3.2 evaluation if individualistic theories

Question 1

Give 2 overall strengths of individualistic theories

Answer 1

Environmental factors are considered alongside biological factors

Focuses on childhood which helps to find underlying issues

Question 2

Give 2 overall weaknesses of individualistic theories

Answer 2

Doesn’t explain crimes committed by people from ‘good homes’

Creates an unfair stereotype of families

Question 3

Give 3 strengths of Bandura’s social learning theory

Answer 3

Bandura repeated the experiment years later and the results were replicated– making it more reliable

The experiment and its variables such as gender, actions etc…were controlled, improving the accuracy

Not deterministic as it suggests people can change

Question 4

Give 3 weaknesses of Bandura’s social learning theory

Answer 4

Unethical to use children in this way

Not all observed behaviour is easily imitated

Took place in a lab (artificial settings), therefore the findings may not be valid for real-life situations

Question 5

Give 2 strengths of Bowlby maternal deprivation

Answer 5

delinquents involved in crime had been separated from their mother when young

Showed that there is a correlation between parent-child relationships and crime

Question 6

Give 2 weaknesses of Bowlby maternal deprivation

Answer 6

Bowlby delinquents who had a criminal record and deprivation were in the minority so it cannot be the only cause

overestimates how far early childhood experiences can effect on later life

Question 7

Give 3 strengths of Eysenck’s personality theory

Answer 7

Useful in describing how some measurable tendencies a person has can increase their risk of offending

Studies support Eysenck’s theory that high extraversion, neuroticism and psychoticism lead to criminality as offenders showed these traits

Theory relates to a wide range of crimes and people

Question 8

Give 3 weaknesses of Eysenck’s personality theory

Answer 8

Reductionist as it doesn’t consider other factors that may influence crime

Used self-report questionnaires which may not produce valid results

Assumes that all criminals are neurotic, extravert and psychotic when it isn’t always the case

Question 9

Give 3 strengths of Freud psychoanalysis theory

Answer 9

• some of Freud’s theories Have face validity

may seem strange, but doesn’t automatically make them wrong.

• Have contributed to research about crime and behaviour, paying attention to childhood issues
• major strength: enabled other theories to be developed (maternal deprivation)

Question 10

Give 3 weaknesses of Freud’s psychoanalysis theory

Answer 10

• his theories of offending are no longer used by psychologist, due to difficulty testing the unconscious mind.
• unscientific and lacks objective interpretation.
• lack of quantitative data, because he used case studies, knew his patients and also analysed himself.

Question 11

Give 2 strengths of Sutherland’s differential association theory

Answer 11

• Fact that crime often runs in the family helps to support his theory
• attitudes of work groups can normalise white collar crime

Question 12

Give me the weakness of Sutherland’s theory

Answer 12

• not everyone that is exposed to criminal influences is a criminal

Question 13

Give me 2 strengths of Operant learning theory (Skinner)

Answer 13

• His studies on animals show that they learn from experience, through reinforcement
• can be applied to offending

Question 14

Give me 2 weaknesses of Operant learning theory

Answer 14

• research is based on learning in animals, we are NOT animals!!!!!!
• ignores free will, people make a conscious decision to commit crime