psychological explanations for offending

• 🔸 eysenck's theory of personality

  • personality dimensions
  • biological basis
  • conditioning
• ⚖️ personality dimension

  • extraversion = outgoing linked to impulsive behaviours
  • neuroticism = emotional instability leads to aggression
  • psychoticism = aggression, lack of empathy and impulsivity
• 🧠 biological basis of personality

  biological predisposition for traits

  • high extraversion have lower levels of cortisol
• 🔸 cognitive explanations

  • cognitive distortions
  • moral reasoning
• 💭 cognitive distortions

  • hostile attribution bias
  • minimalisation
  • moral disengagement
• 😇 moral reasoning

  kohlberg's stages of moral development

  • criminals have lower levels of moral reasoning
  • make decisions based on self-interest
• 🔸 differential association theory

  • learning behaviour
  • learning process
  • proportions
• 🏫 learning criminal behaviour

  Sutherland

  • criminal behaviour is learned through interactions with others
• 🏫 learning process

  • communication and socialisation
  • learn techniques and justifications
• 📊 proportions of associations

  Sutherland

  • more often a person associates with people who promote criminal attitudes, more likely to engage in crime
• 🔸 psychodynamic explanation

  • freud
  • defence mechanisms
  • fixation at psychosexual stages
• 👨🏼‍🔬 freud's view

  • early childhood shapes adult behaviour
  • unresolved conscious conflicts
• 🛡️ defence mechanisms

  • denial or displacement to protect themselves from uncomfortable feelings
• 🛠️ fixation at psychosexual stages

  • becoming fixated at a particular stage can result in adult criminality
  • unresolved conflicts at the phallic stage contribute to aggressive behaviour
• ✅ strength of eysenck - research

  support for personality dimensions

  • eysenck - people high in extraversion are less responsive to stimuli and seek excitement
  • lower arousal
  • supports high extraversion and neuroticism linked to criminality
• ✅ strength of eysenck - biology

  biological basis

  • high levels of neuroticism and psychoticism have higher likelihood of engaging in antisocial acts
  • personality traits are innate
  • hardwired for criminal tendencies aligns with genetic explanation
• ❌ limitation of eysenck - simple

  oversimplifies criminal behaviour

  • doesn't account for social, environmental or economic factors
  • focuses on individual personality traits
  • overly deterministic
• ✅ strength of cognitive - support

  link criminality to distorted thoughts

  • criminals interpret neutral situations as threatening
  • suggests incorrect thinking leads to impulsive actions
  • addressing distortions could reduce criminality
• ✅ strength of cognitive - minimalisation

  helps justify actions

  • offenders downplay seriousness of the crime
  • offenders reduce guilt and continue committing crime
  • helps rehabilitation
• ❌ limitation of cognitive - individual

  focuses on individual thought processes

  • ignores external factors
  • e.g. upbringing or social environment
  • lacks comprehensiveness
• ✅ strength of DAT - learned

  crime is learned through interactions

  • people associated with criminal peers are more likely to engage in criminal acts
  • supports idea of socialisation
  • changing environment could prevent future criminality
• ✅ strength of DAT - context

  emphasises role of social context

  • behaviour is learned from interactions and observations
  • interventions can target peer groups to reduce crime
  • practical strategies
• ❌ limitation of DAT - individual

  ignores individual differences

  • personal traits or genetic factors could play a role
  • lacks comprehensiveness
• ✅ strength of psychodynamic - childhood

  early childhood experiences shape behaviour

  • freud - unresolved conflicts lead to defence mechanisms
  • displacement leads to criminality
  • importance of addressing trauma to rehabilitate
• ❌ limitation of psychodynamic - subjective

  difficult to test scientifically

  • unconscious mind and repression can't be directly observed or measured
  • makes theory less reliable
  • limits usefulness
• ❌ limitation of psychodynamic - individual

  ignores external social factors

  • social, economic and environmental influences play a key role
  • lacks usefulness