The human psyche and the natural behavior of humans is something not well understood in today’s modern society. Psychologists still have trouble trying to take and formulate what makes up the human mind what makes us do what we do. What type of environment pushes the human mind into making the decisions that lead them to become criminals such as bank robbers and murderers? If any institution has a better understanding of the psychology of the human mind and behavior it is the New York City Police Department. In Malcolm Gladwell’s essay, “The Power of Context”, he discusses some of the reasoning behind the thoughts and behavior of criminals in New York, through a concept he calls “the power of context”. Gladwell claims the power of context is the reason for such a drastic drop in crime rates in New York which derives from the changing behavior of residents. This is a strong claim and such a claim is argued against in Michael Specter’s essay “A life of its Own” and in Edward Tenner’s essay “Another Look Back, and a Look Ahead”. Edward Tenner and Michael Specter put the blame of natural human behavior on things such as where one grew up, how one was raised, poverty or a traumatic event in one’s lifetime. This is how one would argue against Gladwell whose claims are environment based such as that simply washing graffiti will dramatically decrease crime rate. Although ones background, past experiences, and natural-born mental issues all contribute to human behavior, the power of context in the end has the greatest influence in changing human behavior due to its influence on our immediate decisions and how we think which impact who we are and the actions we are capable of committing.
Before venturing into the discussion of how ...
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...o the environment and is contagious. It is contagious to the extent that when one person laughs, it may cause other people to laugh, when one person acts gloomy, other people around that person are more likely to act gloomy as well. This fact makes the power of context a very strong psychological force and it plays an important role in the evolution of the human mind and identity.
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A highly debated topic concerns whether criminals commit crimes because of a social pressure or an individual urge. The strain theory supports crime as a social pressure because, as Frank Schmalleger suggests in Criminology Today 222, crime is an adaptive behavior that coincides with problems caused by frustration or unpleasant social surroundings. Also, culture conflict theory states the cause of delinquent behavior is because different social classes conflicting morals of what is appropriate or proper behavior, (Schmalleger 228). Other people believe blaming crime on the economy or where they grew up is making an excuse for criminals instead of making them take responsibility for their actions, as stated by CQ writer Peter Katel. These different views started with statistics taken on crime in the early 1800s. Andre Michel Guerry of France was one of the first examiners of “the moral health of nations” in the early 19th century, (Schmalleger 35). Another early crime statistician was Adolphe Quetelet of Belgium . Quetelet evaluated the crime rates between weather, sex, and age. His findings that climate contributes to high or low crime rate is a main factor in today’s fight against crime. It is doubtful this issue will ever be settled since there are too many pros and cons to each side. However, while specialists’ dispute this, crime is not stopping. There needs to be a way, or possibly several ways, to reduce criminal activity. It is doubtful criminal activity will ever be put to an end. The same is to be said about why people commit crime, but knowing if it is done socially or individually can help with the fight against it. In the end, individuals should take responsibility for their actions, but...
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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.
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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.
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