Theoretical Perspectives on Violent Offending PDF

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Considering a range of theoretical explanations of violent offending and their influences on criminal justice practice....

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Psychology & Criminology – Sexual & Violent Crimes - Lecture 6 – “Natural Born Killers” Theoretical Perspectives on Violent Offending

Aim of Session: - To consider a range of theoretical explanations of violent offending and their influence on criminal justice practice. - Key Reading: o Felson, R. B (2009) Is Violence natural, unnatural or rational. British Journal of Sociology vol 60. Issue 3 Wiley. Natural unnatural or rational? Contextual? Biological Determinism/Positivism: -

Chromosomal Differences (Jones 2000) Neurotransmitter Malfunctions Hormonal Imbalances External Factors which may impact on brain functioning – Brain injuries, PTSD.

Mental Disorder: -

Psychopathic Personality traits in men. Anti-Social and borderline personality disorders. Females with borderline personality disorders. Logan and Blackburn (2009)

Psychoanalytical Theories: -

An instinct arises internally, but then through various stages of development various desires are channelled and controlled in a process of self-regulation. An emphasis is placed on key stages of child development, the impact of trauma, attachment and loss (Bowlby, 1980)

Classicist View: The Rational Actor Model -

Is Violence a rational choice? Cognitive behavioural approaches (McGuire, 2008). Personal Factors – Individual attitudes, scripts and schema. Situational Factors – Perceived provocation, aggressive cues, misuse of substances. (Anderson & Bushman, 2002)

Sociological Perspectives and Interactionism: 1

Strain Theory – Merton (1968). Gang Behaviour – Cloward & Ohlin (1986), Agnew (1992). Social Learning – Bandura (1960s + 70s)

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Differential Association – Sutherland (1947)

Symbolic Interactionism “Doing Gender” -

Greater attention should be paid to perceptions of masculinity and the impact on male criminality, including serious violence (McFarlane, 2013). Exploring the reaction to self-image and perceptions of how others see you. Examining the social processes by which “gendered” meanings are assigned. The development of gendered scripts, challenging and securing a threatened “status”. Messerschmidt (1997) and Connell (1987)

References:

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Agnew, R (1992) Foundation for a general strain theory of crime and delinquency in Criminology, 30(1): pp47-87

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Anderson, C. A. and Bushman. B. (2002). Human Aggression, Annual Review of Psychology, 53, pp.27-51.

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Bowlby, J. (1980). Loss: Sadness & depression. Attachment and loss (vol. 3); (International psycho-analytical library no.109). London: Hogarth Press.

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Browne, K and Howells, K (1996) Violent Offenders in C.R Hollin (ed) Working with Offenders. Chichester: Wiley

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Cloward, R.A. and Ohlin, L.E. (1986) Delinquency and Opportunity. New York: Free Press.

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Connell, R. W. (1987) Gender and Power. Oxford: Polity

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Johnson, M.P. (2008) A typology of domestic violence. North Eastern University Press.

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Jones, S (2000) Understanding Violent Crime. Buckingham: Open University Press

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Logan, C. and Blackburn, R. (2009) Mental disorder in violent women in secure settings: Potential relevance to risk for future violence, International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 32, pp.31-

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McFarlane, H. (2013) Masculinity and Criminology: The Social Construction of Criminal Man The Howard Journal, 52, pp.321-335.

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McGuire, J. (2008), A review of effective interventions for reducing aggression and violence Philosophical Transactions Royal Society, Biological Sciences, 363(1503), pp.2577-2597.

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Merton, R. K (1968), Social Theory and Social Structure. New York: Free Press.

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Messerchmidt, J.W. (1997) Crime as Structured Action. Thousand Oaks, C.A: SAGE.

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Sutherland, E.H. (1947) Criminology, 4th edn Philadelphia: liipincott....