forensics- psychological explanations of offending behaviour

Question 1

what is eysencks criminal personality (definition)

Answer 1

an individual who scores highly on measures of extraversion, neuroticism, psychoticism and cannot be easily conditioned, is cold and unfeeling, likely to engage in offending behaviour

Question 2

what were the 2 dimensions eysencks and then what was the 3rd and his theory is …..

Answer 2

introversion - extraversion
neuroticism - stability

psychoticism - socialibility

BIOLOGICAL (determinism)

our personality traits all have a biological basis > come through in the type of nervous system we inherit

so must mean that all criminal personality types have a bio basis

Question 3

how do extroverts link to criminal personality biologically

they have an …

Answer 3

they have an underactive nervous system SO constantly seek excitement, stimulation, they WANT THRILL so more likely to engage in risk taking behaviours

Question 4

how do neuroticism link to criminal personality biologically, what are they.

Answer 4

high level of reactivity in sns so individuals respond quickly to situations of threat (f/f r)

so they do things without thinking because they are overanxious, they could potentially enter a dangerous situation

nervousness, jumpiness and overanxious and this form of instability makes their behaviour difficult to predict

Question 5

how do psychoticism link to criminal personality biologically, what are they.

Answer 5

high levels of testosterone and which leads to increased aggression and unemotional, lack of morals and remorse and empathy

Question 6

how can we measure criminal personality and describe and why is this useful

Answer 6

eysencks personality questionnaire

this is a psych test which locates respondents along the three dimensions (introversion - extraversion neuroticism - stability psychoticism - socialibility) to establish their personality type

based on this Q E could conduct research relating personality behaviours to other behaviours eg criminality.

Question 7

what is the role of socialisation in cp for eyseck

Answer 7

thought that p is linked to offending b via socialisation processes ie if you have these p characteristics (P, E, N) then you cant learn to delay gratification/difficult to condition as a child, because of the nervous system that you have inherited and so offending b occurs as less likely to learn anxiety responses to antisocial responses therefore more likely to act antisocially

offending b is concerned with selfishness and immediate gratification, children and taught to delay gratification via socialisation.

Question 8

strength: research support from mcgurk and mcdougal

Answer 8

they aimed to investigate the link between eysencks personality type and criminality

they had 10 students classed as delinquents and 100 not, they had to the EPQ, scores calculated.

they found a significant difference in all scores of all 3 dimensions between both groups, D group had a combo of high PEN score

so there IS a relationship between personality (specifically P, E, N) and delinquent behaviour indicating a link between personality and criminality

Question 9

evaluation of mcgurk and mcdougal cps

Answer 9

had a control group- strength as gives comparison and so can see differences between delinquents and not > valid

100 in each group isnt really representative

correlation so not a c+e rel

questionnaire is a self report technique so social desirability + demand characteristics > deviate from true result (rel and val)

reductionist- only looks at p factors as an exp for OB

determinist- (biological so no E eg slt ) assumes individuals with these traits will go on to offend

Question 10

strength: eysenck and eysenck

Answer 10

compared 2070 prisoners scores from EPQ with 2422 controls

prisoners scored higher across all age groups in terms of P, E, N

support for theory as higher across 3d, suggests having those scores increases chances of being a criminal and OB

Question 11

limitation: cp of eysenck and eysenck , farrington

Answer 11

meta analysis and found offenders scored higher on E but not P and N

and there was inconsistent evidence with EEG measures exploring cortical arousal between extr and intr - if theory correct then there wouldnt be this inconsistency

therefore central assumptions of theory are challenged as only 1d was supported

Question 12

limitation of cp: moffitt drew a distinction between OB that only occurs …

Answer 12

in adolescence and that which continues throughout adulthood, it was suggested that personality traits alone are a poor predictor of how long OB goes on for ie if someone is going to become a career offender.

persistence in OB is a result of a reciprocal process between P traits and environmental reactions to those traits of others.

