individualistic theories of criminality Flashcards
what is the idea of moral development by Kohlberg
thinking and mental processes shape our beliefes
what was Yolchson and Samenow’s Criminal personality theory
that criminals are prone to faulty thinking errors such as lying, power dynamic, thinking they are special
what is moral reasoning: Moral Development
the idea that morals govern our behavior, shaped by what we define right and wrong
what is pre-conventional moral reasoning
when we are younger we define right and wrong by rewards and punishments
what is post-conventional moral reasoning
when we are older we define right and wrong by our own principles rather than the law
what kind of moral reasoning to criminals have
pre-conventional as they don’t develop moral reasoning
2 strengths to moral reasoning
1) studies show delinquents are stuck at immature level
2) links crimes of theft and robbery than violent crimes
1 limitation of moral reasoning
1) focuses on moral reasoning rather than behaviour that is done thinking morally but acted imorally
what is operant conditioning
the idea our behaviour is based on positive and negative reinforcements
how is differential reinforcement linked to operant conditioning
if crime has more beneficial consequences it is likely to be done, financial or emotional
2 strengths of operant conditioning
1) if crime has more benefiical consequenses it is logical to think it is likely to be done
2) studies show animals learn from reinforcements
2 limitations to operant conditioning
1) evidence is based on animals
2) ignores the fact humans have free choice and will
what is Albert Bandura’s social learning theory
young children imitate the behaviour they see their role models do
how do we learn agressive behaviour
we learn agressive behaviour by imitating others
how is vicarious reinforcement linked to social learning
we copy behavior based on the consequences. if our role models are seen as rewarded for behavior, more likely to imitate
what was the experiment albert bandura did
Bobo doll experiment: found the first group imitated agressive behaviour
2 strengths of social learning theory
1) considers humans are sociable and learn from not just their own experiences
2) study showed children imitate agressive behaviour
2 limitations to social learning theory
1) ignores humans have free choice and will 2) based on lab experiments
what is the differential association theory
criminal behaviour is largely learnt from families and peers
what does imitation mean
we learn criminal skills from observing
what does learned attitudes mean
we are socialised when we are younger and that could affect our attitudes and values about the CJS.
what are pro and anti crime attitudes
once we see pro crime attitudes, we are more likely to offend
once we see anti crime attitudes, we are less likely to offend
2 strengths for Differential assossiation theory
1) supported by evidence that showed crime ran in families
2) evidence that the attitudes of work environments normalised and justified criminal behaviourk
1 limitation of differential association
not everyone exposed to criminal influence becomes a criminal
what is freud’s tripate theory
we have parts that need to be balances to be healthy. our ego should be strong enough to cope with id and superego
what are the id, ego and superego?
id: our instincts, wants instant gratification
ego: our reality, mediator between the 2
superego, morality, same morals as same-sex parent
what happens if id is more dominant than superego
more likely to lead with impulsive behaviour
what happens if superego is more dominanant
more likely to be moralistic and judgemental
how is a deviant superego caused
this is caused when our same sex parent is criminal
2 strengths for freud’s triparte theory
1) shows the importance of early socialisation
2) helped shape policies on crime and deviance
2 limitation for freud’s tripate theory
1) we can’t test the unconscious mind
2) it is unscientific and subjective
what is maternal deprivation
bowlby says this is when a child lacks a close connection with thier primary caregiver, anabling the child to not develop normally
what was Bowlby’s study and what did he find
study of 44 thieves: he found the consequences of maternal deprivation, it was likely to lead to attachments in the future, inability to feel remorse, delinquency and cognitive behaviour problems
what did Bowlby find as a result
he found that 39% of criminals suffered from early separation before the age of 5 compared to 5% of the control group
2 strengths of maternal deprivation
1) shows a link between maternal deprivation and crime
2) Shows the importance of early socialisation
2 limitations of maternal deprivation
1) study doesnt account for the majority 61%
2) study had mothers and their children account past experiences, this may be had to actively recall
