Individualistic Theories Flashcards
what are individualistic theories?
focus on something about the individual as an explanation for criminal behaviour e.g personality
what do behaviourists believe in the learning theory of criminal behaviour?
all behaviour apart from a few basic instincts are learnt from our environment in some way
what does the social learning theory suggest?
human behaviour is learnt through the imitation of role models
what is vicarious reinforcement?
involves learning from observation of the consequences of someone else’s actions, such as rewards
where did Bandura do his experiment and what was included?
- bobo doll
- 3-5 year old sample
- Stanford Bing University nursery
- children given juice and stickers if they imitate the behaviour
what were the three conditions that were seen in the three videos?
conditon 1- male model verbally praised for ‘superb aggressive behaviour’ and given sweets
condition 2- verbally criticised as big bully, hit with rolled-up newspaper
condition 3- no comment on model’s behaviour
Bandura’s results:
children who saw the model being punished showed lower levels of aggressive behaviour than other two conditions
- Once children were told about juice and stickers as rewards, there was little change in the number of aggressive acts from the children
What did Bandura’s results show?
aggressive behaviour being punished acts as a deterrent, seeing it rewarded isn’t necessary for behaviour to be imitated
children who saw the model punished decided not to imitate the aggressive behaviour even for a reward because it was punished before.
what issue does Bandura’s results show?
If children don’t see crime punished in some way, they’re much more likely to imitate, which can be an issue when films glamorise crime.
what does the differential association theory say?
That criminal activity is learned from our environment e.g family, peer group, work environment etc.
You’re more likely to be influenced by the people around you.
who theorised the differential association theory?
Sutherland
what are the two factors Sutherland sees that influence criminal behaviour?
imitation and learned attitudes
What are learned attitudes?
shared values and attitudes about the law amongst the people we associate with
- if someone’s group has unfavourable attitudes towards the law, these attitudes may be internalised and increase likelihood of criminal behaviour
evaluation of learning theories- STRENGTHS
tend to be controlled laboratory experiments that make it easier to establish the cause of a behaviour
replicated many times, finding similar results
EV- weakness- what did Cumberbatch find?
Children who had not played with a bobo doll before were 5 times more likely to imitate the aggressive behaviour of the model than those familiar with it.
evaluation of learning theories- WEAKNESSES
the behaviour observed would be different in the real world people more relaxed in environments they’re familiar with.
Bandura’s work could be seen as unethical as it encourages aggression in children
What does Sigmund Freud theorise?
much of our behaviour is dictated by our unconscious mind
According to Freud, what are the three parts to our personality and what are they?
ID- entirely unconscious, contains basic human instincts including aggression, seeking immediate gratification
Superego- our moral centre, has internalised cultural rules taught by parents and other role models
Ego- rational part of our personality seeking to find socially acceptable ways to satisfy the demands of the Id whilst keeping our moral superego happy
what home environment is needed for children to develop parts of our personality successfully according to Freud?
A stable home environment
Freud- what happens if personality isn’t developed successfully?
the child may have an id that dominates which leads to criminal behaviour
a weak superego which means they may feel less guilt in committing criminal acts
Freud- what happens if the same sex parent has a deviant moral code?
the superego is developed through identifying with the same sex parent, so therefore the child will also take on that moral code and will be more likely to commit crime
evaluation of psychodynamic theories- STRENGTHS
acknowledge the role of early socialisation on criminality
Bowlby- practical applications, shows us that separating a mother and a child may be a bad idea e.g for hospitalisation if child is ill
>shows importance of the mother/child bond
evaluation of psychodynamic theories- WEAKNESSES
no way to prove any of your mind is unconscious
Freud- very subjective as its from case studies from his therapeutic sessions with patients
Bowlby-retrospective as asking boys and mothers to recall events that happened ages ago, memories possibly inaccurate
-proved maternal deprivation can’t be the only cause of criminality, only 39% had been separated