therefore OB is determined by an INTERACTION between P and E, and eyesenck doesnt look at the role of E

Question 13

limitation of CP: cultural factors from bartol and holanchock who studied hispanic and afican american offenders

Answer 13

both in max security prison. they were all less extravert than control group whereas eyesenck would expect them to be more extravert

argued this was because the sample was very culturally different from eyesencks sample therefore it could be said that cp may be a culturally relative concept and not easily generalised as there was a difference in extraversion in hispanic and aa samples compares to eyesencks sample so his is culturally relative

Question 14

what is differential association theory

Answer 14

a psych exp for OB that suggests through interactions with others (peers, family), individuals learn the values, attitudes, techniques and motives for OB

OB is likely to occur when they are exposed to positive attitudes for OB more than attitudes for law abiding

this theory has a scientific basis/environmental determinism and is a form of SLT (observing and imitating)

Question 15

what could differential association theory look like for different individuals

Answer 15

some could associate themselves with people who have negative attitudes towards crime (ANTICRIME) whereas others may be exposed to more positive attitudes to crime (PROCRIME) resulting in a differential association between individuals

Question 16

what is the science behind differential association theory, sutherland ….

Answer 16

developed sci principles for exp all types of OB, “the conditions which are said to cause crime should be present when crime is present and absent when crime is absent”

meaning that in a specific situation if the response seen is crime, then when the situation comes up again then the individual will commit the crime, but if the crime was never seen then the individual would not commit the crime.

the focus of the theory is to discriminate between those who become/dont become offenders regardless of social class/ethnic background

Question 17

differential association theory has a mathematical basis…

Answer 17

ie you can mathematically predict how likely it is an individual will commit an offence through calculating the FREQUENCY, INTENSITY AND DURATION of exposure to deviant and non deviant norms > pro/anticrime

more likely to imitate what they think is right even if it is deviant

Question 18

what are the 2 factors that offenders come from in differential association theory

Answer 18

learning attitudes towards offending (anti/procrime) and learning specific offending acts/techniques (eg breaking into buildings through locked windows)

Question 19

what is the role of socialisation in prison in differential association theory

Answer 19

sutherlands theory also explains why offenders reoffend.

prison inmates may learn specific offending techniques from others eg more experienced offenders. observational learning and imitation and then practice when released

Question 20

a strength of differential association theory: a different viewpoint, exp of OB is developing

Answer 20

sutherland moved emphasis away from early biological theories eg lombrosos atavistic theory and away from theories that exp OB as a result of weakness or immortality

so sutherlands is more scientific as it focuses on how deviant social circumstances and environments may be to blame for offending than deviant

therefore this approach is valuable because it offers a realistic solution to explaining offending instead of a eugenics/biological/punishment

Question 21

limitation of differential association theory: it might not be beneficial for all as there is a risk it could produce …

Answer 21

stereotypes who come from impoverished, crime ridden care to out hot that OB should be considered on an individual case-by-case basis

however theory says that exposure to procrime is sufficient to produce offending, the issue is that people may choose not to offend the despite influences as not everyone exposed to procrime goes on to offend

therefore doesnt apply to people who have experienced observing OB but dont go on to offend

Question 22

strength of differential association theory: DAT can account for offending within sectors of soc

Answer 22

sutherland acknowledged that some forms of crime eg burglary happens more within inner-city, working class areas and eg class a drug offences/fraud happens more in affluent areas, the difference is trying to gain money/save money.

therefore it is not soley the “lower classes” who commit offences suggesting multiple offences can be explained through DAT

Question 23

limitation of DAT: difficult to measure

Answer 23

sutherland hoped for scientific/mathematical framework to help predict future OB therefore predictions need to be testable

but a lot of the concepts are not able to be operationalised eg no of procrime attitudes exposed to. also assumes that ob is a result of pro outweighing anti, but you cant measure this so difficult to conclude when ob is realised and offending career triggered

therefore lack of scientific credibility

Question 24

what are psychodynamic explanations

Answer 24

A perspective that describes the different forces (dynamics) most of which are unconscious, that operate on the mind and direct human behaviour and experience

