The statement suggests that those with no history of violence within their family and/or those who had a good upbringing will most likely not go on to commit violent crimes. At first this does seem like a reasonable suggestion to make. However, once we look deeper into this topic we uncover more complex explanations that are used to understand the phenomenon that is violent crime. Psychological perspectives are widely used throughout the world of criminology in order to help comprehend why crime is committed and the patterns that occur between the type of offender and type of crime. There perspectives are broken down into four main areas within psychology; Biological/Evolutionary, Social/Learning theory, Psychoanalytical/Psychodynamic and finally …show more content…
However as research in to the causes of criminality has developed, we have now come to understand that these aspects of appearance do not contribute to the likelihood of someone becoming criminal. Osborn and West (1979) furthered this study of genetics by comparing the criminality of parents to children and found that the children that had parents with a criminal record have a 40% chance that they will also go on to commit crime (ref). Although this seems to give fairly substantial support the link between genetics and criminality, on the other hand 60% of the children did not go on to commit crime so this study does not have strong support for the criminal gene. Other suggestions have been made that links biology to criminality such as personality traits leading people to be more likely to be come criminal. Hans Eysenck (1977) suggested that individual differences originated in aspects of biology. One example of a personality trait that is used to explain this concept is neuroticism and how this is developed from a difference in arousal levels of the nervous system compared to ‘normal’ people, and this is established in development through childhood (ref). Overall the biological approach does contribute some valuable points to the study of …show more content…
One of the main ideas that cover the link between crime and the role of the family was that single parenthood is a risk factor. It was suggested that father absence in childhood was a cause of crime but this may not be as relevant in today’s society as divorce is much more common and it may have been more about the social exclusion the children experienced from the outside world because of their parents divorce (ref). Both Loeber and Stouthamer-Loeber (1986) along with Farrington (1991) researched into the affect of the number of siblings in the family on the likelihood of committing crime. Both pieces of research found that if the family contained more children, money was short creating chaos and mischief was generally less detectable (ref). Altogether this can lead to children not being able to distinguish good behaviour from bad due to lack of punishment/operant conditioning which may carry on to them performing the same behaviours (such as using violence to get their way) in the outside world, making them more likely to commit crime. Another way OC affects the likelihood of committing violent crime is if violent behaviour was observed within the family in childhood. For instance many studies have been conducted into this topic and findings generally conclude that if children witness or experience violent physical or sexual abuse within the family it is
How do criminological theories assist in the understanding of crime and subsequent development of government policies on crime and disorder.
Biological perspectives can be useful in many aspects when explaining criminal activity. Often times an individual’s genes and socialization influences are the focus of explaining criminal behavior. Hereditary traits can influence conditions such as antisocial behavior causing one to participate in criminal activity (Wilson & Scarpa, 2012). However, if the environment is one in such no wrong doing or criminal activity is present, then the individual within that environment will be less likely to commit a wrong doing. When there is evidence of substance abuse within a family environment, the chances of other family members using or abusing drugs, alcohol, and participating in criminal activity is greater unless the environment changes (Wilson et al, 2012). This is a biological perspective that is influenced by environmental factors. This perspective is one of the better biological perspectives in which the reason for the criminal behavior is explained. This does
"Our primary aim is to discover how some social structures exert a definite pressure upon certain persons in the society to engage in nonconforming rather that conforming conduct. If we can locate groups peculiarly subject to such pressures, we should expect to find fairly high levels of deviant behaviour in these groups, not because the human beings comprising them are compounded of distinctive biological tendencies, but because they are responding to the social situation in which they find themselves"(Merton, 1957 p. 186).
This article starts out first by listing the past theories and how the relate to the current theories of today. These theories include the Classical theory (punishment can deter criminal activity), Biological Positivism (Biological and mental traits at birth make people more prone to crime), Sociological Theory (Social status is determinant of criminal behavior), Psychological Theory (Negative experiences/incomplete mental development contribute to criminal behavior, and Anthropological Theory (Criminal behavior determined by physiological traits). These theories main ideas can be found in many of the current theories we have today. These theories include Rational Choice Theory (Crime can be prevented by punishments), Contemporary Choice Theory (Behavior is determined by biological traits), Psychodynamic Trait Theory (Criminal behavior caused by the ego, Social Structure Theory (Living conditions cause crime), and Social Conflict Theory (The government is causing increased criminal activity). This article also gives some information on criminal behavior related to genetics. Recently, in the last few years genetics have been playing a bigger role in determining what causes crimes. This article gives us a few statistics; those who are adopted but have biological parents who have committed crimes are more likely to commit a crime as well and babies who showed less self-control from 0 to 3 weeks are more likely to commit crimes in the future. The role of genetics in the cause of crime will continued to be
While reviewing the different assessments of biological perspectives of crime there seemed to be a general consensus against many of these theories. The biological perspectives were categorizing people by their biological traits such as, body type, heredity genes, hormones, central nervous system, and so on. The strongest argument against these perspectives is the lack of evidence in all of these theories. According to Walters (1989), “current research examining the relationship between genetics and crime is replete with serious methodological oversights, inconsistent data collection practices, and fundamental problems of analysis and exposition” (p.457). Lombroso was “one of the first investigators to assess the possible connection between
I do not believe that any of the biological perspectives hold merit for explaining criminal behavior. The answer to this question if complicated, as Bernard, Snipes, and Gerould (2016) note, biological factors may increase the likelihood of one committing a criminal act, but it is in no way a guarantee that one will engage in criminal behavior. People may have certain biological factors engrained in their DNA that may cause them to gravitate towards a certain mindset or even lifestyle, however just because someone may be predisposed to a certain action or feeling, it does not mean that they will commit a crime.
