Topic 3: Individualistic Theories of Crime

Question 1

What do learning theories suggest about crime?

Answer 1

That individuals learn through social interaction

Question 2

What is the main idea of social learning theory?

Answer 2

That individuals learn through observation and imitation

Question 3

What is ‘vicarious reinforcement’?

Answer 3

The idea that people can also learn through observing others being punished

Question 4

What was Bandura’s aim of social learning theory?

Answer 4

To investigate the extent to which children would imitate the aggressive behaviour of adults

Question 5

What was the aim of the bobo doll experiment?

Answer 5

To see whether or not there was a correlation between observing and carrying out violent behaviour

Question 6

What was the closest imitation of the bobo doll experiment?

Answer 6

When a child observed an adult of the same sex

Question 7

What were the key results of the bobo doll experiment?

Answer 7

Children who were exposed to violent behaviour played violently, children who were exposed to gentle behaviour played gently– the experiment demonstrated that children are able to learn through social behaviour such as aggression (observation and imitation), supporting Bandura’s theory

Question 8

Give 2 advantages of the bobo doll experiment

Answer 8

• Carried out in a lab, therefore reducing the risk of outside factors, so they won’t influence the outcome
• Controlled group so everything is fair

Question 9

Give 2 disadvantages of the bobo doll experiment

Answer 9

• Ethical issue (wrong to use children– risk of trauma)

- No long term evidence to back it up

Question 10

How can social learning theory explain why people commit crime?

Answer 10

Criminals are conditioned to believe violent behaviour is normal and therefore if children see violent behaviour happening around them, then they may do the same because they believe its normal

Question 11

How can social learning theory be applied to the Fred and Rose West case?

Answer 11

Both individuals grew up in physically and sexually abusive households from young ages, perhaps they grew up believing that these types of behaviour are normal

Question 12

Summarise Sutherland’s theory of differential association

Answer 12

Sutherland stated that individuals learn criminal behaviour through peer/family influence and that people commit crime when they have learned more attitudes that favour criminal behaviour than those that oppose it
-Essentially people are more likely to be criminal if they have grown up around criminal behaviour

Question 13

Summarise Skinner’s theory of operant conditioning

Answer 13

Comes from the idea of behaviourism, which suggests that behaviours can be conditioned through the use of reward and punishment, individuals learn that if they engage it good behaviour it will be rewarded and so will repeat the behaviour, and bad behaviour will result in punishment and therefore be less likely to repeat the behaviour

Question 14

What is meant by the ‘iceberg’ analogy?

Answer 14

Freud says that the mind is like an iceberg in which the tip can only be seen, the part that can be seen is the conscious mind (the smaller part) and the part that cannot be seen is the unconscious mind (the bigger part)

Question 15

According to Freud, what are the 3 parts of the mind?

Answer 15

The id, the ego and the superego

Question 16

Describe the id

Answer 16

Represents the earliest desires, impulses and the need for gratification– the pleasure principle (like the devil on your shoulder)

Question 17

Describe the ego

Answer 17

Represents reality and the ability to delay gratification (controlled/rational decisions), meditates the id and the superego– reality principle

Question 18

Describe the superego

Answer 18

Represents moral and social constraints and controls the id’s impulses, it is the moral conscience that believes society determines how we behave (the angel on our shoulder)

Question 19

What does it mean if someone has a dominant id?

Answer 19

It is hard to control the mind and resist impulses, therefore leading to criminality

Question 20

What does it mean if someone has an overly dominant ego?

Answer 20

They are a perfectionist who can be judgemental

Question 21

What does it mean if someone has an overly dominant superego?

Answer 21

They are rational– leads to living a fixed lifestyle

Question 22

How could Freud’s theory explain criminal behaviour?

Answer 22

Freud believed that children need to progress from the pleasure principle where the id dominates to the reality principle where the ego dominates and to do this they need a stable, loving home

Question 23

What do psychodynamic theories focus on?

Answer 23

The interactions of drives and forces within a person- particularly the unconscious mind

Question 24

What is psychoanalysis (Freud)?

Answer 24

A type of therapy that is used to access the unconscious mind through dream analysis and letting your thoughts flow freely

Question 25

What is maternal deprivation?

Answer 25

Maternal deprivation is where a child is separated from the mother, therefore not getting enough affection from them

Question 26

Who did Bowlby study and what did he find?

Answer 26

44 juvenile delinquents–39% had experienced complete separation from their mothers during for more than 6 months for the first 5 years of their life

Question 27

Define ‘affectionless psychopathy’

Answer 27

An inability to convey empathy, particularly if your the one causing that person’s problems

Question 28

How does Bowlby provide support for Freud’s theory?

Answer 28

That an unstable early home life can be associated with criminality

Question 29

What was Eysenck’s theory of criminal personality?

Answer 29

He stated that an individual’s personality type can lead to them being more likely to become a criminal

Question 30

What method was used by Eysenck to determine personality types?

Answer 30

He completed a personality questionnaire on 700 soldiers with neurotic disorders and found that behaviour can be separated into two dimensions

Question 31

What were the 2 dimensions that Eysenck identified?

Answer 31

Introversion/extraversion and neuroticism/stability

Question 32

What was the later dimension?

Answer 32

Psychoticism

Question 33

What does introversion/extraversion refer to?

Answer 33

Refers to the amount of stimulation (encouragement) people need

Question 34

What are people with high levels of extraversion like?

Answer 34

Extraverted–tend to be talkative, sociable, at ease when in groups, outgoing and get bored easily with a lack of stimulation

Question 35

What are people with low levels of extraversion like?

Answer 35

Introverted–less likely to engage in social activities, more quiet, uncomfortable with talking to strangers, they are in control of their emotions and are more reliable

Question 36

What does neuroticism/stability refer to?

Answer 36

Refers to the level of emotional stability a person has

Question 37

What are people with high levels of neuroticism like?

Answer 37

Find it harder to cope with stressful situations–experience high levels of anxiety

Question 38

What are people with low levels of neuroticism like?

Answer 38

More emotionally in control and tend to be calmer

Question 39

What is psychoticism

Answer 39

An extreme form of neuroticism which indicates a lack of empathy leading to colder, more aggressive behaviour

Question 40

According to Eysenck’s PEN model, which individuals are most likely to commit crime?

Answer 40

Extraverted, neurotic individuals because they enjoy the thrill, as well as individuals who suffer with psychoticism (aggressive and violent tendencies)

Question 41

Name an individualistic theory that suggest behaviour is a result of nature

Answer 41

Freud–analyses the mind, something we don’t have control over

Question 42

Name an individualistic theory that suggest behaviour is a result of nurture

Answer 42

Social learning theory (Bandura, Skinner and Sutherland)–something that is being taught

Question 43

Name an individualistic theory that applies to the Fred and Rose West case

Answer 43

Freud– due to their unstable childhoods, they didn’t transition successfully from the pleasure principle into the reality principle

Question 44

Name an individualistic theory that applies to the Columbine High School Shooting case

Answer 44

Eysenck–both offenders showed neurotic personality traits and they both had mental illnesses

Question 45

Name an individualistic theory that applies to the Nick Leeson case

Answer 45

SL Differential association–Leeson was associated with other individuals who were involved in similar fraudulent activities at the bank

Question 46

Name one theory that can be applied to the Robert Napper case

Answer 46

Bowlby maternal deprivation–he was separated from his mother at a young age, leading to ‘affectionless psychopathy’, he was placed in foster care as a child