225-T5B - Psychological Theories of Crime Flashcards
what are the two possible assumptions that a psychological theory could take?
- assumption of offender deficit
- assumptions of discriminating traits
assumption of offender deficit
something is psychologically LACKING with the offender
assumption of discriminating traits
traits are PRESENT in offenders, especially in
* impulsivity
* aggression
critiques of the psychological approach
- little emphasis on positive characteristics of offenders
- ignores situation and environmental factors
- we cannotcategorize people as soley “criminal” or “non-criminal”
psychological theories of crime
theories of personality or learning that accounts for a behaviour in a specific situation
this allows us to deem them as either “criminal” or “non criminal”
according to Farrington, what are some of the factors that distinguishes an offender from a non-offender?
- social and psychological risk factors
- desire for material goods or excitement
- psychological variables based on life events
community psychology
the contexts of individuals within communities and the wider society as well as the relationships individuals have with communities and society
4 levels of analysis in community psychology
- individual
- small group
- organizational level - organization don’t accomplic what they are supposed to
- instutional/community level (e.g. family, political instutitions, education instutions)
what is the most recent theories in criminology?
psychological theories
Haney’s contributino to psychological theories of crim
- situational pathologies and environment stressors alters the psychological state of an individual.
name 3 examples of what freud calls Signs of Psychopathology
- Changes in eating habits
- Changes in mood
- Excessive worry, anxiety or fear
- Feelings of distress
- Inability to concentrate
- Irritability or anger
- Low energy or feelings of fatigue
- Sleep disruptions
- Thoughts of self-harm or suicide
- Trouble coping with daily life
- Withdrawal from daily activities, friends and family
Warren and Hindelang’s 5 applications of psychoanalytic theory to criminality
- criminal behaviour is a form of neurosis
- criminals have a compulsive need to alleviate guilt and anxiety
- criminal activity is a substitute gratification for unfulfilled desirbes from the family
- delinquent behaviuor is the result of traumatic events
- delinquency is displaced hostility
Problems and Limitations of Psychoanalytic Theory
- nor rigorous
- untestable, relies on unobservable constructs
- tautological (repetitive, circular)
- not all criminals suffer from guilt or anxiety
Evolutionary Theory
what are some of its outcomes?
understand human behaviour from a Darwinian perspective of natural selection.
- men are risk-averse to reproductive fitness variance, competition for mates is more intense for them
critiques of evolutionary theory
- normalizes and excuses criminal behaviour
- too deterministic
- explanations are hypothetical
how do Theories of Moral Development explain criminal behaviour?
who are the two people key in theories of moral development?
Criminal behaviour can be understood by focusing on how we develop (or fail to develop) a sense of morality and responsibility.
piaget (egocentrism to cooperation) and kohlberg (6 stages of moral development)
Kohlberg’s 6 stages of moral development
- preconventional (punishment, then instrumental hedonism)
- conventional (approval of others, then authority maintaining morality)
- postconventional (democratically accepted law, principles of conscience)
criticism of kohlberg’s theory
- biased in favour of men as more “developed”, as care-oriented women seldom reach postconventional level
does research support kohlberg’s theory?
- studies suggest delinquents’ moral developmentl is less advanced
- research supports link between lack of moral development and adult criminality
Hans Eysenck’s Theory of Crime and Personality
personality characteristics (including how susceptible we are to conditioning) are related to criminal behaviour.
dimentions of personality according to Eysenck
- extraversion vs. introversion
- neuroticism vs. stability
- psychoticism
according to eysenck, what personality traits are more likely to be delinquent or criminal?
and why?
- extroverts - crave excitement, impulsive, each conscience
- neurotic - difficult to condition
- psychotics - propensity for violence
criticisms and contributions of eysenck’s theory of crime and personality
criticisms: tautological
contributions:
* shows psychological and social variables can be interrelated
* people with a propensity to crim can be socialized effectively
* environments that are too permissive allows for criminality
Social Learning Theory
People learn new behaviours through modelling; vicarious learning by watching others.
according to bandura (1986), what are the three sources of aggression?
