individualistic theories of criminality Flashcards
what are individualistic theories?
-focus on the mental state and enviornment a person grows up in that can determine whether or not someone turns to crime
what are some examples of indivisualistic theories?
-social learning theory
-freud’s psychodynamic theory
-eysenck’s personality theory
what is the social learning theory?
-people learn by watching the behaviour of others
-vicarious reinforcement
-role models: older, richer, smarter, more popular
-identify with gender
-bandura’s study: parent’s beat up bobo doll, children copy, especially parent’s of the same sex
what did sutherland suggest?
-people learn criminal values and behaviour from those around them
-being around more criminals than law-abiding citizens then crime will become normal and people will turn to it
-prison’s are “universities of crime”
what did osborne and west study?
-looked at sons of criminal and non-criminal fathers
-father w/ criminal conviction = 40% of sons had one by 18
-father w/o criminal conviction = 13% of sons had one
what dis b.f. skinner’s operant learning theory suggest?
-behaviour results in reward = more likely to be repeated and vice versa
-a.k.a. vicarious reinforcement
-behaviourism is the cause of someone’s behaviour results in the punishments that shape it
evaluate the social learning theory
strengths
-explains copycat killer/ reoffending
-bandura’s bobo doll study
weaknesses
-artificial enviornment in study
-not always learnt: so people activley choose to commit crime; theory assumes all behaviour is pre-determined
what is freud’s psychodynamic theory?
-childhood experiences can influence a person’s adulthood and personality
-tripartate personality: preconscious (dream), unconscious (instincts), conscious (aware of)
-ID: instictive, primitive, present from birth, pleasure principle, selfish, searches for instant gratification
-ego: realistic, reality principle, second to develop, resolves and mediates conflicts using defence mechanisms
-superego: morals, morality principle, develops age 5, internalised sense of right/wrong, develops through same-sex identification with parent, punishes with guilt
-weak superego: less guilt about actions and less inhibition to act on ID’s selfish urgers
-unforgiving superego: creates guilty feelings, craves punishment, turns to crims to recieve punishments
-deviant superego: child is successfully socialised but into a deviant moral code, ego inflincts no guilty feelings so then they commit crime
what is eysenck’s criminal personality theory?
-personality types are the reason for criminal behaviour
-one personality is more likely to commit than the others, especially if they are aggressive and adventurous
-used a questionnaire, 700 soldiers treated for neurosis in hospital
-introverted: reliable, controlled emotions
-extroverted: sociable, easily bored
-neuroticism: emotional stability, anxious or irrational
-stability: calm, emotional regulation
-psychoticism: how cold, agressive and uncaring a person is
-PEN are aggressive, adventurous, and have thrill-seeking behaviour linked with criminality; have trouble controlling impulsive behaviour and unablw to slow down and think about consequences or learn the acceptable things of society
-a criminal’s nervous system means it is hard to socialise in society; leads to instant gratification
evaluate psychodynamic theories of criminality
strengths
-shows there are measurable tendancies that increase the likelihoos of someone offending; interventions can be created earlier to reduce crime being committed
weaknesses
-other factors??
-personality type is not stable
-questionnaires may be invalid