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.
"Genes, Environment, and Criminal Behavior." Great Ideas in Personality--Theory and Research. Feb. 2005. Web. 24 Feb. 2010. .
First, major causes of crime must be addressed. There are numerous factors that seems to directly effect on crime. The author lists several variables that have incidence on crime; however, they seem to cluster into two categories intrinsic such as impulsivity and extrinsic such as family peers or school (p.2). Furthermore, a well structured theory must encompass the reason why these causes increase the likelihood of crime from different perspective. For example, Strain theorist suggest that child abuse increases the likelihood of crime because it upsets the teenagers, for instance, and as a result the individual will engage in crime activities to either run away from or end the abuse by assaulting their parents or peers, or substance abuse to relieve the pain (p.3). On the other hand, control theorist claim that child abuse increases the chances of crime engagement because it severs the relationship parent-child, and as a result, the child will feel as it has less to lose because a severed bond may implicate lack of value on the parent’s opinion. Additionally, Social Learning theorist sustain that aggression is a learned behavior, and when the child experience abuse learns this behavior and then participates in crime, as a result (p.3). Third, an integral General Theory of Crime addresses the interaction between the causes of crime. In other words, how internal and external causes interact and relate to each other, and if one has effect on the other, or if the effect is reciprocal (p.3). In the same fashion, a good theory must tack on the effect that prior crime has on subsequent ones. For instance, the author expresses that it’s been discusses how committing a crime may directly increase the chances of engaging in crime again, and this may be due to the feeling of instant gratification that
[4] L. Baker, S. Bezdjian, and A. Raine, Behavioral Genetics: The Science of Antisocial Behavior (2006). Law and Contemporary Problems. Available at: http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/27592122.pdf?acceptTC=true (8 August, 2013)
Also, another study showed that: “focused on whether genes are likely to cause a person to become a life-course persistent offender, which is characterized by antisocial behavior during childhood that can later progress to violent or serious criminal acts later in life.” (Barnes). What these studies indicate is that criminologists are trying to see if genes contribute to people becoming criminals.
Genetic vulnerability to criminal behaviour will make an individual much likely to act in anti-social ways. (Clive Hollin, 1989). Twin studies have been conducted into criminal behaviour and genetics (Clive Hollin, 1989), and it found a 75% concordance rate between MZ twins and only 24% concordance rate within DZ twins. This suggests that genetics does play an important part in the development of criminal behaviour, however, a much more updated study has shown that there if a significant decrease in the concordance rate. (Clive Hollin, 1989) Furthermore, it should be noted that many MZ twins share the same environment and may display similar social responses as a result, such as criminal and anti-social behaviours. MZ twins tend to have the same peer groups and share the same experiences compared to DZ twins, which may explain the concordance rate more than the role of genetics. (Clive, Hollin 1989). It may be prudent to suggest that an interaction of both genetics and the environment may be responsible for behaviour. Furthermore, there are also indications that males are more aggressively charged than females, thus more likely to perform criminal acts. The argument suggests that hormone levels may influence behaviour indirectly within early adolescent development (Denno, 1988). An association has been found between testosterone levels and the history of
Unfortunately, it is impossible to distinguish between a criminal and a normal person. The common phrase people hear is “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” Criminals are all different, they do not have a specific tattoo or a specific hairstyle. Criminals can look like a friend, a neighbor, or a stranger on the street. Fortunately, there are a few theories that can be studied on criminals, that may permit a clue.
There has been an intensifying concern about how nature and nurture can influence behavior and could provide clues to the heritability of committing crimes. The concern about violence and crime can originate from abuse mentally or physically, drug usage, homicide, or sexual actions. These behavioral problems can lead to an antisocial behavior, drug use in the child, higher rates of crime, gang affiliations, sexual activity, and a general rick to not only the child but also the member of society. Many researchers want to grasp an understanding of this particular behavior and how it can be treated and prevented in the future. Different behaviors included are antisocial, rule-breaking behavior, and aggressive behavior. Behavioral studies show that behavioral genetics or an individual’s development can be
Studies show that many think that criminal behavior is determined by genes; however, it is not. “Two thirds of all crimes are committed by offenders acting alone but two thirds of all criminals commit crimes jointly” (Glasser). Criminal behavior can be determined by many things. For example, it could be linked to a mental illness. Although some think it is linked by genetics, criminal behavior is determined by environment, social interaction, and social influences.