Personality & Crime Flashcards
OTHERING
- criminal personality search = history w/othering
- early research focused on facial/bodily characteristics identifying “criminal types”
- later research for correlations between personality traits/propensity to commit crime
- contemporary times = focus on some personality disorders/associations w/specific crimes
- recognition of white collar crime alongside identified criminals
HISTORY
LOMBROSO (1876)
- “the criminal man”
- now discredited BUT 1st empirical attempt at investigating criminal personality
- physical head/face shape determined “born criminal”
- identified criminal “atavism” = physical features related to early ancestors/apes/lower primates/early man
- atavist = large jaws/high cheek-bones/large ears/extra nipples/insensitive to pain
- separate species between modern/primitive humans
- physiological difs between dif criminal types
LOMBROSO: MURDERERS
- cold/glassy/blood-shot eyes
- curly/abundant hair
- strong jaws
- long ears
- thin lips
LOMBROSO: SEX OFFENDERS
- glinting eyes
- strong jaws
- thick lips
- lots of hair
- projecting ears
SOMATYPE & CRIME
SHELDON (1942)
- individual’s body shape (somatotype) correlated w/personality
- rare to be pure type; everyone displays combo of each according to own somatotype
- 300 male body types; 3 main types identified:
1. ECTOMORPH
- solitary/introverted/self-conscious
2. ENDOMORPH
- relaxed/loving/enjoys others’ company
3. MESOMORPH
- criminals/aggressive/callous/mindless
ECTOMORPH: TRAITS
- artistic
- sensitive
- apprehensive
- introverted
ENDOMORPH: TRAITS
- tolerant
- relaxed
- loves comfort/luxury
- pleasant
- extraverted
MESOMORPH: TRAITS
- courageous
- energetic/active
- dynamic
- assertive
- aggressive
- risk-taker
SOMATOTYPE & CRIME: STUDY
SHELDON (1942)
- 200 college students; 200 male delinquents
- each pp rated as 1/3 somatotype
- results indicated criminal delinquent = significantly ^ mesomorphic
- supports theory of muscular/hard physique -> criminality proneness
SOMATOTYPE & CRIME: DISCREDITED
- Sheldon criticised despite results
- somatotype classification = unreliable; didn’t use legal criteria to select delinquent sample
- when data re-analyses w/legal crit defining delinquency, association between criminal beh/mesomorph = NOT FOUND
SOMATOTYPE & CRIME: ALTERNATIVES
- people w/muscular build learned from early age that easiest way to get what they want = aggression
- muscular builds recruited by gangs; perceived uses in criminal activity
- criticised by British Crime Survey; found smaller body types usually carry out delinquent acts
EYSENCK’S PERONALITY THEORY & CRIMINAL BEHAVIOUR: FLOW CHART
BIOLOGICAL
- functioning of nervous system
PSYCHOLOGICAL
- stable psychological traits
SOCIAL
- responses to socialisation (reinforcement/punishment)
EYSENCK’S PERONALITY THEORY & CRIMINAL BEHAVIOUR
- Eysenck links bio/social/psychological factors
- links physiological arousability w/conditionability
- personality plays critical role in socialisation process
- children learn to control anti-social beh via conscience development via socialisation
- conscience = conditioned response; kids punished/rewarded by parents/teachers/peers for social beh (conditioning experience)
- behave well as conscience would bother them if they didn’t
EYSENCK & CRIME: CHILD SOCIALISATION
- speed/efficiency depends on conditionability; linked w/arousability in nervous system
- originally connected on just 2 factors:
1. EXTRAVERSION (E)
2. NEUROTICISM (N) - low E/N condition most easily (stable introvert)
- high E/N condition least well (neurotic extrovert)
- low E high N (vice versa) at mid-point in conditionability terms
EYSENCK & CRIME: ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR DEVELOPMENT
- theory concerns anti-social beh > criminal
- acknowledges various legal/social factors involved for criminal beh transition
- theory holds that ^ E/N = poor conditionability
- individuals w/this type develop poor social control; ^ likely to beh anti-socially
- anti-social beh -> ^ crime/criminal prosecution LVLs
PSYCHOTICISM
- Eysenck added 3rd personality dimension; remains poorly defined
- ^ P = offending esp. w/hostile crimes
- originally vulnerability to psychoses BUT later defined = psychopathy similarity; traits include:
- recklessness/sensation-seeking
- common sense/convention disregard
- inappropriate emotional expression
- lack of empathy/feeling for others
- tough mindedness/aggression
- solitude preference
EYSENCK & CRIME: FINDINGS
BARTOL & BARTOL (2005)
- mixed evidence BUT balance supports Eysenck on N/P; offenders = ^ N/P against non-offenders
- evidence less clear for E; subscales (sociability VS impulsivity) must be considered
- ^ impulsivity = offenders BUT sociability isn’t
EYSENCK & CRIME: EVALUATION
- theory inapplicable to all crime/criminals
- emphasis on classical/operant conditioning doesn’t include other learning types
- other personality traits may be ^ important to criminal beh