- family - parents who are aggressive/abusive*
- Subcultural influences - e.g. violence learned in tough neighbourhoods from role models or peers
- Symbolic modelling - e.g. watching television violence, playing violent video games etc
* this is the most influential in aggression influence
Critiques of Social LEarning Theory
e.g. does violent media cause aggression?
- causal relationship in studies is unknown
according to bandura, what is the best deterrent to aggression and violence?
more attractive pro-social alternatives
give 2 examples of legal sanctions
- arrests
- detention
- penalties
- fines
- incarcerations
- corporal/capital punishment
three types of sanctions
what specifically about these sanctions deter crime?
- legal sanctions
- social sanctions
- self-sanction/moral sanctions
fear of punishment
two types of social sanctions
formal and informal
give 2 examples of social sanctions
- Public reprimands/warning
- suspension or revocation of professional licenses
- expulsion from educational institutions
- getting fired from a job, eviction from housing
- restitution
difference between legal and social sanctions
legal sanctions involve the CJS, while social sanctions do not
give 2 examples of informal social sanctions
- criticism
- shunning
- shaming/ridiculing
- ignoring and mocking
- sarcasm
- disapproval
- social discrimination
- exclusion.
give 2 examples of self-sanction or moral sanctions
- self-condemnation
- guilt
- shame
- withdrawal.
Operant Conditioning Theory
Rewards reinforce a behaviour, and
Punishment weakens a behaviour.
Operant Conditioning may be used to change antisocial behaviour of delinquents and criminals.
Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD)
A key indicator of this disorder is a disregard for the rights of others, as well as impulsive, irresponsible, and aggressive behaviour.
progression of antisocial personality throughout life
- It begins in childhood with lying, stealing, fighting, etc., as signs.
- In adolescence, indicators can include early or aggressive sexual behaviour, drinking, and drug use.
- This continues to adulthood, though more extreme indications diminish after age 30.
who developed the Psychopathy Checklist
- It provides reliable and valid assessments of psychopathy.
- It is widely used for research and for making decisions in the mental health and criminal justice systems.
- The traits on the checklist are strong predictors of violence and recidivism in offenders and psychiatric patients.
demographics of APD
- 3% of men and < 1% of women suffer from APD
- tend to be extroverts
- abnormalities in PFC
- Heilbrun found that highly intelligent psychopaths are neighter violent nor impulsive
characteristics of psychopaths according to babiak and hare (2006)
- fit well in corporate world
- charismatic
- enjoy the action and rewards of their actions
- most likely investment bankers
T/F: because psychopathy is incredibly clinical, it is the best way to determine patterns of criminality
FALSE: APD is controversial in determining crime, it is too:
- tautological
- too simple
- disregards the dynamic nature of human behaviour
what is the most common mental health needs (2) in Canadian prisons?
substance use disorders, and many people have co-occuring disorders (e.g. scizophrenia and substance abuse)
what is the main contribution to the increase of mental illness in CJS?
deinstitutionalization
there is not a significant relationship between crime and mental disorder. what do Roesch and Golding argue is the cause of the increased rates of mental disorders in prisons?
its not a cause, but a reflection of societal reactions to (behaviours caused by) mental illness
Who found that the presence of symptoms of mental illness affects the probability of arrest?
Teplin (1984) through an analysis of police data
What did Bonta, Law, & Hanson (1998) find in regards to crime and mental illness?
Mentally disordered offenders on average showed lower recidivism rates than other offenders.
Who argued that mental disorder is a risk factor for predicting violent recidivism?
Borum (1996)
What did Desmarais et al., (2014) find in regards to mental illness and crime?
- Most mentally disordered offenders are not violent and may have a decreased risk of general recidivism.
- Those with mental illness are more likely to be the victims.
