Lombroso’s Atavism theory

Question 1

what did Lombroso argue?

Answer 1

criminals are physically different to non criminals

Question 2

what did Lombroso study on?

Answer 2

skulls of deceased criminals and facial features of prisoners

Question 3

examples of atavistic features:

Answer 3

enormous jaws
large eye sockets
high cheekbones
handle shaped ears

Question 4

what did Lombroso find about noses?

Answer 4

flat noses more common in thieves
pointy noses more common in murderers

Question 5

what does atavistic mean?

Answer 5

they were not as evolved as other people
they were throwbacks to an earlier primitive stage

Question 7

traits within people who were claimed to be atavistic:

Answer 7

pre social
unable to control impulses
reduced sensitivity to pain (may explain why they were more likely to get tattoos and take risks)
said they were like ‘savages’ and ‘apes’

Question 8

does Lombroso believe criminals are born criminal?

Answer 8

yes
we can identify them by ‘reading’ their bodies for physical characteristics that marked them out as different