AS Criminology > 2.2: Theories of criminality > Flashcards
2.2: Theories of criminality Flashcards
Theories of criminality
Genetics
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Theories of criminality
Pavlov
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Theories of criminality
Freud
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Theories of criminality
Kohlberg
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Theories of criminality
Left realism
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Theories of criminality
Functionism
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Theories of criminality
Sheldon
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Theories of criminality
Brain abnormalities
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Theories of criminality
Skinner
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Theories of criminality
Bandura
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Theories of criminality
Marx
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Theories of criminality
Right realism
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Theories of criminality
Labelling theory
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Theories of criminality
XYY
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Theories of criminality
Eysenck
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Theories of criminality
Sutherland
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Theories of criminality
Feminism
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Theories of criminality
Strain theory
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What characteristics did Lombroso state were evidence of a likely criminal?
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How does Lombroso’s theory explain criminality?
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Make a list of nature factors
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Make a list of nurture factors
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Make a list of features of the Ectomorphic body type
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Make a list of features of the Mesomorphic body type
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Make a list of features of the Endomorphic body types
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How does Sheldons theory explain criminality?
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Make a list of (name of modern biological explanations for crime) and outline how it can be the cause of criminality
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What are Ensencks 3 personality types?
Extraversion
Neurovision
Psychoticism
Which personality types are more likely to commit crime? Why?
If some has a high extroversion and high neuroticism.
Also psychoticism.
What are the three parts to personality according to Freud?
Superego (conscience and morality) - Angel
Ego (rational, sensible, control)
Id (selfish, animalistic urges) - Devil
How does this explain why some people commit crime?
Criminal behaviour result from a superego which is over harsh, weak or delinquent impulse.
Childhood exp will shape your superego.
How does behaviourist theory explain criminality?
Skinner
Pavlov
With conditioning
What were the findings of Bandura’s bobo doll experiment? How does this explain why some people commit crime?
The children copied the behaviour which was shown to them in a video.
They learn behaviour and copy it.
Sociological explanations for crime
How does this theory explain why people commit crime?
Durkheim: functionism
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Sociological explanations for crime
How does this theory explain why people commit crime?
Merton: Anomie
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Sociological explanations for crime
How does this theory explain why people commit crime?
Karl Marx
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Sociological explanations for crime
How does this theory explain why people commit crime?
Becker: labelling theory
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Sociological explanations for crime
How does this theory explain why people commit crime?
Feminism
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Sociological explanations for crime
How does this theory explain why people commit crime?
Charles Murray Right realism
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Sociological explanations for crime
How does this theory explain why people commit crime?
Jock Young and John Lea Left realism
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Shari has a history of choosing abusive partners and was a victim of verbal abuse from her own father when she was a child. She is being abused by her ex-partner who’s living with her most of the time. Her 8 year old son has been excluded from school for bullying younger children.
Identifying the type of crime and explain what may lie at the root of the criminal behaviour
Domestic violence.
The child has witnessed this behaviour and saw no punishment for this behaviour so the child thinks it is acceptable.
Shari has a history of choosing abusive partners and was a victim of verbal abuse from her own father when she was a child. She is being abused by her ex-partner who’s living with her most of the time. Her 8 year old son has been excluded from school for bullying younger children.
Make a list of Sensible suggestions to this problem based on your views of the possible causes of the crime
Social learning theory - bandura
Psychoanalytical - Freud
Conditioning - behavioural - Pavlov or skinner
Shari has a history of choosing abusive partners and was a victim of verbal abuse from her own father when she was a child. She is being abused by her ex-partner who’s living with her most of the time. Her 8 year old son has been excluded from school for bullying younger children.
How can this crime be compared and contrasted to honour crime?
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Talk about the case of Joanne Dennehey
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Theories of criminality
Lombroso
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Nature or nurture?
- nature is what we think of as pre-wiring and is influenced by genetic inheritance and other biological factors.
- nurture is generally taken as the influence of external factors after conception e.g. The product of exposure, experience and learning on an individual.
- the nature-nurture debate is concerned with the relative contribution that both influences make to human behaviour.
List some examples of nature
- problems in childbirth
- low resting heart rate
- exposure to violence
- anti-social
- parents used drugs
List some examples of nurture
- risk taker - environment
- access to drugs
- bunking off school
- poverty
- exposure to violence
- parents used drugs
Define constitutional theories
The earliest idea was that criminal behaviour was inherited, though the early theorists would still believe this was likely to be environment.
Talk about Lombroso (1876)
- Lombroso argued that the criminal is a separate species, a species that is between modern and primitive humans. He argued that the physical shape of the head and face determined the “born criminal”.
- Lombroso studied and measured the bodies of executed and deceased offenders as well as examining living inmates to locate physical differences or abnormalities. He claimed to have found a variety of bodily features predictive of criminal behaviour. These included: Big ears, small straight lips/thin lips, swollen lips, upturned nose, beaky/big nose.
