Psychological And Personality Risk Factors For Crime Flashcards
1
Q
Bowlby’s Attachment theory
A
Early infant/caregiver relationship has major impact on future social relationships.
Secure attachment:
- responsive caregivers produce psychologically healthy adults
Insecure attachment:
- children become inconsistent parents and worry about return of affection with partners
2
Q
Psychological risk factors for crime
A
- Lack of empathy
Less empathetic = criminal behaviour - Animal cruelty
(Lucia & Killias, 2011) - animal cruelty is strong predictor of violent crime - Language deficiencies
(Brownlie, 2004) - boys with language impairment much more delinquent - IQ and crime (strong relationship)
Less IQ = delinquency - Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Indirect relationship to delinquency (likely due to inattention & impulsivity)
- Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)
Behaviour causes distress or impacts functioning - Conduct Disorder (CD)
Persistent pattern of behaviour violating basic rights of others or age-appropriate norms (aggression, theft)
3
Q
Personality Traits of offenders
A
- Focus on immediate gratification
- Lack of self-control
- Negative emotionality
- Sensation seeking (stimulation needed)
- Locus of control
- Negative self-concept
- Less conscientiousness
- Less empathy
- Less altruistic
- Immoral reasoning
- Interpersonal problem solving
- Deficient of social skills
4
Q
Eysenck’s theory
A
Criminal behaviour as a result of interaction between nervous system and the environment
- strong genetic disposition for criminal behaviour
4 factors of personality:
- “G” for general intelligence
3 temperaments:
- Extraversion (E)
- Extrovert (16%)
- Introvert (16%)
- Ambivert (68%)
- Neuroticism (N)
- Neurotic (16%)
- Stable (16%)
- average (68%)
- Psychoticism (P)
Evidence for Eysenck’s theory:
- delinquents and criminals score high on P-scale
- N scale predicts serious crimes
- E scale is more questionable and may only be linked to certain types of criminals
