what is crime and deviance?

Question 1

what is crime?

Answer 1

an action or behaviour that goes against the legislation of a particular country or state.

Question 2

what is deviance?

Answer 2

actions which go against the norms and values of a society. They are not necessarily against the law but they are frowned upon by society.

Question 3

What is a social construction?

Answer 3

A social phenomena that is created by the society in which it is found in.

Question 4

How were crime and deviance historically constructed?

Answer 4

Crime and deviance changes over time, what was once acceptable may change and become illegal or deviant. Examples of this include homosexuality and using cocaine.

Question 5

How have crime and deviance been constructed contextually?

Answer 5

As some behaviours are acceptable in certain situations but not in others. For example, drinking alcohol at 8am.

Question 6

How are crime and deviance socially constructed in terms of culture?

Answer 6

What is considered acceptable varies from culture to culture. For example in Arab nations, eating with your left hand is considered rude.

Question 7

How is crime and deviance socially constructed in terms of age?

Answer 7

Some behaviours are acceptable for certain age groups but not others. For example, smoking cigarettes of an 8 year old going out clubbing.

Question 8

What three psychological explanations are there for why individuals commit crime?

Answer 8

Maternal deprivation, personality traits and mental abnormality.

Question 9

What is maternal deprivation?

Answer 9

Bowlby- People who are deprived of their mother at a young age are more likely to become juvenile delinquents and have a criminal career.

Question 10

What are the evaluations of Bowlby’s theory?

Answer 10

It is out of dated, as mothers are not the only primary caregivers.
Not all delinquents have been maternally deprived.

Question 11

How do personality traits explain why individuals commit crime?

Answer 11

Freud- Personality is a balance between 3 unconscious areas of the brain, the id, ego and superego. When these areas are unbalanced in favour of the id this causes criminality. This is because the id controls the primitive, risk seeking desires.

Question 12

What are the evaluations of Freud’s theory?

Answer 12

lack of empirical evidence.
suggests criminal cannot control their behaviour, which does not explain crimes such as white collar.

Question 13

How do mental abnormalities impact criminality?

Answer 13

The idea that brain damage or mental illness in criminals is what causes them to commit crimes.

Question 14

What are the evaluations of the idea that mental abnormalities cause crime?

Answer 14

Criminals become victims.
Hard to prove.

Question 15

What biological explanations are there of crime?

Answer 15

Lombroso’s theory of ativism and genetics

Question 16

What is Lombroso’s theory?

Answer 16

Argued that criminals facial features are different to that of non criminals. He suggested that they had less evolved, more primitive features, like large foreheads and small eyes.

Question 17

What are the evaluations of Lombroso’s theory?

Answer 17

Only researched criminals, which suggests the same features may be apparent in the non-prison population.

Question 18

What is the genetic explanation of criminality?

Answer 18

Some have a mutated gene that links to more aggressive and risk taking behaviour, known as the warrior gene.This impulsiveness and lead to criminal behaviour.

Question 19

What are the evaluations of the genetic theory of crime?

Answer 19

There is not enough research and evidence to conclusively link it to criminality as of yet.
It may be used as an excuse to justify criminal behaviour.