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Differences between psychological, biological and sociological theories of criminal behavior
Theories of criminal behaviours essay
Differences between psychological, biological and sociological theories of criminal behavior
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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 phenomena evident among child sex offenders are generated by four distinct and interacting mechanisms: intimacy and social skills deficits, distorted sexual scripts, emotional dysregulation and cognitive distortions where each mechanism generates a specific offence pathway. Both theories have been influential in providing treatment goals and informing clinical assessment of child sexual abusers. Finkelhor´s precondition model (1984) is widely recognized in the literature as a groundbreaking theory in the fact that it represents the first attempt at incorporating multi-factorial explanations to account for sexual offending against children (Howell, 1994; Marshal, 1996; Ward & Hudson, 1998). Finkelhor (1984) argues that child molestation is a complex phenomena caused by a variety of psychological, sociological and cultural factors. In order to explain differences within perpetrators as well as situational aspects of the offence, Finkelhor (1984) proposes four preconditions that need to bee met in ... ... middle of paper ... ...y of multiple dysfunctional mechanisms, or ‘pure’ pedophiles – those with a primary sexual interest in children, consisting of individuals who portrait elements of all the pathways discussed above: deviant sexual scripts; distorted ideas about children’s sexuality; intimacy deficits and; dysfunctional emotional regulation. Ward & Siegert (2002) argue that their attempt to build on existing theoretical work such as Finkelhor’s (1984) Precondition model, the Pathway model constitutes a multifactorial theory evident in fact that it addresses psychological, contextual and biological mechanisms in its claim that vulnerability to sexually offend against a child originates from various learning, cultural and psychological variables. Both of the models mentioned above have some clinical utility and can be used in the assessment and treatment of child molesters.
Witt, P., Greenfield, D., & Hiscox, S. (2008). Cognitive/behavioural approaches to the treatment adult sex offenders. Journal of Psychiatry & Law, 36(2), 245-269, retrieved from EBSCOhost
It is a common stereotype that all sex offenders have some form of psychopathy, and therefore they cannot be treated, however most sexual offenders do not have major mental illness or psychological maladjustment (Ward, Polaschek and Busch, 2006), therefore it is not impossible to treat them. Finkelhor’s (1984) precondition model was made with the assumption that the psychopathology of an individual will only take us so far in explaining sexually abusive behaviour, Finkelhor states that 4 stages of preconditions must exist before sexual abuse can take place, these are; Primary motivation to abuse a child sexually, overcoming of internal and external inhibitions and dealing with a child’s resistance to sexual abuse, for each subsequent precondition to occur the previous one must be achieved. Finkelhor argues th...
This paper looks at the different theories of criminal behavior that explain why people commit crimes. It goes deeper to analyze the specific theories in a bid to determine why a person may commit a certain crime and another person under the same circumstances may not. The paper focuses on key factors that motivate unruly behavior among people and why such factors are present in some people and not in others. In doing so, the paper leans more on children in order to determine how delinquency behavior is progressively imparted on them as they undergo developmental trajectory.
Despite the effect of one’s morals and upbringing upon their actions, in extreme cases biology of the brain has a great effect on distinguishing between proper and improper. There is a spectrum between proper and improper, it is not all black and white. For example, not tipping well at a restaurant and child molestation are both seen as improper, but child molestation is significantly worse. A person that commits child molestation is not doing so simply because of external factors, but instead because something is malfunctioning in their
Zakireh, B., Ronis, S. T., & Knight, R. A. (2008, September 3). Individual beliefs, attitudes, and victimization histories of male juvenile sexual offenders. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 20(3), 323-351.
There are several identifiable psychological factors that increase the likelihood an individual will demonstrate deviant sexual behavior. One of the most important contributing factors is physical or sexual abuse endured as a child. According to Becerra-García, García-León and Egan (2012), sex offenders are twice as likely to report being sexually, emotionally, or physically abused as a child in comparison to other offenders. There are also other factors besides abuse that must be taken into consideration. A recent study on female sex offenders by Roe-Sepowitz and Krysik (2008) states, “the data reveal that many of the 118 female juvenile sex offenders came from chaotic and disorganized families and had poor parental supervision and serious school and mental health problems”. As Becerra-García, García-León and Egan (2012) discuss further, there are also personality traits that sex offenders are likely to possess, which makes it possible for psychologists to distinguish general characteristics of sex offenders. These personality traits can be identified using the Five Factor Model, which scales an individual’s level of neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness.
