Psychological Explanation of the Causes of Crime

Psychological Explanation of the Causes of Crime Psychological pertaining to the mind or to mental phenomena as the subject matter of psychology. To account for criminal want in people, criminologists have used various psychology theories that attempt to explain human intellectual and emotional development. These theories ordure be divided into three categories a. chaste Development Theories describe a sequence of developmental stages that people pass through when acquiring the capacity to make moral judgments.According to these theorists, this development process whitethorn or may not completed and people who remain unable to recognize right from wrong entrust be more app atomic number 18nt to draft in inappropriate, deviant, or even criminal behavior. b. Social Learning Theories emphasize the process of learning and internalizing moral codes. Learning theorists note different patterns of rewards and sanctions that affect this process. c. someonealised Theories assume a set of enduring perceptions and predispositions (tendencies) that each individual develops through early socialization.These theorists propose that certain predispositions or personality traits, such as impulsiveness or extroversion, summation the chances of criminal behavior. -In contrast to biological and hereditary theories, there are a variety of psychological explanations for horror and emphasize the importance of personality and its role in criminal and delinquent behavior. Some psychological theories pains the importance of mental processes, childhood experiences, and unconscious thoughts. Others stress the importance of social learning or human perception. Types of Psychological Theories a.Psychiatric Criminology (Forensic Psychiatry) -Theories derived from the medical sciences, including neurology, and which, like other psychological theories focus on the individual as the whole of analysis. Psychiatric theories form the basis of psychiatric criminology. While forensic psyc hiatry is that branch of psychiatry having to do with the study of dishearten and criminality. -David Abrahamsen, a psychiatrist explains crime antisocial behavior is a direct expression of an aggression or may be a direct or indirect manifestation of belie erotic drive, -Envisions a complex et of drives and motives operating from recesses deep within the personality to determine behavior. *Psychopath or Sociopath -A person with a personality disorder, bursticularly one manifested in aggressively antisocial behavior, which is often said to be the result of a poorly developed superego. Hervey Cleckley described the psychopath as a moral idiot. Or as one who does not feel empathy with others, even though he or she may be mounty aware(predicate) of what is objectively happening around them. Characteristic of the Psychopathic Personality 1. An absence of delusions, hallucinations, or other sign of psychosis. . The inability to feel quilt or shame 3. Unreliability 4. Chronic lying 5. Superficial Charm 6. Above-average Intelligence 7. Ongoing antisocial behavior 8. Inability to learn from experience 9. Self-centeredness *Antisocial or Asocial Personality -Refers to individuals who are basically unsocialized and whose behavior brings them repeatedly into conflict with smart set. They are incapable of signifi after partt loyalty to individuals, groups, or social values. They are grossly selfish, callous, irresponsible, impulsive, and unable to feel guilt or to learn from experience and punishment.Frustration tolerance is low. They tend to blame others or offer plausible rationalization for their behavior. b. Psychoanalytic purview A psychiatric approach developed by the Austrian Psychiatrist Sigmund Freud emphasizes the role of personality in human behavior and which sees deviant behavior as the result of dysfunctional personalities. According to Freud, the personality is comprised of three components ID- is that fundamental aspect of the personality from wh ich drives, wishes urges, and desires emanate.The ID is direct and singular in purpose. It operates according to the pleasure principle, seeking full and immediate gratification of its needs. Individuals, however, were said to rarely be fully aware of the urges that percolate up (occasionally into awareness) from the id, because it is a largely unconscious region of the mind. -thepartofthepsyche,residingintheunconscious,thatisthe source ofinstinctiveimpulsesthatseeksatisf bodily functioninaccordance withthepleasureprinciple andaremodifiedbytheegoandthe superegobeforetheyare inclinedovertexpressionEGO- The reality-testing part of the personality also referred to as the reality principle. more than formally, it is the personality component that is conscious, more immediately controls behavior, and is most in touch with outside reality. For Freud, the ego was primarily concerned with how objectives might be best