Individualistic Flashcards
3 main ideas of social learning theory
1) criminal behavior is learned
2) Our influence is our immediate social environment
3) There is a key role of reinforcement and punishment in the learning process
What is vicarious reinforcement
Reinforced behavior gained by watching models being rewarded/punished
Strengths of Social learning theory
- showed cause and effect
- was replicated and showed similar results
- there was controlled variables, so lead to a higher degree of accuracy (age, gender)
Limits of social learning theory
- as it was a lab study, it was an un-natural environment which has a lower validity
- ethical? children exposed to violence
- Cumberbatch - children that had not seen the doll before were 5x more likely to imitate the model and act aggressively
who supported social learning theory?
Sunderland’s differential association theory (individuals learn criminal behavior from family and peer groups)
who disagreed with social learning theory
Cumberbatch - children who had not seen the doll were 5x more likely to be violent
What does psychodynamic approach mean?
Understanding the mind
3 main points of psychodynamic theory
1) different forces (most unconscious) determine our behavior
2) personality is tri - partie
3) 5 psychosexual stages , which determine our adult behavior. We store trauma unconsciously and disruptions in childhood leads to ID dominating
What is the ID
ID - pleasure principle.
driven by unconscious mind. Present from birth and demands immediate gratification, and is selfish
What is the EGO
EGO - reality principle
mediates between the ID and SUPEREGO by using defense mechanisms , develops at the age of 2, seeks rational and sensible control
what is the SUPEREGO
morality principle
-our sense of right and wrong- represents the moral standard of our same sex parent and develops at the phallic stage (age 5)
what is defense mechanisms
unconscious strategies to ensure ego is prevents from overwhelming trauma by using displacement, repression, denial or projection
What personality type causes crime in the psychodynamic theory?
ID dominates = mind is uncontrollable , leading to criminal behavior
SUPEREGO dominates = morality exceeds and expect perfection and judgmental if not achieved , so could also result in crime
Strengths of psychodynamic theory
- Bowlbys maternal deprivation theory supports psychodynamic theory
- contributed to crime and behavior research
- ID, SE AND EGO all relate to different parts of the brain. the limbic system (emotion) is the ID and the pre-frontal cortex (rational decision making) is the EGO
Limitations of psychodynamic theory
- lack of quantitive data, as he knew the patients he was studying on (more qualitative)
- unscientific as it lacks objective interpretation (other psychologists may draw different conclusions)
- theory is no longer used as its impossible to test the concepts of the unconscious mind.
Who supports the psychodynamic theory
Bowlby maternal deprivation theory - most criminals come from unstable homes.
What are the 3 main ideas of the psychological theory (Eysenck)
1) criminal personality’s is the outcome of interactions between the mental process and the nervous system
2) personality traits are biologically determined
3) we develop a conscious through conditioning, however, some personality traits do not respond to conditioning
How did Eysenck test his theory?
sent 7000 questionnaires to soldiers who were being treated for neurotic disorders at the hospital he worked at
What did Eysenck find from his studies?
Initially 2 dimensions of personality - extroversion/introversion and neuroticism/stability. Later on found a 3rd dimension, psychoticism. People who scored high on P were cold and uncaring, high on E meant you need more stimulation from your environment and high on N meant you had stronger emotions.
Strengths of the psychological theory
- DeYoung found link between PEN scores and brain processes
- If the theory was correct, intervention in the childhood stages could prevent such development and reduce crime
- Supporting evidence (predicted traumatized soldiers would score high on neuroticism, they did)
How are the 3 dimensions of personality biologically linked?
Extroverted (low levels of cortical arousal in nervous system)
Neutronic (over-reactivity in sympathetic nervous system)
Psychotic (level of testosterone)
Limitations of psychological theory
- reliability as people can lie on the tests
- Lacks validity as Eysenck used self reports studies on the offenders (biased or false answers)
- suggests personality is genetic, ignores environmental factors and ignores personality isn’t consistent
Who supports the psychological theory?
DeYoung - suggests a link between P E N scored and brain processes such as release of dopamine being linked to extroversion. (theory does have biological basis)
