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WJEC Criminology at PHS > Unit 2 AC2.2 AC3.2 Describe/evaluate individualistic theories of criminality > Flashcards

Unit 2 AC2.2 AC3.2 Describe/evaluate individualistic theories of criminality Flashcards

1
Q

Psychodynamic theories - Freud: Psychoanalysis - Key idea

A

Our early childhood experiences determine our personality and future behaviour including criminality

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2
Q

Psychodynamic theories - Freud: Psychoanalysis -Personality

A

3 conflicting elements of unconscious mind – id, ego and superego

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3
Q

Psychodynamic theories - Freud: Psychoanalysis -Link to crime

A

Anti-social behaviour caused by abnormal relationship with parents (neglect or excessively harsh or lax parenting). Conflicts between id, ego, and supergo are unresolved., which leads a to weak, over-harsh or deviant superego.

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4
Q

Psychodynamic theories - Freud: Psychoanalysis -Strength

A

Points to importance of socialisation and early family relationships in understanding criminal behaviour

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5
Q

Psychodynamic theories - Freud: Psychoanalysis -Strength

A

Some influence on policies for dealing with crime and deviance.

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6
Q

Psychodynamic theories - Freud: Psychoanalysis -Strength

A

Critics doubt the existence of the unconscious mind

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7
Q

Psychodynamic theories - Freud: Psychoanalysis -

A

Unscientific and subjective – relies on accepting claims of a psychoanalyst about the unconscious mind of someone else. No way to tell if they’re correct!

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8
Q

Psychodynamic theories -Bowlby: Maternal deprivation -Key idea

A

There is a link between maternal deprivation and deviant or anti-social behaviour

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9
Q

Psychodynamic theories -Bowlby: Maternal deprivation -Attachment

A

A child needs a close, continuous relationship with a primary carer from birth to 5 to develop normally.

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10
Q

Psychodynamic theories -Bowlby: Maternal deprivation -Separation

A

If attachment is broken, even for a short time, it can lead to affectionless psychopathy and criminal behaviour

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11
Q

Psychodynamic theories -Bowlby: Maternal deprivation -Evidence

A

Study of 44 juvenile thieves referred to child guidance clinic. 39% suffered maternal deprivation before the age of 5 compared with 5% of control group of non-delinquents

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12
Q

Psychodynamic theories -Bowlby: Maternal deprivation -Strength

A

Backed up with evidence from the 44 thieves study

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13
Q

Psychodynamic theories -Bowlby: Maternal deprivation -Strength

A

Shows the importance of parent-child relationships in criminality

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14
Q

Psychodynamic theories -Bowlby: Maternal deprivation -Limitation

A

Retrospective studies rely on memory

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15
Q

Psychodynamic theories -Bowlby: Maternal deprivation -Limitation

A

Doesn’t explain why 61% were not delinquent

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16
Q

Psychodynamic theories -Bowlby: Maternal deprivation -Limitation

A

No evidence of affectionless psychopathy in further studies

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17
Q

Psychodynamic theories -Bowlby: Maternal deprivation -

A

Overestimates how far early childhood affects later behaviour

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18
Q

Psychodynamic theories -Bowlby: Maternal deprivation -

A

Sammons and Putwain: maternal deprivation not linked to criminality

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19
Q

Id

A

Instinctive ‘animal’ part of mind – selfish, pleasure-seeking.

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20
Q

Superego

A

Conscience or moral part of mind – acting against it leads to guilt and anxiety

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21
Q

Ego

A

Referees the urges of id and superego. Tries to satisfy the id’s urges in a socially acceptable way

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22
Q

Weak superego

A

Less guilt feelings and more likely to act on id’s urges

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23
Q

Harsh superego

A

Craves punishment to release guilt feelings

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24
Q

Deviant superego

A

Successful socialisation but into deviant moral code

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25
Q

Primary Carer

A

The main person who looks after the child.

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26
Q

Attachment

A

Describes the relationship between child and primary carer

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27
Q

Affectionless psychopathy

A

Inability to form meaningful relationships as a result of broken attachment before the age of 5

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28
Q

Socialisation

A

Process of learning norms and values

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29
Q

Eyesenck’s Personality Theory - Key idea

A

Criminality is the result of a highly neurotic and highly extroverted personality type.