Question 25

what did ronald blackburn argue about the superego

Answer 25

if it is deficient/inadequate then OB in evitable because the id wont be able to be controlled

Question 26

what are the 3 types of inadequate superego

Answer 26

weak, deviant and overharsh

Question 27

what is a weak superego

Answer 27

if the same sex parent is absent during the phallic stage then a child cannot internalise a fully formed superego as there is no opportunity for identification. this would make immoral or OB more likely cannot understand whats right/wrong through internalisation

Question 28

what is a deviant superego

Answer 28

if the superego that a child internalises has immoral or deviant values this would lead to OB eg if a boy was raised by a criminal father they are not likely to associate guilt with wrong doing, they get rights and wrongs mixed up as they dont learn morals correctly

Question 29

what is a over-harsh superego

Answer 29

an excessively, punitive or overly harsh parenting style leads to a child with overharsh superego, they will be crippled with guilt and anxiety without awareness, could drive them to perform criminal acts in order to satisfy the supergos overwhelming need for punishment so much guilt and anxiety they cant function properly

Question 30

what is the role of emotion in the psychodynamic explanation

Answer 30

the effect of an inadequate superego is to allow emotional demands to become the most important in guiding moral B this approach deals with the emotional life of the individual eg anxiety, guilt in the development of OB, the lack of guilt is related to OB this all makes it key from other exps

Question 31

what is an example of a study to show the role of emotion in OB

Answer 31

bowlbys 44 thieves- maternal deprivation shows a link between lack of guilt and OB through affectionless psychopathy

Question 32

strength of psychodynamic explanation: goreta research support

Answer 32

explored the link between offending and the superego using freudian analysis for 10 offenders referred for psych treatment. they found all shows disturbances in the superego formation and suggested that its a consequence of an overharsh superego, so the need for punishment was manifested as a desire to commit acts of wrongdoing and OB therefore there is research support for the role of psychic conflicts and an overharsh superego which explains the basis of offending

Question 33

limitation of psychodynamic exp: does harsh parenting always result in children developing ob? cp to goretas research support

Answer 33

if inadequate superego was true then would expect harsh parents to raise children with guilt and anxiety HOWEVER evidence suggests the children are rebellious and rarely express feelings of guilt or self-criticism therefore the relationship between a strong punitive parent and excessive feelings of guilt displayed in the child is inconsistent

Question 34

limitation of psychodynamic exp is that there are other factors eg poverty

Answer 34

lewis analysed data from interviews with 500 young people and found that mat dep was a poor predictor of future ob and the ability to form close relationships in adolescence. there is not neccessarily a causal relationship between mat dep and ob in later life. eg other factors could be used to exp ob eg mat dep as a result of poverty therefore the evidence suggests other factors eg poverty which could be another reason for later offending rather than soley relying on mat dep as an exp for such B

Question 35

strength/lim of psychodynamic exp, is it still successful

Answer 35

the psychodynamic exp for ob has brought attention to the emotional basis for b that is ignored in cog exps. it also links early childhood exp to moral b and offending which is still used in contemporary criminology. however this theory is not open to empirical testing such as the unconscious concepts (cant be falsified/karl popper) resulting in these exps not being scientifically tested and only taken from face value

Question 36

limitation of psychodynamic exp- gender bias, freud suggested that girls... INC 2 CPS

Answer 36

develop a weaker superego compared to boys because identification with samesex parent isnt as strong as they dont have an intense emotion associated with castration anxiety therefore girls are under less pressure to identify with their mothers so superego is less fully realised. SO women are more likely to offend than men. however evidence suggests that in the uk men are 20x more likely to be in prison than women AND hoffman found that young girls were more moral compared to young boys. therefore alpha bias is shown suggesting that is exp of OB cannot be generalised across all genders