effectiveness of individualistic theories to explain causes of criminality

Question 1

What does Freud’s theory explain criminal behaviour as?

Answer 1

faulty early socialisation preventing the individual resolving unconscious conflicts between the ID and the Superego

Question 2

What are 2 strengths of Sigmund Freud theory?

Answer 2

• Points the importance of early socialisation and family relationships in udnerstanding criminal behaviour
• had some influence on policies for dealing with crime and deviance

Question 3

What are 2 limitations of Freuds theory

Answer 3

critics doubt the existence of ‘the unconscious mind’

Question 4

What does Bowlby’s stress the importance of?

Answer 4

The parent-child bond. He sees maternal deprivation as a cause of criminality

Question 5

What are 2 strengths of Bowlby’s theory

Answer 5

• Bowlby’s research showed that more of his sample of 44 juveniles had suffered maternal deprivation than a control group
• His work shows the need to consider the role of parent-child relationships in explaining criminality

Question 6

What are 2 limitations of Bowlby’s theory

Answer 6

• Bowlby overestimates how far childhood experiences have a permanent effect on later behaviour
• It was a retrospective study, where delinquents and their parents had to recall on past experiences

Question 7

What is the key idea behind learning theories - differential association

Answer 7

Sutherland argues that we learn criminal behaviour through socialisation in social groups where the attitudes and values we are exposed to favour law-breaking

Question 8

What are 2 strengths behind differential association

Answer 8

The fact that crime often runs in the family
Juvenile delinquents are more likely to have friends who commit anti-social acts, suggesting that we learn through peer groups

Question 9

What is a limitation of differential association

Answer 9

‘Not everyone who is exposed to ‘criminal influences’ become criminal. They might learn from family or peers how to commit crime, but never put this into practice.

Question 10

What is the key idea of the operant learning

Answer 10

if a particular behaviour results in a desirable outcome, it is likely to be repeated

Question 11

What are 2 strengths of operant theory

Answer 11

Skinner studies or learning in animals show that they learn from experience through reinforcement
if crime leads to more rewarding than punishing outcomes for an individual

Question 12

What are 2 limitations of operant learning

Answer 12

• based on studies of learning in animals, this is not adequate modelof how humans learn criminal behaviour
• Humans have free will and can choose their course of action.

Question 13

What is the key idea behind social learning theory

Answer 13

we learn behaviour through observation and imitation of others

Question 14

What are 2 strengths of Social learning theory

Answer 14

• Bandura takes account of the fact that we are social beings, we learn from the experiences of others, not just from our own direct experience
• Shows that children who observed aggressive behaviour being rewarded, imitated that behaviour

Question 15

What are 2 limitations of social learning theory

Answer 15

The theory is based on laboratory studies, laboratories are artificial settings and findings may not be valid for real-life situations
The theory assumes people’s behaviour is completely determined by their learning experiences and ignores their freedom of choice

Question 16

What is the key idea behind the criminal personality theory

Answer 16

criminal behaviour as the result of errors and biases in criminals’ thinking patterns

Question 17

What are 2 strengths of criminal personality theory

Answer 17

• the idea that criminals’ thinking patterns are different from normal has led to other research.
• Successful treatments, known as cognitive behavioural therapy, have been developed based on the idea that criminals thought processes can be corrected with treatment

Question 18

What are 2 limitations of the criminal personality theory

Answer 18

did not use a control group of non-criminals to see if ‘normal’ people also make the same thinking errors
There was a high sample attrition (drop-out rate) by the end only 30 were left in the study

Question 19

What is the key idea behind moral development theory

Answer 19

criminals are stuck at an immature stage of moral development unable to make correct moral choices

Question 20

What are 2 strengths behind moral development theory

Answer 20

some studies shows delinquents are more likely to have immature moral development, as the theory predicts
Thornton and reid found the theory to be truer for crimes such as theft and robbery than crimes of violence

Question 21

What is a limitation behind moral development theory

Answer 21

focuses on moral thinking rather than moral behaviour.

Question 22

What is the Artificially general criticisms of individualistic theories

Answer 22

Researchers often use laboratories experiments, but how someone believes in a laboratory may nor reflect how they would act in reality

Question 23

What is the Sample bias general criticisms of individualistic theories

Answer 23

Researchers often use studies of convicted criminals, but these may not be representative of the criminals who got away, so they are not a sound basis for generalising about all criminals

Question 24

What is the Neglect of social factors general criticisms of individualistic theories

Answer 24

They take little account of the social factors that may cause criminal behaviour, such as poverty and discrimination.