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30
Q

Eyesenck’s Personality Theory - Personality dimensions

A

Extraversion vs introversions (E)Neuroticsm vs emotional stability (N) and later added psychoticism (P)

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31
Q

Eyesenck’s Personality Theory - Link to crime: Extraverts

A

Have a nervous system with a high need for stimulation so constantly seek excitement through rule-breaking and impulsive behaviour

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32
Q

Eyesenck’s Personality Theory - Link to crime: Neurotics

A

Are harder to condition into following society’s rules because high anxiety levels prevent them from learning from punishment

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33
Q

Eyesenck’s Personality Theory - Link to crime: Psychotics

A

People with high P score tend to be solitary misfits who are more likely to be criminal and may have serious mental illness e.g. schizophrenia

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34
Q

Eyesenck’s Personality Theory - Strength

A

Describes how some measurable tendencies may lead to criminality

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35
Q

Eyesenck’s Personality Theory - trength

A

Studies suggest that offenders to tend towards high E, P and N scores.

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36
Q

Eyesenck’s Personality Theory - Limitation: Farrington

A

Studies show that prisoners are not often extraverted

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37
Q

Eyesenck’s Personality Theory - Limitation

A

E measures two separate things – impulsiveness and sociability. These things don’t always correspond

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38
Q

Eyesenck’s Personality Theory -Limitation

A

Personality type and criminality are correlated, but this doesn’t prove personality types causes criminality

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39
Q

Eyesenck’s Personality Theory -Limitation

A

Convicted offenders may not be typical of offenders on the whole.

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40
Q

Eyesenck’s Personality Theory -Limitation

A

Eysenck used self-report questionnaires – people may lie making the results invalid.

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41
Q

Extraversion

A

An outoging, sociable, excitement-seeking. Impulsive, aggressive personality

42
Q

Introvert

A

A reserved, inward-looking, serious, pessimistic, self-controlled personality

43
Q

Neurotic

A

Anxious, moody, depressed, prone to over-reacting.

44
Q

Emotionally stable

A

Calm, even-tempered, controlled, unworried.

45
Q

Conditioning

A

Learning through experience to seek pleasure (rewards) and avoid pain (punishments).

46
Q

Genetic Inheritance

A

Some individuals are born with a nervous system that causes them to develop a criminal personality

47
Q

Psychoticism

A

Having a personality that is cruel, insensitive, aggressive and lacking in empathy

48
Q

Correlation

A

Relationship between two variables – not cause and effect

49
Q

Validity

A

How true a test is – does it actually measure what it sets out to measure?

50
Q

Learning theories - Sutherland: Differential Association- Key idea

A

Criminality is the result of imitation and learned attitudes in groups that favour law-breaking

51
Q

Learning theories - Sutherland: Differential Association- Study

A

Group attitudes in the workplace often normalised behaviour. Members able to justify their crimes – everyone else is doing it.

52
Q

Learning theories - Sutherland: Differential Association- Strength

A

Crime often runs in families

53
Q

Learning theories - Sutherland: Differential Association- Strength: Matthews

A

Juvenile delinquents are more likely to have friends who commit anti-social acts – they learn from peer groups.

54
Q

Learning theories - Sutherland: Differential Association- Limitation

A

Not everyone exposed to criminal influences becomes criminal.

55
Q

Learning theories - Skinner: Operant Learning Theory- Key idea

A

If a behaviour results in a reward it will be repeated. If it results in an undesirable outcome it will not.

56
Q

Learning theories - Skinner: Operant Learning Theory- Link to crime

A

Jeffrey’s differential reinforcement theory (DRT) suggests that crime must therefore have more rewards for criminals than punishments

57
Q

Learning theories - Skinner: Operant Learning Theory- Strength

A

If a behaviour results in a reward it will be repeated. If it results in an undesirable outcome it will not.

58
Q

Learning theories - Skinner: Operant Learning Theory– Strength: Jeffrey

A

DRT suggests that crime must therefore have more rewards for criminals than punishments

59
Q

Learning theories - Skinner: Operant Learning Theory-Limitation

A

Animals are not the same as humans

60
Q

Learning theories - Skinner: Operant Learning Theory-Limitation

A

Theory ignores mental processes such as thinking, attitudes and values

61
Q

Learning theories - Skinner: Operant Learning Theory-Limitation

A

Ignores free will of humans - Deterministic

62
Q

Learning theories - Bandura: Social Learning Theory-Key idea

A

Much of our behaviour is learned from imitating others (models)

63
Q

Learning theories - Bandura: Social Learning Theory-imitation

A

We are more likely to imitate people of higher status than us, and if we see them being rewarded

64
Q

Learning theories - Bandura: Social Learning Theory-Evidence

A

Bobo doll study. Children most likely to imitate violent adult model when they saw them rewarded.

65
Q

Learning theories - Bandura: Social Learning Theory-Strength

A

Takes account of our social nature – we learn from others’ experiences.

66
Q

Learning theories - Bandura: Social Learning Theory-Strength

A

Bandura’s study shows importance of role models in learning deviance

67
Q

Learning theories - Bandura: Social Learning Theory-Limitation

A

Based on lab studies so lacks validity

68
Q

Learning theories - Bandura: Social Learning Theory-Limitation

A

Not all observed behaviour is easily imitated – we may see criminals rewarded but lack the skills to copy.

