environmental theories of crime

Question 1

psychodynamic theories of crime

Answer 1

crime as a result of inadequate control over internal aggressive and sexual impulses

homicide is not a “clearly defined impulse to kill”, but instead the result of the killer being “intensely tormented” by conflicts rooted in childhood trauma, whoch they repress, then project/release

Question 2

sigmund freud on early childhood experiences

Answer 2

early childhood experiences promote or prevent the ego and superego’s ability to control the Id’s pleasure-seeking and destructive impulses

Question 3

Id

Answer 3

seeks immediate gratification regardless of consequences

works based on the pleasure principle (sexual and aggressive)

present at birth

Question 4

ego

Answer 4

mediates between Id’s primal needs and societal experctations, by delaying gratififcation

works based on the reality principle

develops throughout childhood

Question 5

superego

Answer 5

internalization of societal expectations as conveyed primarily by parents… regulates behaviour according to morality

conscience tells us right from wrong

Question 6

ego-ideal

Answer 6

represents socially accepted standards we aspire to

Question 7

what causes weak, harsh, and deviant super -ego

Answer 7

failure to idenify with prosocial parental figures

Question 8

harsh superego

Answer 8

neurotic criminal

subconsciously pushes oneself to resolve guilt

Question 9

weak superego

Answer 9

psychopathic criminal

without conscience who can’t regulate Id’s impulses

Question 10

deviant superego

Answer 10

deviant idenitifcation with criminal parent(S)

Question 11

Glueck and Glueck 1950 summary of findings

Answer 11

• 500 delinquent boys and 500 nondelinquent boys
• parents of delinquent boys: more emotional disturbances, more cognitive impairment, more alcoholism and criminality, less educated, less likely to stay together, appeared neglectful
• delinquent children: less affectionately attached to parents, especially fathers

Question 12

why were Glueck and Glueck’s findings questioned

Answer 12

• overgeneralizations and assumptions about causal ordering
• 50% of maltreated children do not become antisocial or criminal

Question 13

social control theory and the 4 social controls

Answer 13

social controls prevent criminality; delinquency results from weakened or broken bonds to society

attachment: people dont commit crimes because they value their attachments to others

commitment: people dont commit crimes because they dont want to jeopardize their commitments/investments (ex time and energy put into education)

involvement: people dont commit crimes because they dont have the time or energy left to do so

belief: people dont commit crimes because they respect moral codes and laws

causality: criminality can precede weak or broken bonds

Question 14

general theory of crime Gottfredson and Hirschi 1990

Answer 14

• self control, which is internalized early in life and stable across lifespan, in the presence of criminal opportunities is the main determinant of all crime
• crimes are immediately gratifiying, making them very tempting for a person with low self-control
• self control as determined by parental quality> deviant behaviours that are mointored, recognized, and punished, will help child gain more self-control
• low self-control is consistently linked to criminality
• self control is malleable, and can improve with intervention