Explain How Psychological Perspectives Have Been Used to Criminal Behavior

In this essay, two theories specifically focusing on sexual offending against children are compared and critical evaluated. Finkelhor’s (1984) Precondition model integrates four underlying factors that might explain the occurrence of child sexual abuse and categorizes them into four preconditions: motivation to offend, overcoming internal inhibitors, overcoming external inhibitors and overcoming child’s resistance that occur in a temporal sequence where each is necessary for the other to develop. The Precondition model provides a framework for assessment of child molesters but is criticized for a lack of aetiological explanations and for paying to little attention to cognitive factors. Ward’s (2003) Pathways model suggest that clinical

Trait theories posit that crime is caused by certain traits, biological or psychological, among individuals which predispose them to crime. These traits control the individual's coping strategies and ultimately result in criminal behavior. Social philosopher Cesare Lombroso, working in the early 1900's, theorized that there were common physical traits shared by criminals. (Glaser, 205-6). These included distinct characteristics in the jaw line, teeth, and nose as cranium of offenders. As a result, public law enforcement viewed offenders as either incapable of reason or as unable to control their animal impulses. (Glaser, 206).

The focal thought was that mankind can-and ought to be enhanced by empowering individuals with "attractive" characteristics to replicate and demoralizing or averting propagation among those with "undesirable" attributes. For individuals with criminal qualities, the best thing for every concerned wa to ensure they didn't have youngsters. As anyone might expect, Lombroso's most continuing legacy has been the inclination of dynamic speculation individuals following the time when to dismiss the thought that criminal conduct has a hereditary part, since that conviction appeared to lead specifically to jail, sanitization, or demise for those unfortunates conceived with the wrong qualities. In the 1970s an altogether different way to deal with comprehension the hereditary segment of criminal conduct emerged. It was enlivened in vast part by the advancement of sociobiology, an amalgamation of science and human science that tried to utilize bits of knowledge from hereditary qualities and transformative hypothesis to comprehend the conduct of people in

Criminological theories (also known as theoretical criminology), according to Schmalleger (2015), is the “subfield of general criminology that posits explanations of criminal behavior.” (p. 13) There are many theories under this subfield that exist to help people have a better understanding of a criminal 's actions as well as put some justification behind them. There are six different schools that fall under criminological theories. These schools are: Classical School, Biological/Biosocial Theories, Psychological/Psychiatric Theories, Social Structions Approaches, Social Process & Social Development Theories, and Social Conflict Theories.

3.2 Testability While several earlier criminological theories have been untestable, most contemporary criminological theories are testable as we can deduce measurable factors to support or falsify them. I will now look at the testability of different theories of crime. 3.2.1 Biological Theories of Crime Modern biological theories are testable because they identify specific physical traits such as genes and hormone levels we can compare with crime rates to draw correlations. For example, criminologists have used twin and adoption studies to test Mednick’s Theory of Inherited Criminal Tendencies by examining genetic influences on crime (Raine, 2002).

Compare and contrast three psychological approaches to the study of criminal behavior. Kayleigh Bromley The legal definition of crime is ‘An action or omission which constitutes an offence and is punishable by law’ (oxford dictionaies, 2014) there are many different types of crime, crimes such as shop lifting are low scale crimes, rape and murder however are much more high scale crimes. This essay will look into different psychological approaches to crime, the theories and reasons behind them. The three approaches that will be looked into are the psychodynamic behavioral and biological Freud was the first to believe that some behavior is not controlled by the conscious mind but is driven by the unconscious motives and anxieties. He believed that a person’s personality is shaped on early childhood experiences

What makes crime a rampant convention of human civilization? According to The International Center for Prison Studies (2013), the United States holds the record for highest incarceration rates in the world at 716 per 100,000 of the national population. At the beginning of 2013, the world population was recorded at 7.1 billion; 10.2 million of that is the world’s currently documented prison population. In the past 15 years since the first edition of ICPS’s World Prison Population List, world prison population has increased 25-30% (ICPS; Walmsley, 2013). Actual crime in the United States is projected to occur every 26 seconds for violent crimes, and every 3.5 seconds for non-violent crimes. With the steady advancements in law enforcement, social

Lombroso’s theory proposed that criminality was innate, and this could be distinguished by their physical atavist stigmata, their physiognomic attributes or deformities. He believed the human race evolved, whereas those who are criminal or have the violent tendencies are the

Biological theories of crime claims that criminal behavior is a result of biological abnormalities. As stated in the lecture, these theories are good at explaining individual differences ,contrasted to the classical school of criminology, free will and deterrence is of little value to the biological perspective. However, though the biological theories are good at explaining individual differences , it has difficulty explaining why one city has more crime than another.

This theory focuses on the idea that a person’s body, through inherited genes, evolutionary factors, brain structures, or the role of hormones, has an influence on an individual’s involvement in criminal behavior (Ministry of Justice, 2009). Biological theories of deviance see crime and deviant behavior as a form of illness caused by pathological factors that are specific to certain types of individuals. They assume that some people are "born criminals" who are biologically different than non-criminals. The underlying logic is that these individuals have a mental and physical inferiority, which causes an inability to learn and follow the rules. This in turn leads to criminal behavior (Crossman, n.d.).

Criminal activities are associated with three factors, namely the psychological, biological and social factors. Research shows that the psychological state of individuals affects their biology. The relationship between crime and medical disorders is complex, and the disorders constitute a major cause of crimes. People who experience hallucinations and delusions are more likely to engage in criminal activities. Mental illness such as schizophrenia is also linked to crimes and violence. The personality, cognitive ability and impulse control ability of individuals are also associated with criminal behaviors. Criminal control policy focused on the psychological factors of individuals employs measures such as training, promotions of self-awareness, resocialization, and rehabilitation. Psychologists recognize the past behavior of individuals as the best predictor of the future behavior.

All the biological theories are based on the notion that biological markers foreordain criminal behavior. The core of all these theories is that genetic factors or any abnormalities which are inherited or acquired throughout the life, predispose individuals to the criminal behavior. Lombroso’s theory gave life to probably almost every single biological theory that appeared afterward.

Understanding why crime occurs requires a special desire to put together the puzzle of the human mind. Behavior can not be determined by one factor, but influenced by a party of many factors. Scholars have argued that not all individual differences are completely represented in criminal populations. For example, individuals who are impulsive, daring, and aggressive are found to be more indulging in criminal populations than individuals who delay gratification, are cautious, and are sensitive to the needs and wants of others. Criminology refuses to acknowledge the relationship between personality and crime are connected. This omission lies

In today’s society, one will find that there are many different factors that go into the development of a criminal mind, and it is impossible to single out one particular cause of criminal behavior. Criminal behavior often stems from both biological and environmental factors. In many cases criminals share similar physical traits which the general population do not usually have. For example criminals have smaller brains than properly adjusted individuals. However biological reasons cannot solely be the cause of criminal behavior. Therefore, one must look to other sources as to how a criminal mind is developed. Social and environmental factors also are at fault for developing a person to the point

“Offending behaviour rises steeply as age increases, with over 80% of offences committed by 14 to 16-year- olds.” (Risk and Protective Factors, 2005)