69
Q

Learning theories - Bandura: Social Learning Theory-Limitation

A

Ignores free will of humans - Deterministic

70
Q

Imitation

A

We acquire criminal skills through observing those around us.

71
Q

Learned attitudes

A

Socialisation within a group teaches them attitudes and values about the law.

72
Q

Behaviourism

A

The idea that rewards and punishments shape our behaviour – even criminality

73
Q

Positive reinforcement

A

Behaviour is strengthened by a positive outcome (reward)

74
Q

Negative reinforcement

A

Behaviour is strengthened by removing an undesirable outcome

75
Q

Punishment

A

Behaviour is stopped by an undesirable outcome.

76
Q

Determinism

A

The idea that our behaviour is caused by an external force outside of our control – we have no free will.

77
Q

Models

A

People whose behaviour we imitate.

78
Q

Validity

A

How true a test is – does it actually measure what it sets out to measure?

79
Q

Cognitive theories - Yochelson and Samenow: Criminal Personality Theory - Key idea

A

Criminals are prone to faulty thinking and this makes them more likely to commit crime

80
Q

Cognitive theories - Yochelson and Samenow: Criminal Personality Theory - Study

A

240 male offenders, most of whom had been committed to a psychiatric unit.

81
Q

Cognitive theories - Yochelson and Samenow: Criminal Personality Theory - Thinking errors: Link to crime

A

Criminals show a range of biases and errors in their thinking and decision-making which may lead to crime e.g. lying, secretiveness, the need for power and control, super-optimism, lack of trust, lack of empathy, uniqueness and a victim stance.

82
Q

Cognitive theories - Yochelson and Samenow: Criminal Personality Theory -Strength

A

This has led to other research e.g. PICTS

83
Q

Cognitive theories - Yochelson and Samenow: Criminal Personality Theory -Strength:

A

Successful treatments e.g. CBT have been developed from these ideas.

84
Q

Cognitive theories - Yochelson and Samenow: Criminal Personality Theory -Limitation

A

Yochelson and Samenow didn’t use a control group of non-criminals to compare thinking errors with.

85
Q

Cognitive theories - Yochelson and Samenow: Criminal Personality Theory -Limitation

A

Their sample was unrepresentative – only males, and mostly in psychiatric hospitals. Can’t account for all criminals.

86
Q

Cognitive theories - Yochelson and Samenow: Criminal Personality Theory -Limitation

A

High sample attrition rate – only 30 left in study by the end.

87
Q

Cognitive theories - Kohlberg’s Moral Development Theory- Key idea

A

Our ideas of right and wrong develop through a series of levels and stages from childhood to adulthood.

88
Q

Cognitive theories - Kohlberg’s Moral Development Theory- Link to crime

A

Criminals are stuck at a less mature level of moral development and likely to think only of reward and punishment, not about how their behaviour will affect others.

89
Q

Cognitive theories - Kohlberg’s Moral Development Theory- CBT

A

Cognitive theories have led to the development of CBT as a possible treatment for criminal behaviour.

90
Q

Cognitive theories - Kohlberg’s Moral Development Theory-Strength

A

Some studies support delinquents having less mature stage of moral development.

91
Q

Cognitive theories - Kohlberg’s Moral Development Theory-Strength: Thornton and Reid

A

Found the theory to be truer for planned crimes such as theft and robbery than impulsive crimes like violence

92
Q

Cognitive theories - Kohlberg’s Moral Development Theory-Limitation

A

Focuses on moral thinking rather than moral behaviour. Someone may be perfectly capable of thinking morally, while acting immorally.

93
Q

General criticisms of individualistic theories - Artificality

A

Behaviour in lab experiments is often not the same as in real-life situations

94
Q

General criticisms of individualistic theories -Sample bias

A

Studies are often only on convicted criminals who may differ from those who don’t get caught

95
Q

General criticisms of individualistic theories -Neglect of social factors

A

They ignore social factors which may cause criminality e.g. poverty and discrimination

96
Q

Cognition

A

Thinking /mental processes such as attitudes, beliefs, reasoning, decision-making, self-concept and how we interpret the world around us.

97
Q

Cognitive theory

A

The idea that how we think, interpret a situation will affect how we respond

98
Q

CBT

A

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy – treatment to ‘correct’ faulty thinking patterns.

99
Q

PICTS

A

Psychological Inventory of Criminal Thinking Styles – a questionnaire aimed at revealing criminal thought patterns

100
Q

Representative

A

If the results of a study can be generalised to the whole population.

101
Q

Attrition rate

A

The number of participants who drop out of a study.

WJEC Criminology at PHS (30 decks)

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