AC 2.2 Individualistc theories of criminality Flashcards

1
Q

What are learning theories based on?

A
  • they are based on the assumption that offending is a learnt behaviour that is learnt in the same way as any other behaviour
  • criminals are made not born
  • there is nothing fundamentally different between criminals and non criminals
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2
Q

What is Sutherland’s theory of differential association?

A
  • crime is learnt through association with significant others who are criminal, like peers or family
  • Sunderland argues crime is learnt in 2 ways:
    . Learning of positive attitudes towards crime ‘I want what they have’ They will start to adopt the criminal way of life
    .Learning criminal acts (through skills)
  • Sunderland refers to prisons as ‘universities of crime’ as people mix with people with pro criminal attitudes and may be taught the skills of crime
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3
Q

Give 3 strengths of Sutherland’s differential association theory?

A
  • Farmington Et Al’s studied followed 411 males from age 8 to adulthood. 41% of these males were convicted of at least 1 offence between age 10 and 50. A key risk factor for this was family criminality, which would be predicted by Sutherland’s theory.
  • Matthews found juvenile delinquents are more likely to have friends who commit anti-social acts, suggesting that they learn their behaviour from peer groups
  • This theory allows us to predict who is most vulnerable to crime
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4
Q

Give 4 weaknesses of Sutherland’s theory of differential association?

A
  • It is unlikely that learning pro crime attitudes and skills alone leads to crime (it doesn’t take into account other reasons why people commit crime)
  • Van Biik Et Al found that daughters of criminals did not go on to commit crime
  • The theory is socially sensitive and stereotypes individuals who came from criminal backgrounds, this could lead to the self fulfilling prophecy
  • Genetics (nature) may the reasons they commit crime, not nurture
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5
Q

What is Skinner’s theory of criminality?

A
  • operant conditioning - idea that if a particular behaviour results in a reward (positive reinforcement) It is likely to be repeated, and if it results in punishment it is not likely to be repeated. Our behaviour is shaped by reinforcements and punishments
  • Skinner experienced with a rat in a skinner box.
  • Positive reinforcement - addition of something pleasant/reward.
  • Negative reinforcement - removal of something unpleasant
  • Reinforcements strengthen behaviour and make someone want to reoffend
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6
Q

How does Skinner’s theory link to criminality?

A
  • if crime has more rewarding consequences, criminals are likely to go back and repeat the behaviour to gain the reward.
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7
Q

Give 3 strengths of Skinner’s theory?

A
  • Operant conditioning has led to the development of the token economy which is used in prisons
  • Can be used to explain a lot of different crimes, including theft and explains why people commit crimes for social approval
  • Skinner rat box supported his theory as the rat responded positively
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8
Q

Give 3 weaknesses of Skinner’s operant conditioning theory?

A
  • His research is based on rats - it is questionable whether this can be applied to human behaviour
  • Does not explain why crime happens in the first place
  • Ignores a lot of human factors eg morals and ignores that humans have free will and they may still do it even if they’ve been punished
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9
Q

What is Freud’s theory of criminality?

A
  • there are 3 parts of the personality (known as the tripartite theory of personality) and the way they develop affects the person we become.
  • the 3 elements are: Id, Ego, Superego
  • if these parts of our personality become imbalanced, it can lead to criminality
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10
Q

Name the 2 Psychodynamic theorists?

A
  • Bowlby - maternal deprivation
  • Freud - 3 personality types
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11
Q

According to freud’s theory, what is the Id?

A
  • present from birth
  • referred to as the ‘pleasure principle’
  • it seeks instant gratification
  • it seeks pleasure and is impulsive and self-indulgent
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12
Q

According to Freud’s theory, what is the Ego?

A
  • develops at 12-18 months old
  • referred to as the ‘reality principle’
  • it is able to delay the id’s desire for pleasure
  • keeps the balance between id and superego (it is the mediator)
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13
Q

According to Freud’s theory, what is the superego?

A
  • develops during the phallic stage (at 3-6 years old)
  • known as the ‘morality principle’
  • acts an individuals conscience
  • it feels guilt and holds someone back from behaving a certain way
  • it is our internalised sense of right and wrong
  • it is the internalised morality of our same sex parent
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14
Q

According to Freud’s theory, if the id is dominant (possibly due to a weak ego) we may give in to our unconscious desire. How does this lead to criminal behaviour?

A
  • If id is dominant, a person will become more impulsive and will begin to seek instant gratification.
  • they will start taking risks and acting upon impulses to seek that pleasure.
  • this then leads them to committing opportunistic crimes, like impulsive theft.
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15
Q

According to Freud, if your same sex parent is absent during phallic stage, your superego will not develop. How does this link to criminality?

A
  • if a person has a weakly developed super ego, they will feel less guilty about their actions and less inhibition about acting on the id surges.
  • the person doesn’t have the ‘don’t do that’
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16
Q

According to Freud, if you’ve been neglected growing up, your superego will become too dominant. How does this link to criminality?

A
  • the person will have strong guilt feelings, the individual then craves punishment as a release from feeling guilty
  • a harsh and unforgiving superego can also occur with a strong identification with a strict parent
17
Q

According to Freud, how can a deviant superego lead to criminality? And when does it occur?

A
  • A deviant superego occurs when a person’s same sex parent is deviant, therefore the child develops the same morality
  • They will having a deviant moral code and see crime as acceptable
18
Q

Give 3 strengths of freud’s theory of criminality?

