Psychological theories of crime PDF

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Introduction to Criminological Theory Psychological theories of crime What is psychology? - the study of people, how they think, how they react and interact, their thoughts, feelings and motivations underlying their behaviour The relationship between psychology and criminology - although psychological explanations of crime are rooted in the individual, they cannot ignore sociological theories/approaches (Blackburn, 1993) Psychological explanations of crime “There is no definitive or all inclusive psychological theory of crime” Nature •

Biology

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Innateness (part of ones inner nature)

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Heredity (the passing on characteristics genetically from one generation to another)

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Brain structure

Nurture •

Society

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Learning

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Culture

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Environment

Bio-Psychological Theories •

‘Constitution & Crime’ - Sheldon 1942.

Somatotype developed in the 1940’s by Sheldon categorises the human physique according to the contribution of 3 elements. Constitutional psychology attempts to associate his somatotypes with human temperament types. This is now a neglected theory. Associated with the thought that the size and shape of a persons body indicated

intelligence, moral worth and future achievement. •

XYY/XXY Chromosome

XXY syndrome aka YY syndrome or Jacobs syndrome is a genetic condition in which a human male has an extra male chromosome. There is debate whether this causes this male to be more aggressive. •

Hormones - Schlapp and Smith

The theory that chemical imbalances caused irrational behaviours. Vast research studying the relationshipp between high levels of testosterone and criminal conduct. Maybe males with a higher level of testosterone would be more aggressive than males with lower levels •

Race

Personality Theories of Crime •

Eysenck - Eysenck believes that personality is defined by behaviour which is created as a result of biological and social factors. Personality is defined along 3 strands - Neuroticisim (N) - Psychoticism (P) - Extraversion (E) Eysenck found that criminals have high levels of Extraversion and high levels of

neuroticism.

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Psychodynamic - Freud believed that personality is determined by innate drives and early experiences Little has been done on psychodynamic theories and crime. Some theories to look into - Disturbances in the superego lead to criminal behaviour - Failture to postpone immediate gratification - Crime is acting out - Defence against painful effect - Crime is a result of pre-oedipal experiences •

Psychodynamic theory and sex crime

Personality theories of crime • • • •

Difficulty of defining mental disorder (Mc Guire, 2004) Offenders tend to suffer from mental disorders (Mc Guire, 2004) Concerns over the psychiatrisation of crime and the criminalisation of mental disorders (Blackburn, 1998) Psychopathology of offending behaviour - schizophrenia, mood disorders, personality disorders, PTSD (Blackburn, 1998)

Social Psychology theories of crime • Classical conditioning (Pavlov 1929) - Everything from speech to emotional responses was simply patterns of stimulus and response • Operatant conditioning (Skinner 1938) - Operant conditioning involves learning through the consequences of behaviour (positive/negative reinforcement) • Social learning theory (Bandura) -

1. 2. 3. •

External reinforcement Vicarious reinforcement (learning also occurs through the observation of rewards and punishments) Self-reinforcement Social learning crime and the media - proposes the idea that behaviours can be squired by observing and imitating others.

Developmental theories of crime • Offending is closely linked to the life course • Farrington 1992 - Peak age of offending is male 15, female 18 People that have criminal records are more likely to be more antisocial than ones without Troubleness at school, higher likelihood of future offending Morality, psychology and crime • Skyes and Matza 1957 - offenders have both deviant and non deviant values, neutralisation Delinquents will display a development mental delay, best exhibited by lower moral maturity than non-delinquents (Blackburn, 1998)

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Conclusions -

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The uneasy relationship between Psychology and Crime (theoretical and practical) Criminology = Society (sociology) vs. the individual (Psychology) Downplaying of Psychological theories Insanity defence and psychology in the courtroom •

Social and developmental psychological explanations of crime are adaptations (Hollin, 2007)

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Cannot predict criminality by studying personality (Williams, 2004)

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Can psychology really understand individual pathology, never mind crime?...