AC 2.2 Individualistic Theories of Criminality

• What are individualistic theories?

  -focus on individualistic explanations for criminality - with a focus on thoughts and behaviors (psychology)
• What are the four individualistic theories?

  -learning theories

  -psychodynamic theories

  -personality theories

  -cognitive theories
• What do learning theories suggest about the way we learn crime?

  -directly through reward and punishment

  -indirectly through observing another person be rewarded and/or punished, and imitating that behavior
• What are the three learning theory studies?

  -Sutherland

  -Skinner

  -Bandura
• What is Sutherland's study called?

  differential association theory
• What does Sutherland argue?

  -people learn their values and techniques for criminal behavior from those around them, there associations
• What are the two ways Sutherland argues people learn criminal behavior?

  -Imitation = copying behavior

  -Socialization = being brought up around and taught criminal behavior e.g. from families, friends etc.
• What did Sutherland find in his study?

  -study of white collar crimes in the workplace

  -group attitudes in the workplace normalized criminal behavior
• What is Skinner's study called?

  Operant conditioning
• What is operant conditioning?

  -The idea that if a behavior results in a reward it is more likely to be repeated

  -and if a behavior leads to a punishment it will not be repeated
• Following Skinner's study, when is a behavior most likely to be repeated?

  -positive reinforcement = if there is a reward

  -negative reinforcement = if there is a negative stimulus the offender want to avoid
• Following Skinner's study, when is a behavior less likely to be repeated?

  -if there is a punishment of some form
• How did Skinner carry out his study?

  -observed rats in a box and saw that they wandered around aimlessly.

  -When they pulled a lever and received food, the would repeat that behavior (positive reinforcement)

  -less likely to repeat if they got shocked (punishment)
• What does Bandura argue?

  -if a person watches someone be rewarded for behavior then they are more likely to copy that behavior = vicarious reinforcement

  -if a person watches someone be punished for their behavior, they are less likely to repeat the behavior
• In Bandura's study, who do children learn from?

  -'role models'

  -people who are similar to the observer in some way (e.g. gender)

  -higher status (age)
• What method did Bandura use to prove his theory?

  -divided young children into three groups = all shown a film of an adult model being aggressive to a bobo doll

  -group 1 = model was rewarded

  -group 2 = model was punished

  -group 3 = control group
• What were the results of Bandura's study?

  The children who saw the model punished were less likely to imitate the behavior, than those who saw the model rewarded or received no consequences
• What do psychodynamic theories argue?

  -personalities cause us to act the way we do

  -these are urges, conflicts and feelings with our unconscious mind

  -criminal behavior occurs when we can't resolve these inner conflicts
• What are the two psychodynamic theories?

  -Freud

  -Bowlby
• What does Freud argue about the mind?

  -most of our mind is unconscious

  -unconscious forces drive all behavior including criminality
• What are the three elements of Freud's theory?

  id, ego, superego
• What is is the id?

  -present at birth and operates on the pleasure principle e.g. food, sex and sleep
• What is the ego?

  -reality principle

  -learns action shave consequences

  -Reduces the conflict between the id and the superego using defense mechanisms
• What is the superego?

  -morality principle

  -represents moral standards of the same sex parent and is responsible for guilt

  -inner voice
• How does Freud's theory link to criminality?

  -link between anti-social behavior and poor socialization of children which can lead to an overharsh or deviant superego
• In Freud's theory, what are the three superegos that can lead to criminality?

  - a weakly developed superego

  -a too harsh superego

  -a deviant superego
• In Freud's theory, what does a weakly developed superego suggest?

  -individual will feel less guilt about anti-social behavior

  -less inhibition about acting on the ID's selfish urges
• In Freud's theory, what does a too harsh superego result in?

  - creates a deep rooted guilt, which makes the person crave punishment

  -they commit repeat offences in order to be caught and punished
• In Freud's theory, what does a deviant superego result in?

  - child has been socialized into a deviant moral code

  -e.g. a son commits crimes to impress his criminal father as he believes its the right thing to do.
• What is the name of Bowlby's theory?

  -maternal deprivation
• What is Bowlby's theory of maternal deprivation?


  -children need a close relationship with a maternal figure for the first 5 years of their life in order to develop normally

  -If it is broken - children may struggle to form emotional relationships with others which he calls affectionless psychopathy.
• How does 'affectionless psychopathy' link to criminality?

  The children struggle to form emotional relationships and lack guilt and remorse
• What study did Bowlby do to prove his theory?

  -1944

  -studied 44 juvenile delinquents and compared them to non-criminal juveniles

  -39% of the criminals had experienced maternal separation in the first five years, compared to just 5% of the control group
• What do cognitive theories refer to?

  The thinking and mental process, the attitudes, beliefs, reasoning, decision making, our sense of self and how we interpret the world
• What two studies support the cognitive theory?

  -Yochelson and Samenow

  -Kohlberg's Moral development
• How did Yochelson and Samenow apply the cognitive theory to criminality?

  -the idea that criminals are prone to faulty thinking which makes them more likely to commit crimes
• What study did Yochelson and Samenow conduct to prove there theory?

  -240 males offenders, most in a psychiatric hospital

  -they found they had thinking errors e.g. lying, the need for power and lack of empathy

  -these thinking errors led to crime
• What is Kohlberg's Moral development theory?

  -argues our thoughts of right and wrong develop in stages

  -pre-moral level, young children think of right and wrong by what brings punishments and rewards

  -Adults right and wrong involve the understanding of moral principles and values
• How does Kohlberg's theory link to criminality?

  -suggests criminal moral development is less mature than everyone else.

  -They think solely if they will be punished rather than how others may be affected
• What study supports personality theories?

  Eysenck