Criminology Chapter 5 Trait Theory PDF

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Criminology Chapter 5 Trait Theory -

Root cause to crime may be linked to mental or physical abnormality o This makes it hard to make apply rational choice theory to every situation

Trait theories: View criminality as a product of abnormal biological or psychological traits - Subdivided into 2 major categories o Those that stress biological makeup o Those that stress psychological makeup Development of trait theory - Sociobiology: The view that human behavior is motivated by inborn biological urges to survive and preserve the species; Stresses the following principles o Behavioral traits are shaped by both inherited traits and the environment o Biological and genetic conditions affect how social behaviors are learned and perceived o Behavior is determined by the need to ensure survival of offspring and replenishment of the gene pool o Biology, environment, and learning are mutually interdependent factors - While social behavior is genetically transmitted, it adapt to and is shaped by existing environmental conditions - Personal traits must be what separates the deviant members of society from the nondeviant - Specific traits cannot promise certain crimes to be committed but if the right environment conditions then the likelihood increases Contemporary trait theory Individual vulnerability vs differential susceptibility - 2 views on how interaction unfolds o Individual vulnerability model: Assumes there is a direct link between traits and crimes; some people are vulnerable to crime from birth o Differential susceptibility model: The belief that there is an indirect association between traits and crime  Some people possess physical or mental traits that make them vulnerable to adverse environmental influences Biochemical conditions and crime - 1978 the biology of crime began to receive national attention - Include biological traits that are predetermined and ones from our diet and environment - Chemical imbalance - Diet: o Improper diet leads to chemical imbalance - Sugar intake:

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o Perhaps increase in sugar as a child may cause an increase likelihood of violence in adulthood Hypoglycemia: o When blood glucose levels fall below normal o Hypoglycemia: A condition that occurs when glucose in the blood falls below levels necessary for normal and efficient brain functioning  Could lead to habitually violent and impulsive behavior Hormonal influences: o Androgens: Male sex hormones  Abnormal amounts can produce aggressive behavior o Testosterone: The principle of male hormone  Abnormal levels affect behavior Premenstrual syndrome o PMS: Aggressive behavior in women Lead exposure: o Emotional and behavioral disoders Environmental contaminants o Cognitive defect

Neurophysiology: The study of brain activity - Criminals and substance abusers have impairment in prefrontal lobes, thalamus, medial temporal lobe, and superior parietal lobe Conduct disorder (CD): A pattern of repetitive behavior in which the rights of others or social norms are violated - Considered precursor of long-term chronic offending - Children with CD lie, steal, bully other children, get into fights frequently, break school rules, and more - Brain structure o Aggressive behavior linked to the amygdala - Attention deficit disorder o ADHD: Many with this also suffer from CD - Brain chemistry o Neurotransmitters: Chemical compounds that influence or activate brain functions o MAO and GABA imbalance o Males have higher MAO rate than females  May contribute to gender differences in crime o Low levels of MAO increases aggression - Arousal theory: The view that people seek to maintain a preferred level of arousal but vary in how they process sensory input. A need for high levels of environmental stimulation may lead to aggressive violent behavior patterns

Genetics and crime - The genes-crime association may be direct 1. Antisocial behavior is inherited 2. The genetic makeup of parents is passed on to children 3. Genetic abnormality is directly linked to a variety of antisocial behaviors - Parental deviance o If criminal tendencies are inherited: children of criminal parents should more likely become law violators - Adoption studies o Some relationship exists between biological parents’ behavior and the behavior of children - Twin behavior o Inherited traits cause criminal behavior o Monozygotic twins (MZ) o Dizygotic twins (DZ) o MZ have lower association than DZ to criminal activity Is crime inherited? - Genetic influences appear strongest for chronic offenders whose behavior is persistent, severe an involves callous unemotional symptoms, such as lack of remorse; these conditions have been linked to crime and antisocial behavior - Not sure if there is a clear link Evolutionary views of crime - The competition for scarce resources has influenced and shaped human species - People with superior traits survive and reproduce, this could lead to more dominant and aggressive traits which explains war, violence, and aggression in human history - Evolution of gender and crime o Aggressive males usually mate with females successfully Biochemical

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The major premise of the theory is that crime especially violence is a function of diet, vitamin intake, hormonal imbalances, or food allergies The strengths of the theory are that it explains irrational violence and shows how the environment interacts with personal traits to influence behavior The research focuses of the theory are diet, hormones, enzymes, environmental contaminants, and lead intake

