biological theories - jacobs xyy theory

Question 1

what are ‘super males’?

Answer 1

XYY men/super males are more aggressive and violent than men with a single Y chromosome

Question 2

jacob’s findings/statistics

Answer 2

15 in 1000 men have the XYY condition in prison compared to 1 in 1000 in the general population

Question 3

jacob’s study

Answer 3

• jacob studied imprisoned criminals in secure psychiatric hospitals
• he found that a higher than average proportion of inmates have the XYY syndrome
• many of the inmates with the XYY syndrome had histories of aggression and violent assault

Question 4

symptoms of XYY syndrome

Answer 4

• very tall
• well built
• low intelligence
• aggression

Question 5

STRENGTHS of XYY THEORY

Answer 5

• 15/1000 prisoners having extra Y chromosome proves that offenders are more likely to have the extra Y chromosome
• scientifically proven that extra Y chromosome leads to aggressive and violent behaviour - can use treatment policies to reduce testosterone and reduce chance of offending

Question 6

WEAKNESSES of XYY THEORY

Answer 6

• low IQ - more likely to get caught
• statistics aren’t that high - 1/1000 in general population and 15/1000 in prison
• doesnt take into account sociological or economical factors
• over estimates how much the extra Y chromosome has an effect on criminal behaviour - 15/1000 not that high
• only accounts for violent crimes - doesnt account for non-violent crime
• doesnt account for people without the extra Y chromosome
• only studied prisoners from psychiatric hospital - could have psychiatric problems - criminal behaviour not just based on extra Y chromosome, could be based on psychiatric problems