influence: Significant impact on youth behavior, reinforcing delinquent attitudes.

Labeling Theory

• Impact of Labels: Societal stigma can cause internalization of delinquent identities, exacerbating criminal behavior.

Theoretical Comparative Framework