The debate of psychology theories and its influence on criminal behaviour is an unfathomable controversy. Crime is a perpetual problem in society and individuals have a propensity to easily get influenced by their environments. This essay attempts to compare, contrast and convey the psychological and sociological elements involved within individuals that render them predisposed towards criminal behaviour. Studies show that there’s been an increasing interest in examining the relationship of biological and psychological factors involved in criminal behaviour (Newburn, 2007). Psychoanalysis is the study of the mind. It was development to help society understand individuals’ behaviour and what makes them commit criminal acts. Psychoanalysis is …show more content…
Id is believed to be led by the unconscious, meaning it seeks pleasure principles known as sex and food. Id is concerned with the instant pleasure or gratification while disregarding the concerns for other factors of the mind. Due to the strong tendency of human necessity, this part of the mind overlooks the consequences and looks towards ‘thrill seeking’ part of adventures, an example being a criminal act. Another aspect described by Freud is the superego; an element part of the human development mind. The superego obtains moral principle and social standards from behaviour that is learned from parents and from society. Nevertheless, society has created rules and moral codes to direct individuals to an ideal form of living, considered as the norm by a particular society. This action, in turn, suppresses the id. Id incites individuals to a particular behaviour by creating an outlook that presents a desire as good or bad. On the contrary, the superego shows us the rational aspect of the mind and encourages behaviour relative to what society deems acceptable. However, the ego rationalises between the superego and id allowing one to deal with reality responsibly. Freud’s theory advocates that individuals with a weak superego may result in the feeling of extreme guilt, which may cause one to act-out on their frustrations and give rise to punished (Newburn, 149, 2013). For example, in 2016, a case was presented in which two boys brutally murdered their classmate, Russell. Thompson and Williams neglected the thought of punishment due to their thrill seeking personalities. Thompson and Williams stabbed Russell nine times and slashed his throat with a chef’s knife. This illustrates they had no remorse but gained thrill in the kill as William told the police that ‘satanism’ allowed him to kill. His criminal adventure is likely to have been stimulated from an
Finding strong evidence surrounding this topic could be significant to reducing crime rates and addressing the public health issue. What I have learn from research-based evidence and analyzing social and cultural theories, is that criminal behavior is multifaceted and is influenced by a range of determinants in which surrounds the nature versus nurture debate. I believe that nature and nurture both play significant roles to the making of a criminal.
... the last moral compass and the the super-ego. Even if it was possible to regain their sense of civilization, the ego and super-ego cannot repress the id in the long run, just as Freud predicted (Jones n. pag).
Eysenck, H.J., & Gudjonsson, G.H. (1989). The causes and cures of criminality. Contemporary Psychology, 36, 575-577.
In addition to Freud’s stages of development his best-known concepts are those of the id, ego, and superego (Crain, p. 268). The id personality called ‘the unconscious” is the personality that focuses on maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain through reflexes and drives such as hunger or bladder tensions (Crain, pp. 268-269). The id concept is impulsive, chaotic and unrealistic.
Throughout criminal justice there are many theories to help make sense or give a more detailed outlook at possible causes for crime. One of those theories involve the biological theory of crime, which proposes that individual’s deviate from social norms largely because of their biological makeup. The theory primarily pertains to formal deviance, using biological reasons to explain criminality, though it can certainly extend to informal deviance. Biological theories are grounded in the concept of biological determination, the notion that the causes of crime are the result of some biological or physical element and that criminals may be “born” not made. Cesare Lombroso, an Italian doctor and often referred as the “father of modern criminology” was someone who associated most with this theory of crime.
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...
Criminology is the “study” of crime from “social perspective” the causes of crime, the social “impact” of crime, and the criminals “involved” in crime. Theories of criminology “explain” within a “societal” content and the “variances” between societies and cultures. Classical theories “suggest” that people commit crimes when they “believe” the “benefits” of the crime outweigh the “possible costs”. Positivists- “attempt” to explain that crime is “affected” by both “internal and external” factors, both of which are “outside” of the criminals “control”. Individual trait- suggests that the most “distinguishable” differences between criminals and non-criminals are “biological” and “psychological”.
McLeod (2008) states that the superego attempts to manage the urges of the id and convince the ego to think and act towards moralistic goals rather than simply realistic ones and to strive for perfection. There are two aspects of the superego: the ideal ego and the conscience. The ego ideal is the general idea one has of how to behave to be classified as an upstanding member of society; it includes norms, rules and standards for good behavior. The methods he used to obtain his information and data raised questions from other scientists.
According to Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic personality theory, a person has three parts to their personality. These personalities are the id, the ego and the superego. The id taps into the part of the psyche that is looking for instant gratification. With the superego, the psyche wants to have control of right and wrong, but also guilt. The superego is the moral part of a person, whereas the id just wants instant self-gratification.
They also explore the myths about the connection between genetic factors and criminal behavior. The first myth they looked at was “Identifying the Role of Genetics in Criminal Behavior Implies That There Is a “Crime Gene.”” This myth is dismissed because of the unlikelihood that that a single gene is responsible for criminal behavior. The second myth they look at is “Attributing Crime to Genetic Factors is Deterministic.” This myth is also easily dismissed because of the fact that just because someone has a predisposition to a certain behavior doesn’t mean that the person will take on that behavior.
The individual psyche is composed of two oppositional forces, Eros and Thanatos. Eros tends towards unity and connectedness, while Thanatos, tends towards dissolution and aggression. The tension between these two “immortal adversaries” is the source of an individual’s emotional ambivalence. In order to resolve this emotional ambivalence and preserve social unity, the individual must internalize the external authority, or the moral laws and customs. Then, the superego redirects feelings of aggression and hostility that cannot be externalized, inwards, towards the individual’s ego.
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 at which they are lead to committing a criminal act. Often, someone who has committed a violent crime shows evidence of a poorly developed childhood, or the unsuitable current conditions in which the subject lives. In addition if one studies victimology which is the role that the victim plays in the crime, it is apparent that there are many different causes for criminal behavior. Through the examination of biological factors, in addition to the social and environmental factors which make up a criminal mind, one can conclude that a criminal often is born with traits common to those of criminals, it is the environment that exist around them that brings out the criminal within them to commit indecent acts of crime.
There is not just one system that directs all one does, there are three that help people make decisions, think, and act certain ways (McLeod, 2016). The id, ego, and superego can all be said to be influenced heavily by the world one lives in, or how they perceive it. The id might be compared to right and wrong, or life and death and is selfish, where the ego and superego help to control and direct it through external influences of reality and morals or spiritual values (McLeod, 2016). Comparing this to one’s own internal thoughts shows that there is a need for different instructions for different reasons, and gives an explanation of the different parts of one’s
Criminals are born not made is the discussion of this essay, it will explore the theories that attempt to explain criminal behaviour. Psychologists have come up with various theories and reasons as to why individuals commit crimes. These theories represent part of the classic psychological debate, nature versus nurture. Are individuals predisposed to becoming a criminal or are they made through their environment.
Different schools of thought propose varying theoretical models of criminality. It is agreeable that criminal behaviour is deep rooted in societies and screams for attention. Biological, Social ecological and psychological model theories are key to helping researchers gain deeper comprehension of criminal behaviour and ways to avert them before they become a menace to society. All these theories put forward a multitude of factors on the outlooks on crime. All these theories have valid relevancy to continuous research on criminal behaviour.