Antisocial Personality Theory vs. Social Structure Theory

Criminology is the scientific study of knowledge in which crime is considered as a social happening. The study of Criminology includes the ways and methods of breaking laws, making laws and social/media/cultural reactions of the society to crime. There have been many theories as to why people commit crime, no one can decide on just one theory to explain this. Two popular theories as to why people commit crime are antisocial personality theory and social structure theory. The aspects behind these theories make the most reliable sense as to why people commit the crimes that they do.
Antisocial personality theory is a 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. Many studies have been done and there is much evidence that people with an antisocial personality disorder are more likely to commit crime, when in frustrating events they act with negative emotions, feel stressed and harassed, and are adversarial in their interpersonal relationships. People with antisocial personality disorder tend to have weak personal constraints and have a hard time controlling impulsive behavior urges. There are many factors that people believe contribute to people developing a criminal personality. In the book, it states that some of the factors are related to improper socialization, such as having a psychopathic parent, experiencing parental rejection and the lack of love received during childhood, and also inconsistent discipline. Some psychologists think that the cause of antisocial personality is brain dysfunction or possibly neurological issues. “They suspect that psychopaths su...

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...theories as to why people do what they do, especially committing crimes. The two popular ones are antisocial personality theory and social structure theory. Out of these two the one that makes most sense is antisocial personality theory. The majority of these people are diagnosed as a psychopath and they have brain amoralities which is causing them to commit crimes. This is a serious issue and most people will not admit that they have a mental disorder or a problem. There will be many theories, researches and arguments as to why people commit crime; criminology is a never ending studying on people and their actions.

Works Cited

"Mental Disorders." Antisocial personality disorder. Web. 7 Nov. 2013. .

Siegel, Larry J.. Criminology: the core. 4th ed. Belmont: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning, 2011.