A
  • Freud was one of the first people to suggest that childhood could have an impact on future behaviour, this has influenced a lot of research into criminality
  • Freud’s concept do match with certain areas of the brain.
    the limbic system is the brain’s emotion centre (like id), the prefrontal cortex is responsible for rational decision making (like ego)
  • Some good implications for reducing crime - deviant superegos can be tackled by providing good role models for children in schools. For example, adding more male teachers for boys
19
Q

Give 3 weaknesses for Freud’s theory of criminality?

A
  • Freud’s concepts are very difficult to test scientifically, therefore the theory lacks objective evidence, the only evidence is based on case studies
  • the idea of the over-harsh superego wanting to be punished does not fit into what criminals do (they avoid getting caught)
  • Freud argued that females were less moral than males as they had a weaker superego, but the vast majority of criminal are male
20
Q

What is Bowlby’s theory?

A
  • He proposed that a ‘warm, intimate and continuous relationship with a mother is necessary for healthy psychological/ emotional development
  • If a child is deprived of this love there are possible future consequences eg inability to form attachements
21
Q

According to Bowlby, what are the future consequences of maternal deprivation (lack of maternal figure)?

A
  • inability to form future attachments
  • inability to feel remorse (not thinking about the victim)
  • delinquency (behavioural problems in adolescence)
  • problems with cognitive development
22
Q

According to Bowlby’s theory, how does an inability to form future attachments, lead to criminality?

A
  • Person has no one to impress or disappoint, as they are loners
  • Meaning they can be targeted by criminals to get involved in criminal activity
23
Q

According to Bowlby, how does an inability to feel remorse, link to criminality?

A
  • they won’t think about the victim or any consequences
  • More likely to commit crime because they don’t think about the consequences and act on the anger
  • Rehab is unlikely
24
Q

According to Bowlby, how does delinquency lead to criminality?

A
  • they do low level crime like theft or anti social behaviour as a result of behaviour problems
  • they push boundaries
  • they ‘act up’ due to behavioural control
25
Q

According to Bowlby, how do problems with cognitive development lead to criminality?

A
  • they have an abnormal thought of process so they don’t consider consequences therefore are more likely to commit crime
26
Q

What is the 44 thieves study?

A
  • Bowlby compared 44 thieves with 44 non thieves via interviews and questionnaires.
  • He found that 17 of 44 thieves had experienced maternal deprivation, 15 of these 17 thieves were classed as having no remorse
  • While only, 2 out of 44 non thieves had experienced maternal deprivation.
27
Q

Give 3 strengths of Bowlby’s theory?

A
  • supported by the 44 thieves study (15 of the thieves who experienced MD had no remorse)
  • Led to significant changes to reduce maternal deprivation
  • Showed the importance of child parent relationships - led to the development of policies like sure start centers.
28
Q

Give 3 weaknesses of Bowlby’s theory?

A
  • Not everyone who has experienced MD commits crime (2 of the non thieves experienced MD and did not turn to crime.
  • Not all criminals experienced MD, evident in 44 thieves study.
  • Rutter claim criminality is more likely due to material deprivation not maternal deprivation.
29
Q

What is Eysencks theory?

A
  • personality s made up of 2 dimensions (extraversion vs introversion and neuroticism vs emotional stability)
  • extroverts are sociable and outgoing but can be bored if there is a lack of stimulation
  • introverts are less outgoing but less likely to become bored as they’re happy in their own company
  • criminals tend to score highly in extroversion and neuroticism
30
Q

According to Eysenck, how does an extravert link to criminality?

A
  • Extraverts have an underachieve nervous system which naturally needs high levels of simulation
  • they have a need for stimulation so they become impulsive and commit impulsive and opportunistic crimes like theft in order to gain that stimulation
31
Q

According to Eysenck, how might neuroticism link to criminality?

A
  • neurotics nervous systems give them such high anxiety they are nervous jumpy and prone to overreaction
  • they are more prone to a fight or flight response. they’re hard to condition, punishment has no affect on them leading to them reoffending
32
Q

According to Eysenck, how does psychoticism link to criminality?

A

they are ego centric, aggressive, impulsive, emotionally cold and don’t care about others
they are unable to control their aggression and often commit opportunistic crimes or GBH

33
Q

Give 2 strengths of Eysenck’s theory?

A
  • Ruston and Christian found that female offenders tend to score higher than non offenders on neuroticism, psychoticism and extroversion, thus supporting the idea of criminal personality
  • The theory allows us to predict who is likely to commit crime which is useful for putting interventions into place before they commit crime
34
Q

Give 2 weaknesses of Eysenck’s theory?

A
  • Farrington et al found young offenders tend to score higher on neuroticism and psychoticism but not extraversion
  • research relies on people filling questionnaires but they can be untruthful
35
Q

What is the cognitive distortion theory?

A

Cognitive distortions, like hostile attribution bias and minimalisation, allow an offender to rationalise their behaviour

36
Q

What are the examples of cognitive distortions?

A

Hostile attribution bias - how an individual interprets the actions of others as hostile. For example, they may misread non aggressive cues and give a disproportionate and violent response
- Minimalisation - reduces a person’s sense of guilt as they ‘minimise’ the severity of their actions. Eg drug dealers describe themselves as ‘supporting their family’. It may involve putting blame onto victims

37
Q

Give 2 strengths of the cognitive distortions theory?

A
  • The theory has lead to use of CBT as a treatment for offenders and reduce reoffending
  • Barbaree found among 26 rapists, 54% denied they had committed an offence and a further 40% minimised the harm they had caused to the victim, supporting the idea of minimalisation in offenders.
38
Q

Give 2 weaknesses of cognitive distortions?

A
  • Cognitive distortions way be a feature of the way offenders think but not necessarily a cause of their behaviour.
  • Cognitive explanations take a narrow focus in their explanation of offending, we do not know from the research where the cognitive biases come from and what causes offending.