Individualistic theories Flashcards
What were the two ways in which Sutherland said people learn criminal behaviour?
Imitation & Socialization
What did Osbourne and West find in their study?
40% of criminals sons had convictions compared to only 13% of non-criminal sons
Give a strength and weakness of Sutherlands argument
Crime often runs in families and the attitudes of others normalizes crime, not everyone exposed to crime commits it
What were the two different ways in which operant conditioning can be applied?
P/N reinforcement, P/N punishment
What did Jeffrey find in his investigation and how does this link to utilitarian crimes?
Found if the consequences of a crime are rewarding people are likely to commit it, so stealing valuable items is desirable
Give a strength and weakness of operant conditioning
People learn from experience and are more likely to commit if the reward is good, however experiment was done on animals and ignores rational thinking
What term did Bandura use to show how we learn from someone elses actions?
Vicarious Reinforcement
Give a brief overview of Banduras study
Three groups, each with a Bobo doll and an adult hurting it. One group saw the reward for this and copied, another saw punishment and were deterred, another saw nothing
Give a strength and weakness of Banduras study
Shows the importance of role models & the fact we’re social beings, but done in a lab setting and not all observed is easy to do
What is the ID?
Pleasure principle, gets what it wants
What is the EGO?
Reality principle, learns actions have consequences and stabilizes the other two
What is the SUPEREGO?
Morality Principle, acts as a moral compass
What three ways can Freuds theory lead to crime?
Weak SUPEREGO, too harsh SUPEREGO, deviant SUPEREGO
Give a strength and weakness of Freuds theory
Shows the importance of early socialization but is hard to prove, no real evidence of the unconscious mind
What did Bowlby say maternal deprivation leads too?
Affectionless psychopathy
How many delinquents did Bowlby study? How many had experienced deprivation?
44 delinquents, 39%
Give a strength and weakness of Bowlby’s theory
Highlights importance of parents role and strong validity, but overestimates impact and doesn’t explain for the other 61%
What are the three traits of Eysenck personality chart?
Extraversion, Neuroticism & Psychoticism
What do criminals score on the personality test? How does this differ to normal people?
High in all three traits, most people are in the middle of E and N
Give a strength and weakness of Eysenck’s theory
Identifies measurable personality traits, but hard to measure cause and effect & Farrington said prisoners are rarely extrovert
Name the two theorists who said criminals are prone to faulty thinking?
Yochelson and Samenow
What were some thinking errors identified in 240 offenders?
Need for power, lying and lack of empathy
Give a strength and weakness of Yochelson and Samenow
Treatments like CBT have been developed, but could argue most people have thinking errors, study was only on men and had high drop out rate
How did Kohlberg argue our moral thinking develops?
Series of levels and stages as we grow, from reward and punishment to moral and values
What does this mean for criminals moral thinking?
They have under developed moral thinking and are less mature
Give a strength and weakness of Kohlberg’s theory
Some studies prove criminals have immature moral development, but someone can think immorally but act morally (vice-versa)
What are the main problems with the individualistic theories overall?
Often use artificial environments, sample bias with men, neglect of social factors
