biological theories (phsiological) Flashcards
What term did Lombroso use to describe criminals?
Born criminals.
He believed that physical characteristics could identify these individuals.
How did Lombroso categorize criminals?
He made a ‘us and them’ theory, viewing criminals as abnormal and fundamentally different
Lombroso saw criminals as ‘atavistic’, suggesting they are less evolved.
What physical characteristics did Lombroso attribute to criminals?
Large jaws
Low sloping foreheads
Long arms
Prominent eyebrow arches
Very good eyesight
He attributed specific features to specific crimes.
What types of criminals did Lombroso identify?
Insane criminals
Epileptic criminals
Criminaloids
What was a key strength of Lombroso’s approach?
He was the first to take a scientific objective approach to understand crimes with evidence
He emphasised the importance of clinical and historical records of criminals.
What did Lombroso argue regarding criminal behavior?
Criminals might not be choosing their behavior and should be helped instead of punished
He believed prisons were ‘crime universities’.
What limitation did Butcher and Taylor (2007) find regarding Lombroso’s theory?
Attractiveness affects the likelihood of being considered guilty, suggesting that physical features may not be reliable indicators of criminality.
What did Goring (1913) conclude about Lombroso’s theory?
There was no link between facial features and crime, invalidating Lombroso’s claims.
What is the significance of somatotypes according to William Sheldon?
Certain body types are linked to criminal behaviour.
What are the characteristics of endomorphs?
Bigger and rounder, more relaxed and sociable
They tend to be associated with non-criminal behavior.
What traits are associated with mesomorphs?
Muscular and aggressive, lacking sensitivity and inhibition.
They are often linked to criminal behavior.
What did Glueck and Glueck find regarding mesomorphs?
60% of offenders in their study were mesomorphs
The most serious delinquency was among those with extreme mesomorphic builds.
What limitation did Glueck and Glueck find regarding criminality?
Criminality is best explained by a combination of biological, psychological, and environmental factors.
This suggests that biology alone does not determine criminal behaviour, invalidating Sheldon’s theory.
What alternative explanation did Glueck and Glueck provide for mesomorphic builds?
Criminality may cause somatotypes rather than somatotypes causing criminality.
This indicates a potential reverse causation.
How might social class relate to criminality and somatotypes?
Convicted offenders are mainly working-class males who may acquire an athletic build. This could suggest that social class influences both body type and criminal behavior.
What role does labeling play in the perception of mesomorphs?
Mesomorphs may be labeled as troublemakers, leading to a self-fulfilling prophecy.
This could result in increased police attention.
What gap did Sheldon leave in his theory regarding somatotypes?
He did not account for endomorphs and ectomorphs who commit crimes.
He also did not explain if mesomorphs commit crimes other than violence.
What were the three somatypes Sheldon found?
Endomorphs.
Ectomorphs.
Mesomorphs.
What were strengths to Sheldon’s theory?
Other studies replicated the findings.
The most serious delinquents had mesomorphic bodies.
