Cognitive Theories

• The term ‘cognition’ refers to thinking and mental processes such as attitudes, beliefs, reasoning, problem-solving, decision-making, our self-concept and how we interpret the world around us
• Criminal Personality Theory:

  • Psychologists Yochelson and Samenow have applied cognitive thinking to criminality
  • Their key idea is that criminals are prone to faulty thinking and this makes them more likely to commit crime
  • Thinking errors- these include lying; secretiveness; need for power and control; super-optimism; failure to understand other’s positions; lack of trust in others; uniqueness (the feeling that they are special) and the victim stance (blaming others and seeing themselves as the victim).