PSYCHOLOGICAL EXPLANATIONS OF CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR

I. Early Explanations

A. Demonic PossessionB. Physical Shape

1. Criminals are throwbacks marked by huge jaws, asymmetrical faces, and large ears.

C. Mental Retardation

Early Explanations, cont.

D. Rational Choice1. All decisions, even criminal ones, are the result

of rational choice. a. Rewards can be emotional as well as financial2. Offenders weigh their personal needs against

the difficulty and risk of committing a crime. 3. Fear of punishment has a deterrent effect on choice to commit crime. 4. Swift and certain punishment is the best way to control crime.

II. Major Theories

A. Psychodynamic Perspective1. Based on the idea of psychoanalysis developed by

Freud.2. Human personality contains a three-part structure.

a. Id (pleasure principal)—respresents unconscious

biological drives, wants instant gratificationb. Ego (reality principal)—takes into account

practical considerations and social conventions; counters the id.

c. Superego (the conscience)—forces the ego to control the id. Incorporates moral standards of society and determines right from wrong.

3. Emphases are on early childhood experiences

and how a person deals with traumatic events.

a. Criminals have weak egos and damaged personalities.

B. Behavior Theory 1. People are not born with violent tendencies but

learn aggression through life experiences. 2. Violence is learned through behavior modeling.

a. Family membersb. Environmental experiencesc. Mass Media (see Bobo Doll experiment pictures, next

slide, from Albert Bandura’s research.)

Caption states, “Photographs of children imitating the aggressive behavior of the female model they had observed on film.”

3. Studiesa. Albert Bandura—Bobo Doll Experiment

(1961)b. Stanley Milgram—Behavioral Study of

Obedience (early 1960s)c. Philip Zimbardo—Stanford Prison

Experiment (1971) Link: Philip Zimbardo--How People Become Monsters...Or Heroes

"If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?"

-Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Gulag Archipelago (1918-1956)

C. Cognitive Theory1. Focuses on mental processes, how people view the world

around them and solve problems.a. How people organize their thoughts about rules

results in criminal or non-criminal behavior.2. Takes into account stages of moral development;

assumes criminals do not progress to higher levels because they lack the ability to empathize and are motivated by self-interest. (see chart on next slide)

3. Does not reflect mental ability, but rather faulty information processing ability—violent offenders have

a tendency to misread social situations.

4. Useful in explaining antisocial or sociopathic behavior.5. Mental illness

a. Some symptoms linked to violence prone behavior, such as paranoid or delusional feelings. 

D. Biological Theories1. Biochemical imbalances can influence crime.

a. A function of diet, vitamin intake, and hormonal imbalances

2. Genetics can contribute to crimea. Criminality in parents can predict delinquency in

children3. Neurological defects or brain impairment acquired

in early life may play a rolea. EEG abnormality more frequent among repeat

offenders4. Evolutionary explanations

a. Aggression is ingrained in people, especially males, and is shaped by competition over scarce resources. May create disposition toward crime.

           

E. Trait theories1. Personality (defined as a reasonably stable pattern of behavior)

a. Antisocial personality is characterized by

impulsivity, hostility, aggressiveness, lack of concern for others, and lack of

emotional depth.

2. Intelligencea. Low IQ (intelligence quotient) linked

with failure in school, which is linked with a higher crime rate. (Controversial)        

III. Dominant Viewpoints Today

A. Crime is the symbolic expression of tensions and conflicts existing within the psyche of an individual (psychological)

B. Crime is the result of the social environment in which the individual lived (sociological)

C. Emphasis is placed in the interaction of both sociological and psychological factors.