Question

topic:-the search and cause ( criminal justice )

Compare and contrast psychological and biological theories of criminal behavior. Which approach do you consider to be a more valid explanation of the causes of crime in our current society? Support your opinion.

Answer 1

• There a many different psychological models of criminal behavior ranging from early Freudian notions to later cognitive and social psychological models.The several fundamental assumptions of psychological theories of criminality and human behavior in general are:-
• The individual is the primary unit of analysis in psychological theories.
• Personality is the major motivational element that drives behavior within individuals.
• Normality is generally defined by social consensus.
• Crimes then would result from abnormal, dysfunctional, or inappropriate mental processes within the personality of the individual.
• Criminal behavior may be purposeful for the individual insofar as it addresses certain felt needs.
• Defective, or abnormal, mental processes may have a variety of causes, i.e., a diseased mind, inappropriate learning or improper conditioning, the emulation of inappropriate role models, and adjustment to inner conflicts.
• The last assumption of the psychological model would suggest that a variety of different causes or reasons exist for criminal behavior and that general principles targeted at the individual would be effective for crime control.
• The model also assumes that there is a subset of a psychological criminal type, defined currently as antisocial personality disorder and previously defined as the sociopath or psychopath (APA, 2002).
• This type of criminal exhibits deviant behavior early in life and is associated with self-centeredness, a lack of empathy, and a tendency to see others as tools for their ends. Controls for these individuals would be more extreme and general public policies may not be stringent enough to curb the behavior in this small subset of criminals.
• Biological theories of criminality basically purport that criminal behavior is the result of some flaw in the biological makeup of the individual. This physical flaw could be due to:-
• Heredity
• Neurotransmitter dysfunction
• Brain abnormalities that were caused by either of the above, improper development, or trauma.
• I feel in today's time criminal behaviour is better explained psychologically since people are definitely more depressed and more prone to erratic behaviour.The lack of jobs,money,loneliness,competition etc. are all taking toll on the mental health of the people which is making them impulsive and turning into criminals,indulging in thefts to murders.
• In today's time counseling and therapies have become a necessity for every individual since we all are operating under stress and can take major steps which might be harmful to others.