- the male with five or more of these physical anomalies is marked as a born criminal.
- a “born criminal” is an “atavism” (throwback to an earlier stage of human evolution) where physical makeup, mental capabilities, and instincts are similar to that of primitive man.
- tattoos were also important to Lombroso. Most ‘born criminals’ had them and they were usually obscene in nature.
Constitutional theories
Talk about The Female Offender (1897)
- Female criminals are also born criminals, but they may be identified with as few as three anomalies.
- he concluded that female criminals were rare and suggested that they had not ‘degenerated’ in the same way as men because they had evolved less due to the inactive nature of their lives.
Give an evaluation of Lombroso’s theory
Strengths-
• father of criminology.
• responsible for shifting the study of criminality away from the realm of moral and philosophical discussion.
• simple, easy to understand.
Criticisms-
• he did not compare the criminals he studied with a group of non-criminal l controls in order to establish whether the characteristics he identified as ‘criminal’ occurred in the non criminal population.
• confusion with psychopaths and criminals.
• not specific.
Talk about William Sheldon (1940)
• Sheldon used body measurement techniques to connect body type with personality and outlined four basic body types and associated temperaments and personalities. People could be classified into three body shapes, which correspond with three different personality types:
- Endomorphic (fat and soft) tend to be sociable and relaxed.
- Ectomorphic (thin and fragile) are introverted and restrained.
- Mesomorphic (muscular and hard) tend to be aggressive and adventurous.
William Sheldon (1940) Talk about Endomorphic (fat and soft) profile (physical and psychological)
Fun loving
Relaxed
Sociable
A lot of fat in the body
A lot of fat on the upper arms and thighs
Wide hips and narrow shoulders (round of pear shaped)
William Sheldon (1940) Talk about Ectomorphic (thin and fragile) profile (physical and psychological)
Inhibited Introverted Thin face, high forehead Thin legs and long arms Quite slim wrists and ankles Thin narrow chest and abdomen Very little muscle or fat Has a need for affection
William Sheldon (1940) Talk about Mesomorphic (muscular and hard) profile (physical and psychological)
Adventurous Muscular body Very little body fat Broad shoulders, narrow hips (wedge or triangular shape) Competitive Assertive Large head Strong forearms and thighs
Talk about research on body types
In a study of 200 boys at the Hayden Goodwill Institute. Disproportionately Mesomorphic boys were more prone to delinquency.
Sheldon and Eleanor Glueck (1950s): 800 delinquents compared to a matched sample of non-delinquents found that delinquents more likely to be Mesomorphs.
Explantations included that a tough body was needed to gain acceptance and/or survive on the streets.
What criticisms can be made of the research on body types theory?
Only studied one place, not a large enough group.
Only did street crimes - doesn’t explain all types of crime.
Overlapping of categorises.
People can change their shape.
Judgemental.
Explains physical crimes more.
Talk about adoption studies
This theory looks at relatives, siblings and Twins that are adopted at a young age. This means they share genes, but not the same environment as their parents or grandparents.
By taking the environment out of the picture, we can be sure that genetics are the cause of criminality.
Talk about Mednick Et Al (1984) adoption studies
(Mednick et al studied criminal and non-criminal records of over 400 males who where adopted born between 1924 and 1947 from/in Denmark were then compared with that of their biological parents and their adoptive parents. They were stuffing aggression.)
Aim - to find out whether criminal behaviour is largely genetic (inherited).
Data - they collected so many paired Danish men’s criminal records with those of their biological parents and their adopted parents.
Findings - those whose biological parents were criminals were nearly twice as likely to become criminals as those whose biological parents were not criminals. Those whose biological parents were criminals, were more likely to become criminals than those whose adoptive parents were criminals. There was a strong correlation between biological parents and their sons for theft. Related brothers raised in different families were more likely to both be criminals than unrelated brothers raised in the same family.
Limitations - only looking at specific traits, it doesn’t explain all types of crime. Records might not be reliable, could be wrongly convicted. Most adoptees spend some time with their biological parents which may have a lasting effect on them. And the sample was biased, all male, so the findings cannot be generalised to females.
Talk about twin studies
There are two types of twins:
1. Identical twins (monozygotic twins)
2. Non-identical twins (fraternal or dizygotic twins)
Early twin studies generally found higher concordance for criminality amongst MZ than DZ twins, which would support the suggestion of a genetic influence. However, much of the early research was flawed by a combination of small samples and poor methods for determine zygocity (I.e. Whether a particular twin pair was MZ or DZ.
Better, pre recent studies have addressed these issues and it is noteworthy that they have generally produced lower estimates for the heritability of criminal tendencies than the early research (Putwain & Sammond, 2003).
The most convincing studies come from Denmark, where researchers have access to extensive data on over 3,500 twin pairs. Christiansen (1977) found MZ concordance rates of 35 per cent, compared with 13 per cent for DZ twins.
Talk about Genetics: XYY syndrome
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