Evaluation: 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

strength of Bandura’s social learning theory

Answer 3

• 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 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 strengths of Freud’s psychoanalytic theory

Answer 5

• Takes both nature and nurture into account
• Points out the importance of early socialisation and relationships and its association with criminality

Question 6

Give weaknesses of Freud’s psychoanalytic theory

Answer 6

• No way to measure it or ‘prove it wrong’ so it can’t be supported
• Deterministic as it says all behaviour is predetermined (id, ego, superego) suggesting that there is no free will
• Too much generalisability to fully blame someone’s unconscious mind as the reason for crime

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 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
  -Not everyone with a extravert and neurotic personality type will commit crime
  -Not all criminals are extraverted/neurotic - doesn’t explain for example an introverted criminal?
  -Relies on self-report methods, which may lack validity
  -Is personality stable or can it change over time?