Unit 2 - AC2.2 Flashcards
What are the three individualistic theories?
Learning theory
Psychodynamic
Psychological
What is the Learning Theory name and theorist?
Social Learning Theory by Albert Bandura
What is the Psychological theory name and theorist?
Criminal personality by Hans Eysenck
What part of the mind does Eysenck’s theory focus on? and what does he specifically focus on?
The conscious mind but more specifically the personality traits and how they cause criminality
What did Eysenck believe caused a criminal personality?
A person will have an innate type of central nervous system inherited from their genetics which influences their personality
What are the three dimensions proposed by Eysenck?
Extraversion vs Introversion
Neuroticism vs Stability
Psychoticism vs Normality
What is Extraversion and what are the personality traits of people with an extroverted personality?
Individuals with highly extroverted personalities are believed to have an under-aroused nervous system, so they seek excitement and stimulation. They are sociable, carefree, optimistic, and impulsive
What is Introversion and what are the personality traits of people with an introverted personality?
Individuals with highly introverted personalities have a nervous system that is often over-aroused and stimulates itself. Therefore they don’t seek excitement and are more quiet and reserved people
What is Neuroticism and what are the personality traits of a person with this personality?
A persons neuroticism is determined by the reactivity of their sympathetic nervous system. Someone high in neuroticism will be unstable, and prone to overreacting to stimuli and may be quick to worry, anger, or fear
What is Stability and what are the personality traits of a person with this personality?
A stable persons nervous system will generally be less reactive to stressful situations, remaining calm and level headed with more control over their emotions
What is Psychoticism and what are the personality traits of a person with this personality?
Those with psychoticism are more prone to aggression and to having psychotic episodes. He believed those with psychoticism would lack empathy, be cruel, be a loner, and emotionally cold
What is Normality and what are the personality traits of a person with this personality?
Where individuals are more likely to act in responsible and caring ways. this normal and balanced behaviour makes them easier to be conditioned
What did Eysenck believe was the link between psychoticism and aggression? and what caused a normal personality?
Eysenck believed that the personality trait of aggression from psychoticism was from increased levels of testosterone and that people with a normal personality had lower levels of testosterone within the central nervous system
What can the criminal personality also be known as?
‘PEN Personality’
Psychoticism
Extraversion
Neuroticism
How does being higher in Extraversion make you more prone to crime?
As a result of their impulsive and risk taking personality they are more likely to commit criminal acts for the excitement and thrill
How does being higher in Neuroticism make you more prone to crime?
they are more reactive and volatile. The inability to control their emotions and remain calm could explain a wide range of behaviours including violent crimes
How does being higher in Psychoticism make you more prone to crime?
Due to the heightened levels of aggression and lack of caring. This can explain a wide range of serious crimes and offences who show no remorse or sympathy for their victims
What was the supporting research of the criminal personality theory and what was the procedure?
Eysenck and Eysenck -
They assessed 2070 male prisoners and compared them to a control group of 2422 non-criminal males. Participants were asked to complete an EPQ which assessed their personality traits
What were the findings of Eysenck and Eysenck’s research?
Upon analysis of the EPQ’s Eysenck found that the 2070 male prisoners recorded significantly higher scores of the E, N, and P compared to the 2422 non-criminal control group
What are three strengths of the criminal personality theory?
Supporting evidence - Eysenck & Eysenck
Can’t be labelled reductionist - holistic
Explains a wide range of criminal behaviour - different dimensions for different crimes
What are three weaknesses of the criminal personality theory?
Personalities aren’t fixed
Deterministic - ignores peoples self control and free will
Eysenck’s research is methodologically flawed - questionable validity of the results as it was a self-report quiz
What does the Social Learning theory suggest?
That people learn by watching the behaviour of others and refers to this as ‘observational learning’
Who learns the behaviours suggested by Bandura?
Children watch adults gaining reward/pleasure from an activity, or being punished for an activity, they will either repeat or reject those behaviours.
What is a model?
An individual who is watched and observed by a child who copies their behaviours
Who can be a model for a child?
A family member, a teacher, a friend, Tv characters
What does the ARRM concept stand for in the Social Learning theory?
A- Attention
R- Retention
R- Reproduction
M- Motivation
How does a child learn the behaviours of a model in the Social Learning Theory
Simply observing the behaviour isn’t enough. For a person to start imitating behaviour we must have some kind of Vicarious Reinforcement, where we see others receiving a reward or punishment. Bandura identified three kinds of Vicarious Reinforcement
What is positive reinforcement?