Neurological

Major premise of the theory is that criminals and delinquents often suffer brain impairment. ADHD and minimal brain dysfunction are related to antisocial behavior - The strengths of the theory are that it explains irrational violence and shows how the environment interacts with personal traits to influence behavior - The research focuses of the theory are CD, ADHD, learning disabilities, brain injuries, and brain chemistry Genetic - The major premise of the theory is that criminal traits and predispositions are inherited. The criminality of parents can predict the delinquency of children - The strengths of the theory include the fact that it explains why only a small percentage of youths in highcrime areas become chronic offenders - The research focuses on the theory are twin behavior, sibling behavior, and parent-child similarities Evolutionary - The major premise of the theory is that as the human race evolved, traits, and characteristics became ingrained. Some of these traits make people aggressive and predisposed to commit crime - The strengths of the theory include its explanation of high violence rates and aggregate gender differences in the crime rate - Research focuses of the theory are gender differences and understanding human aggression - Aggressive males have had the greatest impact on the gene pool Psychological trait view Psychodynamic perspective

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Psychodynamic or psychodynamic psychology: Originated by Sigmund Freud: The human personality is controlled by unconscious mental processes that develop early in childhood and involve the interaction of id, ego, and superego - Id: The primitive part of people’s mental makeup, present at birth, that represents unconscious biological drives for food, sex, and other life-sustaining necessities. The id seeks instant gratification without concern for the rights of others - Ego: The part of personality developed in early childhood that helps control the id and keep people’s actions within the boundaries of school convention - Superego: The part of personality representing the conscience, formed in early life by internalization of the standards of parents and other models of behavior o It judges their own behavior o Develops as a result of incorporating within the personality the moral aspect of people’s personalities - Attachment theory: Bowlby’s theory that being able to form an emotional bond to another person is an important aspect of mental health throughout the life span o Lack of attachment can lead to psychological disorders - Behavioral theory: The view that all human behavior is learned through a process of social reinforcement (rewards and punishment) - Social learning: The view that human behavior is modeled through observation of human social interactions either directly from observing those who are close and from intimate contact, or indirectly through the media. Interactions that are rewarded are copied, while those that are punished are avoided - Social learning and violence o Behavioral modeling: The process of learning behavior by observing others. Aggressive models may be parents, criminals in the neighborhood, or characters on television or in movies  Three principle sources:  Family interactions: Aggressive children have parents who use aggressive tactics when dealing with others  Environmental experiences: People who reside in areas with violence are more likely to be violent  Mass media: Playing violent videogames or watching violent tv Cognitive theory Cognitive theory: Psychological perspectives that focuses on the mental processes by which people perceive and represent the world around them and solve problems Information-processing theory: Theory that focuses on how people process, store, encode, retrieve, and manipulate information to make decisions and solve problems Cognitive approach: - People who use information properly are better conditioned to make reasonable judgements - Law violators may be sensation seekers

People with inadequate cognitive processing perceive the world as stacked against them and they believe they have little control over the negative events in their life - Mental scripts: o How people perceive and interact with the world in processing Personality and crime - Personality: The reasonably stable patterns of behavior, including thoughts and emotions, that distinguish one person from another -

Antisocial personality: Combination of traits such as hyperactivity, impulsivity, hedonism, and inability to empathize with others, that make a person prone to deviant behavior and violence - Also referred to as sociopathic or psychopathic personality Intelligence and Criminality - Nature theory: The view that intelligence is largely determined genetically and that low intelligence is linked to criminal behavior - Nurture theory: The view that intelligence is not inherited but is largely a product of environment o Low IQ scores do not cause crime but may result from the same environmental factors Mental disorders and crime - Mood disorder: A condition in which the prevailing emotional mood is distorted or inappropriate to the circumstances - Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD): A pattern of negativistic, hostile, and defiant behavior, during which a child often loses her, or his temper often argues with adults and often actively defies or refuses to comply with adults’ requests or rules - Schizophrenia: A severe disorder marked by hearing nonexistent voices, seeing hallucinations, and exhibiting inappropriate responses - Bipolar disorder: An emotional disturbance in which moods alternate between alternate periods of wild elation and deep depression - Police are less likely to arrest mentally ill Social policy and trait theory - Primary prevention program: Programs such as substance abuse clinics and mental health associations that seek to treat personal problems that seek to treat personal problems before they manifest themselves as crime o Person’s problems can be treated before they become overwhelming and some future crimes can be prevented - Secondary prevention programs: Programs that provide treatment such as psychological counseling, to youths and adults after they have violated the law o Attendance may be required due to probation...