accomplished. The EGO tends to effect strategies for the individual tha t maximize pleasure and minimize pain. It lays out the various paths of action that can lead to wish fulfillment. The EGO inherently recognizes that it may be necessary to delay gratification to achieve a more fulfilling long term-goal. thepartofthepsychicapparatusthat experiencesandreactstothe outside worldandthus mediatesbetweentheprimitivedrivesoftheidandthe demands ofthesocialandphysicalenvironment. SUPEREGO- The moral aspect of the personality much like the conscience. More formally, it is the division of the psyche that develops by the incorporation of the perceived moral standards of the community, is mainly unconscious, and includes the conscience. -thepartofthepersonalityrepresentingtheconscience, formedin earlylifeby incorporationofthestandardsofparentsandother modelsof behavior. c.Frustration- Aggression Theory Holds that frustration is a natural consequence of living a root cause of crime. Criminal behavior can be a form of adaptation when it results in stress reduction . *Alloplastic Adaptation- That form of adjustment which results from changes in the environment surrounding an individual. *Autoplastic Adaptation- That form of adjustment, which results from, changes with an individual. d. Behavior Theory -Behavior possibility has sometimes called stimulus-response approach to human behavior, that is determined by environmental consequences which it produces for the individual concerned.When an individuals behavior results in rewards, or in pass on of feedback which the individual, for whatever reason, regards as rewarding, then it is likely that the behavior in question is said to be reinforced. Conversely, when punishment follows behavior, chances are that the absolute frequency of that type of behavior will decrease. *Operant Behavior- behavior which affects the environment in such a way as to produce responses or further behavioral cues. *Reward- desirable behavioral likely to increase the frequency of occurrence of that behavior. Punishment - undesirable behavioral consequences likely to decrease the frequency of occurrence of that behavior. -Rewards and punishments have been divided into four conceptual categories 1. Positive Rewards- Which increase the frequency of approved behavior by adding something desirable to the situation. 2. Negative Rewards- Which increase the frequency of approved behavior by removing something distressful from the situation. 3. Positive Punishment- which decrease the frequency of unwanted behavior by adding something undesirable to the situation. . Negative Punishment- Which decreases the frequency of unwanted behavior by removing something desirable from the situation. e. Psychology of crime -talking about the behavior of a person who commit crime. 1. Self Concept The self-concept has been identified as a very important aspect in human life a person must be able to have respect for himself to be his own best friend. This is how a person sees himself. If a person retrieves that he is wort hless, and that society does not care what happens to him, this attitude (self-perception) may well lead to crime. . Stress Stress can lead to irrational conduct, even to crime. If a person labors chthonian severe emotional distress, that person may feel compelled to act in socially unacceptable manners. Stress has become a major problem in modern life, leading to broken families and deviant behavior. 3. Aggression Aggression and violence often go together. Aggression can be defined as any form of behavior aimed at the partial or total, literal or figurative, destruction of an object or person. The word violence is used to describe acts of aggression. 4. DepressionDepression can be a psychosis and also a neurosis. A psychosis is a severe mental illness in which insight was lost. Persons with psychotic depression might believe that the sins of the world are upon them, and that they are a burden to society. In the case of a neurotic depression, insight will be retained. A person pi tiable from depression may believe that life is pointless, so that he might as well escape to criminality. 5. Mental Aberrations The most important mental aberrations are the psychoses, which are severe mental illnesses notably paranoia and schizophrenia.There are also the neuroses anxiety states, obsessional compulsive states, hysterical neuroses, dissociative states and neurotic depressions. There are also organic psychoses where the mental illness flows from an organic defect in the body of the patient. It is not difficult to see that any of these conditions could lead to deviant behavior. 6. Personality disorders Psychopathy, addictions and deviances can be listed under personality disorders. Once there is a disintegration of personality, deviant behavior can be expected. Many serious crimes are attached by persons whose personalities do not conform with the norms accepted by society.