Receiving something good for an action. This ‘reinforces’ or encourages the behaviour to be repeated
What is negative reinforcement ?
Removal of a burden or something bas when a behaviour is repeated. This ‘reinforces’ or encourages the behaviour to be repeated
What is Punishment as a form of vicarious reinforcement?
Receiving a negative consequence for a behaviour. This discourages the repetition of behvaiour
Who did the supporting research for the Social Learning theory?
Bandura
What happened in Bandura’s supporting research for the Social Learning theory?
Carries out a series of tests involving a Bodo Doll. The experiment involved exposing children (aged3-5) to two different adult models: an aggressive model and a non-aggressive model
What did Banduras research into the Social Learning theory find?
Children who observed the aggressive model were much more likely to play aggressively with the Bodo doll than those who observed the non-aggressive model, and that children were more likely to imitate their same-sex model
Who is the supporting case study for the Social Learning theory?
Robert Napper
Who was Robert Napper?
A convicted murderer and rapists who grew up in a household of violence where he would frequently witness his father physically abusing his mother
How can the Social Learning theory explain criminal behaviour?
Argues that most criminal behaviour is developed through observational learning. For example, if a child sees a model committing criminal behaviour and also observes some kind of reward or reinforcement they will learn to internalise that this behaviour is acceptable and will begin to imitate criminality
What are the three strengths of the Social Learning theory?
-Supporting evidence - Banduras and Phillips (1986)
-Practical applications - enforcing age restrictions, influenced the world of social care
-Quality of Banduras research - high control over the variables
What are the three weaknesses of the Social Learning theory?
-Cant explain all crimes and criminals - some crimes are too complex to just observe
-Reductionist - ignores biological theories such as XYY
-Methodologically flawed - Banduras research was a laboratory experiment so lacks ecological validity
What was the name of the theory and theorist that created the psychodynamic theory?
Theory of the psyche - Freud
What did the theory of the psyche believe was the reason for criminal behaviour?
It suggests that our past experiences determine our behaviour and they are stored in our unconscious mind
What three parts of the mind did Freud assert?
Conscious, unconscious, preconscious
What part of the mind did Freud believe was most important?
The unconscious part is the most important part and holds information that is normally inaccessible
What were the three factors that Freud believed created our personality?
ID, EGO, SUPEREGO
What is the ID and when is it formed?
This controls your primitive desires and the need for gratification, operating on the pleasure principle. The ID is innate - so we are born with it
What is the EGO and when is it formed?
This works on the reality principle and has the ability to delay gratification for more realistic goals. The ego develops around 3 years old
What is the SUPEREGO and when is it formed?
This is responsible for your morality principle, it is the “ideal” force telling you how you should behave to be a better person. The superego develops around 5 years old
How does a child develop an unhealthy psyche during the psychosexual stages?
They are very important in developing a child’s ego and superego and unresolved trauma during the stages can have long lasting negative effects and lead to an abnormal personality
What are the three abnormal personalities prone to criminality?
Weak superego
Deviant superego
Strong superego
What is a weak superego and how does it cause criminality?
When a child doesn’t fully develop their superego and will not behave based on morality, instead they will behave in ways that gratify their ID which gives them pleasure
What is deviant superego and how does it cause criminality?
When a child has a superego but the morality is actually based on deviant values. If their parents have deviant morals then the child will also adopt deviant morals meaning they will act in deviant ways
What is a strong superego and how does it cause criminality?
An excessively strong superego will prevent a person from expressing any of the antisocial impulses, that go against their morals. This will start to build up in their unconscious mind until they suddenly erupt into spontaneous violent urges like murder and sexual assault
Name 2 supporting research for the theory of the psyche and what was the overall conclusion from these studies?
-Ressler et al 1988
-Dietz and Warren 1995
-Wansell 1996
-Bowlby’s 44 thieves study 1944
The research showed a clear link between experiencing trauma in the development years and serious criminal behaviour such as theft, sexual assault, rape, and murder
Explain what happened in Bowlby’s 44 thieves study:
39% of delinquents experienced maternal deprivation for 6 months or more during the first 5 years of their lives, compared to only 5% of the non-delinquent group
What are three advantage points for the theory of the psyche?
-Supporting evidence
-Explains a wide range of criminal behaviour
-Practical applications -can reduce crime
What are three disadvantage points for the theory of the psyche?
-Impossible to test- unconscious mind cant be accessed
-Deterministic - ignoring people’s free will
-The psychoanalysis treatment recommended by the theory doesn’t always successful or effective