The author of this paper will discuss the attachment model of intimacy deficits in sexual offenders by drawing upon the interface between the attachment of the media outlets, literature, and social sites, and cognition research. This essay will also briefly discuss the comprehensive model of intimacy deficit disorders and the affect they have in relation to the sexual offender. Keywords: murder, Due process, law enforcement, investigation Criminal Behavior Empirical confidential data obtained and processed on approximately 200 adult female child sexual abusers was analyzed in order to obtain results and to test a number of theoretical proposals with respect to concerns that arose from the role of attachment problems in the onset of female sexual offending. Atkinson, J.L. (1996) Results indicated that the offenders’ parent–child attachment relationships were almost always characterized ... ...
Seto, M. & Barbaree, H. (1999). Psychopathy, Treatment Behavior, and Sex Offender Recidivism. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, Vol. 14, pp.1235-1248
Childhood sexual abuse, as defined by the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA, 1996), includes using persuasion, enticement, and other inducements to coerce a child to engage in sexually explicit conduct or simulation of sexual acts. Survivors of sexual abuse frequently have a legacy of both psychological and physical problem throughout life. There has been considerable literature published in the past 20 years focusing on the long-term consequences of childhood sexual abuse.
Psychiatry, A. A. (2004). Child Sexual Abuse. Washington, D.C, U.S.A. Retrieved April 22, 2011, from www.aacap.org.
Child sexual abuse is defined as “the involvement of a child in sexual activity that he or she does not fully comprehend, is unable to give informed consent to, or for which the child is not developmentally prepared, or else that violates the laws or social taboos of society” (Ajduković, Sušac, and Rajter 470). In Bastard out of Carolina, Ruth Ann “Bone” Boatwright started experiencing sexual child abuse from her stepfather at the age of twelve, which changed aspects of her life forever. Coincidentally, it was proven through research that young girls between the ages of 13 and 16 suffered sexual abuse by adult men that they knew previously (Ajduković, Sušac, and Rajter 475). While it could be a family member, an acquaintance, or a friend, the feelings of betrayal remain the same.
This paper outlines the consequences of child sexual abuse (CSA) based on the examination of results from multiple researches previously fulfilled concerning the psychological and physical impact of this crime, information of statistics, warning signs detected, victims’ performances, and emotional state. Sexual abuse causes severe trauma on child victims that will last for the course of their lives, therefore it is critical to identify and improve the therapeutic methods utilized to treat CSA survivors.
Trait theory views criminality as a product of abnormal biological or psychological traits. It is based on a mix between biological factors and environmental factors. Certain traits alone cannot determine criminality. We are born with certain traits and these traits along with certain environmental factors can cause criminality (Siegel, 2013). According to (Siegel, 2013), the study of sociobiology sparked interest in biological or genetic makeup as an explanation for crime and delinquency. The thought is that biological or genetic makeup controls human behavior, and if this is true, then it should also be responsible for determining whether a person chooses crime or conventional behavior. This theory is referred to as trait theory (Siegel, 2013). According to Siegel (2013), due to the fact that offenders are different, one cannot pinpoint causality to crime to just a single biological or psychological attribute. Trait theorist looks at personal traits like intelligence, personality, and chemical and genetic makeup; and environmental factors, such as family life, educational attainment, economic factors, and neighborhood conditions (Siegel, 2013). There are the Biosocial Trait theories an...
Everybody’s childhood is an important time in their lives. It’s when knowledge is absorbed like a sponge and our character or personality is formed. Every serial killer has a childhood too. Three studies were taken to determine what the cause was and the first examined the effect that sexual abuse had on children. This study compared seventy five children who were never abused and sixty eight who were. The children who were previously abused showed more poor behavior then those who weren’t. It is very common to see a serial killer with depression, low self- esteem and problematic behavior and having prior abuse contributes to behavioral issues. Th...