Developmental and Individual Differences Flashcards
What is a developmental difference?
Steps involved in behaviour as we age in how we learn and develop and common developmental steps to everyone. Such as childhood or changes over time.
What is an individual difference?
Similarities and differences between people, uniqueness.
How could social class matter?
Someone with a lower social class may be more likely to commit a property crime as they have less money and so want quick ways of earning. Someone with a higher social class may be more likely to commit white collar crime, and less likely to commit a violent crime out of fear oof losing this reputation.
Why do labels given to parents matter for the person?
If a parent is given a negative nickname, they will have lower self esteem which is more than likely going to be projected onto the child as they believe they are less than they are, making them more likely to act on the label and commit anti-social behaviour.
Resisting a label
Resisting a bad label may make someone less likely to commit a crime as they won’t act on this label.
Accepting a label
Accepting a bad label may mean that someone internalises this and so acts on it, leading to anti-social behaviour.
Self-efficacy
Someone who has more self-efficacy may be more likely to commit a crime as they believe that they would be able to carry out a crime such as burglary and not get caught, which gives hem motivation to actually commit the crime.
Gender of target
The gender of the target may have more of an influence on the crime as a female may be more likely to be robbed as they are more vulnerable than a male and less likely to fight back.
Exposure to different labels
Those exposed to critical labels may be more likely to commit crimes such as theft as these labels would make them act upon the labels.
Positive V Negative label
Giving a child a positive label such as “smart”, they are less likely to commit a crime as they would keep acting in the same way to accumulate similar labels. However, a child who is given a negative label no matter what they do they may give up trying and turn to crime and fulfilling these labels.
High self-esteem V low self-esteem
Someone with a low self-esteem may be more likely to commit a crime as they already feel bad about themselves, they don’t really think about the severity of the consequences and so are more likely to be delinquent.
Self-belief / concept
If a child believes that they are supposed to behave in a specific way such as, “naughty”, then they will act in this specific way.
Effects on self-esteem
Negative labels lead to a low self-esteem which can lead to delinquency as they are less likely to care about the consequences.
Why do role models matter?
Role models can influence both positive and negative behaviour. If someone looks up to a ole model, they will more than likely imitate their behaviour which could lead ti delinquency.
XYY Syndrome
Men who have XYY Syndrome may be more likely to commit a violent crime due to the explosive temper, lack of empathy and impulsivity.
XYY Syndrome and individual differences
Only found in men, and not all men with XYY syndrome are criminals can’t account for those with XYY who don’t commit crimes.
Development of the PFC
Develops slowly so most decisions are made by the limbic system which is emotional and irrational with no thought. This may lead to criminal behaviour as decisions are very irrational and impulsive.
Damage of the amygdala
Lessened fear and lessened perception of danger. Damage of the amygdala could lead to a lack of emotional regulation which means more angry outbursts may happen which leads to violent crimes.
Psychodynamic development of personality and aggression
A dominant ID may mean that they become impulsive and act upon their strongest desires which may lead to sexual or violent crimes. A poorly developed ego may also lead to impulsivity, allowing the ID or the superego to take over. For example, if the superego becomes strong a person may feel isolated leading to stagnant emotions which may make them hurt others.
Individual differences in socialisation
Socialisation prevents anti-social behaviour so lack of socialisation may lead to anti-social behaviour
P.E.N is unique to some individuals
It isn’t fair to say that those with high P.E.N scores will always be criminals as not all of them do.
Offending behaviour has roots on childhood development
Incorrect recording of the stages of development which construct the psyche can lead to violent behaviour. This mental disorder is manifested into behavioural problems such as aggression so crime is caused by a difficulty not overcome in childhood.
