LO3 - evaluations of theories

Question 1

Freud’s psychodynamic theory strengths

Answer 1

-can be used to explain all criminal behaviour
-can treat criminals through psychoanalysis
-has been used in development of social policies

Question 2

Freud’s psychodynamic theory weaknesses

Answer 2

-cant measure the unconscious so its subjective
-the theory would predict that children without same sex parents are more likely to commit crimes which isn’t true

Question 3

Bowlby’s maternal deprivation theory strengths

Answer 3

practical application - greater stability in childcare practises and longer visiting time with parents

Question 4

Bowlby’s maternal deprivation theory weaknesses

Answer 4

-retrospective recall might be inaccurate as they’re asked to recall events that happened in childhood so memory may be affected
-may have investigator effects as he designed and conducted the interviews himself so may have researcher bias

Question 5

SLT strengths

Answer 5

-scientific as Bandura’s study was a lab study to high internal validity
-explains criminal behaviour outside of genetic link

Question 6

SLT weaknesses

Answer 6

-children may have been attracted to attacking the doll as that is its nature (hit it and it comes back up)
-opportunistic crimes can’t be explained by SLT as it has to be thought about
-too deterministic and ignores free will

Question 7

Sutherlands differential association theory strengths

Answer 7

-explains why prisons are universities of crime
-explains high rate of re-offending
-can be applied to any type of crime

Question 8

Sutherlands differential association theory weaknesses

Answer 8

-doesn’t explain why people who are exposed to criminality don’t commit crime
-focuses on petty crimes - ignores crimes such as WCC
-socially sensitive and could lead to stereotyping e.g if family are criminals they may be labelled

Question 9

Eysenck’s personality theory strengths

Answer 9

-says the tendencies can be found in childhood which means we can prevent it
-offers practical measures for tackling criminality

Question 10

Eysenck’s personality theory weaknesses

Answer 10

-got his results from a questionnaire meaning people could lie so its low in validity
-doesn’t clearly state what’s meant by psychopathy
-research doesnt support arguments for all 3 traits as offenders score high on psychoticism ands neuroticism but extroversion is mixed
-responses can vary depending on mood and peoples views can change over time
-unrepresentative sample - studied people with similar personalities

Question 11

Lombroso’s atavistic form strengths

Answer 11

-most of the criminals he studied in prison had the characteristics
-made the study of criminality more scientific
-starting point of modern criminology

Question 12

Lombroso’s atavistic form weaknesses

Answer 12

-ignores women
-not everyone with the features are criminals
-didnt compare his findings to non-criminals

Question 13

Sheldon’s somatotypes strengths

Answer 13

-studied a large group size so generalisable
-Hartl et al found a mesomorphic rating of 5 out of the most seriously delinquent in his sample

Question 14

Sheldon’s somatotypes weaknesses

Answer 14

-ignores women
-more than 3 body types
-not all mesomorphs are criminals
-body types may change

Question 15

Twin studies strengths

Answer 15

-if MZ rate is higher than DZ then it proves that there is some cause of genetic

Question 16

Twin studies weaknesses

Answer 16

-if not 100% concordance rate then its not fully genetics
-much of research was flawed

Question 17

Adoption studies strengths

Answer 17

-research evidence from Crowe who found 50% of children with a criminal mother had a criminal record by 18

Question 18

Adoption studies weaknesses

Answer 18

-may not be criminality that’s inherited but other factors e.g alcoholism
-many children art adopted at birth so could’ve been affected by adoption centre

Question 19

XYY strengths

Answer 19

-1 in 1000 in general population but 15 in 1000 in prison - shows some correlation
-easy to test

Question 20

XYY weaknesses

Answer 20

-not all criminals have XYY
-ignores women
-may be learning difficulties associated with XYY not the actual condition

Question 21

Brain trauma strengths

Answer 21

• scientifically proven by Phineas Gage who’s personality completely changed

Question 22

Brain trauma weaknesses

Answer 22

-unethical to conduct research on those with brain injuries

Question 23

Biochemical explanations strengths

Answer 23

-can explain addictions
-can be treated with SSRI’s to increase serotonin and therefore decrease aggression

Question 24

Biochemical explanations weaknesses

Answer 24

-doesn’t show causation only correlations
-reductionist - overlooks environmental factors

Question 25

Right realism strengths

Answer 25

-studies support rational choice theory - degree of punishment does affect whether people commit crimes
-explains opportunist petty crimes e.g theft

Question 26

Right realism weaknesses

Answer 26

-not all crimes are rational some are impulsive
-not all single parent families have delinquent children

Question 27

Left realism strengths

Answer 27

-explores role of victims
-recognises multiple causes of crime
-avoids blaming police
-draws attention to importance of poverty inequality and relative deprivation in causing crime

Question 28

Left realism weaknesses

Answer 28

-not all deprived people commit crime
-makes crime seem to be a bigger issue
-doesnt explain WCC or corporate crime
-solutions art a quick fix - cultural change is needed to close gaps in society

Question 29

Labelling theory strength

Answer 29

-shows how law isn’t a fixed set of rules to be taken for granted but are socially constructed
-shows how police create crime by labelling criminals
-shows how attempts to control deviance can create deviancy amplification
-explains high rate of re-offending

Question 30

Labelling theory weaknesses

Answer 30

-too deterministic - assumes once you’re labelled its inevitable
-fails to explain why people commit crime before being labelled
-doesn’t explain why labels are given to certain groups
-ignores victims

Question 31

Subcultural theory strengths

Answer 31

-shows how subcultures perform a function for their members by offering solutions to the problems of failing to achieve mainstream goals legitimately
-shows how different types of neighbourhoods give rise to different illegitimate opportunities and different subcultures

Question 32

Subcultural theory weaknesses

Answer 32

-ignores crime of wealthy and over predicts amounts of w/c crime
-assumes everyone has mainstream goals and turn to subcultures when they don’t achieve them when some don’t have goals to begin with and turns to crime for other reasons
-subcultures arnt that clear-cut

Question 33

Strain theory strengths

Answer 33

-shows how both normal and deviant behaviour arise from same goals - conformists and innovators pursue money but by different means
-explains why most crimes are property crimes as society values wealth so highly as they have less opportunity to obtain wealth legitimately

Question 34

Strain theory weaknesses

Answer 34

-ignores crime of wealthy and over predicts amounts of w/c crime
-sees deviance as an individuals response ignoring criminal subcultures
-focuses on utilitarian crime e.g theft and ignores crime with no economic motive e.g vandalism

Question 35

Functionalist theory strength

Answer 35

-recognises crime can be positive as it shows others what’s right and wrong

Question 36

Functionalist theory weaknesses

Answer 36

-fails to explain why certain social groups commit crimes e.g poor EMG’s
-doesnt consider that not all crimes are beneficial for society
-suggests society is usually in a state of social harmony and so it ignores important role of social class conflict and inequality in society as a cause of crime

Question 37

Marxist theory strengths

Answer 37

-provides an explanation for crime that covers all social classes and offences
-highlights impact of selective law enforcement
-shows how law reflects differences in power between social class and how inequality can lead to criminality

Question 38

Marxist theory weaknesses

Answer 38

-ignores factors such as gender and ethnicity
-overstates amount of crime in w/c communities and not all capitalist societies have high crime rates e.g Japans crime rate is 1/5 of Americas
-lots of people are prosecuted for WCC such as Bernie Madoff