Unit 2 Flashcards
what are the six biological theories
Lombroso - born criminals
Sheldon - soma types theory
Twin and adoption studies - Mednick et al and Christiansen
Jacobs XYY study - Jacob et al
Brain injuries’ and disorders - Phineas Gage
Biochemical explanations - Ellis and Coontz
what are the 8 individualistic theories
psychoanalysis - Freud
Maternal deprivation theory - Bowlby
personality theory - Eysenck
differential association theory - Sutherland
operant learning theory - Skinner
Social learning theory - Bandura
criminal personality theory - Yochelson and Samenow
moral development theory - Yochelson
what are the 9 sociological theories
cohen - status frustration
cloward and ohlin - 3 subcultures
marxism - karl marx
left realism
right realism
foucault - the panopticon
mathieson - synoptic surveillance
durkheim - fuctionalist theory
merton - strain theory
what are the key ideas of cohen status frustration
crime is a group response to unequal access to societys goal of wealth
what is the key idea of Lombroso’s born criminals
criminals are physically different than non-criminals
How did Lombroso do his study
measured many criminals heads and faces
what is cohen status frustration
working class boys end up at the bottom of schools official status hierachy and feel frustrated and worthless
what were Lombroso’s findings
criminals are more likely to have large jaws, long arms, aquiline noses
what is Atavism
the idea that criminals are throwbacks to a more primative stage of evolutions
what is cohen subcultures
subcultures offer a solution by providing an alternate status hierarchy in which societys values are inverted they gain status by being deviant
what are the strengths of Lombroso’s study
first person to study crime scientifically
shows importance of clinical and historical records of criminals
helps to focus on how to prevent crime rather than punish
what are the key ideas of durkheims fuctionalists theory
crime is the inevitable result of inadequate socialisation/anomie
what is boundary maintenence (durkheim)
crime unites societys members against wrongdoers, reinforcing the boundary between right and wrong
what are the weaknesses of Lombroso’s study
no further evidence to link facial features and criminality
did not compare with control group of non-criminals
Racist. equates criminals with savages / non-western society
what is social change (durkheim)
for society to progress, individuals with new ideas must challenge existing norms and values this is deviance at first
what is the key idea of Sheldon’s somatypes
the body type is related to criminality
how did Sheldon do his somatypes study
looked at body types and compared with likelihood of criminality
what were Sheldon’s findings about somatypes
mesomorphic somatypes are the most likely to be criminal
what are the strengths of Sheldon’s somatypes theory
-other studies have replicated his findings
-most serious delinquents had the mesomorphic somatype
what are the limitations of Sheldon’s somatype theory
-criminality is likely to be a combination of biology and environment not body type
- mesomorphic body type may be due to criminality
- social class might be true cause of offending and mesomorph body type
- mesomorphs more likely to be labelled
what does endomorph mean
rounded, soft bodies, lacking muscle. sociable, relaxed, outgoing. (medium sized person)
what does ectomorph mean
thin, fragile, lacking fat and muscle. flat chested, narrow hips and shoulders, thin face. self conscious, emotionally restrained, thoughtful. (small / thin person)
what does mesomorph mean
muscularly, hardbodies, little fat, strong limbs, broad shoulders, narrow waist. adventurous, sensation-seeking, assertive, domineering. (large person, muscularly)
what is a physiological theory
a theory that focuses on the physicals features of criminals that differ from non-criminals. these are biological theories