- BUT still important given emphasis on hereditary/bio functioning/environment/child development interaction
- provides testable hypotheses; drive ^ research
REINFORCEMENT SENSITIVITY & CYBERCRIME
PALMIERI ET AL (2021)
- used Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (RST) to predict motivations to engage in online criminal beh
- Behavioural Activation System (BAS)/Behavioural Inhibition System (BIS) predicted criminal beh online; BAS mediated BIS/online criminal beh relation
PERSONALITY TRAITS & CRIME
- some associations w/offender characteristics
THARSHINI ET AL (2021) - findings from systematic lit review indicate 3 major personality traits contribute to criminal beh:
1. PSYCHOPATHY
2. LOW SELF-CONTROL
3. DIFFICULT TEMPERAMENT
PERSONALITY DISORDERS & CRIME
PSYCHOPATHY
- Hare (2003); Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) linked to Eysenck’s psychoticism
ANTI-SOCIAL PERSONALITY DISORDER (APD)
- Paulhus & Williams (2002)
- the Dark Triad = machiavellianism/narcissism/psychopathy
THE CRIME TRIAD
- crime = rarely just about individual/personality
- characteristics of:
1. THE LAW
2. THE INDIVIDUAL
3. THE SITUATION/OPPORTUNITY
FACTORS ASSOCIATED W/CRIMINAL BEHAVIOUR
- alcohol
- drug addiction
- childhood neglect/abuse
- parenting
- poverty
- unemployment
- anti-social personality disorder
- psychopathy
- cognitive/bio factors
- criminal justice system
- policing
- legislation (changes over time)
- societal responses (oft related to media crusades)
- sentencing policies/juries
PRESCRIPTIONS OF JUSTICS & PERSONALITY
- research started to question whether personality traits associated w/jury decision-making
CLARK ET AL (2007) - 17 juries deliberated to verdict (285)
- ^ juror extraversion lvls associated w/not guilty verdicts/defendant verdicts
- extraversion associated w/being selected as jury foreperson
- foreperson extraversion associated w/longer jury deliberation times/perceived foreperson influence on decision
SORBY & KEHN (2020)
- investigated tattoo/facial trustworthiness/skin tone effects on juror case judgements/criminal appearance ratings
- investigated prejudice/motivation to respond w/o prejudice
- found several interesting interactions/mediated effects including: criminal appearance ratings indirectly mediated relation between physical traits/verdict decisions
- significant interaction between skin tone/racial prejudice on criminal appearance ratings suggesting physical trait effects may depend on individual attitudes
WENDY ET AL (2021)
- reviews development of English prison unit w/male (adult/young) offenders w/serious mental illnesses; developed in over-lapping health/justice contexts (Integrated Support Unit (ICU))
- unique development to prison systems
- 11 patients (1 cell) + 2 peer workers (sharing cell)
RESEARCH SO FAR
- 3 online questionnaire pilot studies looking at various factors ie:
1. crime severity (shoplifting/violent crime)
2. mental health disorders (depression/schizophrenia)
3. personality factors (authoritarianism)
4. gender - all conditions defined by scenarios
TYPES OF JUSTICE
RETRIBUTIVE JUSTICE
RESTORATIVE JUSTICE
TYPES OF CRIME
SOCIO-CONVENTIONAL TRANSGRESSIONS
- ie. speeding/acquisitive crime/shoplifting
- violate arbitrary commonly agreed conventions that facilitate a system
MORAL TRANSGRESSIONS
- ie. violent crime
- acts that have implications for the right/welfare of others
OFFENDER CHARACTERISTICS
- status
- gender
- alcohol involvement
- mental health issues
PARTICIPANT CHARACTERISTICS
- priming for criminal identity
- pp gender
- political affiliation
- personality traits (ie. authoritarianism/remorse/self-monitoring)
ACQUISITIVE CRIME EXAMPLE
PROFILE: schizophrenia/depressed/no MHD; repeated shoplifting
- Alex visits department store (schizophrenia diagnosed; depression/not mentioned)
- intentionally steals watch when no one looks
- stopped at exit by security who saw on CCTV
- not the first time they’ve been caught
VIOLENT CRIME EXAMPLE
PROFILE: schizophrenia/depressed/no MHD; assault
- Alex visits department store (depression diagnosis/no MHD mentioned)
- gets into argument w/security guard
- intentionally shoves/hits security guard
- apprehended for aggressive beh
ARE YOU A CRIMINAL?
- against the law to:
1. illegally download
2. break speed limit
3. run red light
4. shoplift
5. theft/robbery
6. assault
7. public disorder
8. underage drinking
9. criminal damage
10. drug involvement
CRIME: PRELIMINARY RESULTS
PRIMING
- offender identity priming doesn’t make impact on punishment choice
GENDER
- male pps > lenient in face of remorse
PERSONALITY TRAITS
- authoritarian pps = harsher in sentencing choices
MHD
- pps significantly ^ likely to give restorative sentence (rehab) to offenders w/schizophrenia > depression/no MHD when crime = acquisitive
CONVERSELY
- pps significantly ^ retributive in offender punishment w/schizophrenia > depressed/no MHD when crime = violent
