In: Psychology
Discuss the influence of biological and genetic factors in deviance and crime and what role the health care community should play in controlling and modify anti-social and/or criminal behaviors. Use examples from your personal life and a quote or two from your textbook to support your ideas and cite them using the APA format.
Deviant behavior is the behaviour that is contrary to the dominant norms of society. Many theories have been forwarded to that causes a person to perform deviant behavior, including biological explanations, psychological reasons, and sociological factors. Here are three of the major biological explanations for deviant behavior.
BIOLOGICAL THEORIES OF DEVIANCE :Biological theories of deviance are witnessed as crime and deviant behavior it is a form of illness caused by pathological factors specific to certain types of individuals. & assumed that some people are "born criminals" — as they are biologically different from non-criminals. The logic behind is that these individuals have a mental &physical inferiority complexes, which causes an inability to learn & follow rules. This, i leads to criminal behavior.
LOMBROSO'S THEORY : Cesare Lombroso stated that criminality is inherited & he developed a theory of deviance in which a person’s bodily constitution indicates whether he is a born criminal. or not. These born criminals are a throwback to an earlier stage of human evolution with the physical makeup, mental capabilities, & instincts of primitive man.
He said thatcriminals were physically different. He used physical charaterstic to identify prisoners included an asymmetry of the face or head, large monkey-like ears, large lips, a twisted nose, excessive cheekbones, long arms & excessive wrinkles on the skin. & declared that the persons born with any of the five features may be a born criminal.
SHELDON'S THEORY OF BODY TYPES : William Sheldon observed varities of human bodies & distinuished three kinds of bodies 1) Ectomorphs 2)Endomorphs3) Mesomorphs.
a)Ectomorphs :Ectomorphs are thin and fragile. Their body structures are described as flat-chested, fragile, lean, lightly muscled, small shouldered and thin.
b) Endomorphs ;Endomorphs are considered soft and fat &are described as having underdeveloped muscles and a round physique. They have difficulty losing weight.
c) Mesomorphs have muscular bodies, have excellent postures &have thick skins.According to sheldon mesomorph are much prone to commit crimes or other deviant behaviors
4) THE Y CHROMOSOMES THEORY :This theorystates that criminals have an extra Y chromosome that gives them an XYY chromosomal factor rather than an XY factor. This creates a strong compulsion & aurge, within them to commit crimes. Such person is are called a "super male." Some studies have found that the proportion of XYY males in the prison population is higher than the general male population.
CONTROLING & MODIFYING ANTISOCIAL & CRIMINAL BEHAVIORS : Social control may be defined broadly as an organized action intended to change people’s behaviour The main goal of social control is to maintain social order, an arrangement of practices & behaviours on which society’s members base their daily lives.All societies practise social control . the regulation & the enforcement norms.
Government refers to the strategie modern forms of government as disciplinary social control because they each rely on the detailed continuous training, control, and observation of individuals to improve their capabilities: to transform criminals into law abiding citizens, children into educated and productive adults, recruits into disciplined soldiers, patients into healthy people, etc. s by which one seeks to direct the conduct of another Many treatises were written on how to govern and educate children, how to govern the poor and beggars, & how to govern one’s own conscience and conduct.
Modern forms of government as disciplinary social control because they each rely on the detailed continuous training, control, & observation of individuals to improve their capabilities: to transform criminals into law abiding citizens, children into educated & productive adults, , patients into healthy people, etc. Disciplinary training simultaneously increases their abilities, skills, and usefulness while making them more compliant and manipulable.
COMUNITIES ROLE FOR ANTISOCIAL & CRIMINAL BEHAVIORS :Attachment measures our connections to others. When we are closely attached to people, we worry about their opinions of us. People conform to society’s norms in order to gain approvalfrom family, friends, and romantic partners.
belief, is an agreement on common values in society. If a person views social values as beliefs, he or she will conform to them. An environmentalist is more likely to pick up trash in a park because a clean environment is a social value to that person.
Ritulaism :People who ritualize lower their goals until they can reach them through socially acceptable ways. These “social ritualists” focus on conformity to the accepted means of goal attainment while abandoning the distant, unobtainable dream of success.