Characteristics

• Criminal behaviour

  Inherently difficult to define, as it doesn't have a clearly identifiable set of symptoms. Instead, crime is defined by acts that are objectifiable and evidently defy laws, resulting in punishment.
• Common characteristics of career criminals

  • Rationalisation
  • Entitlement
  • Asocial value system
  • Sentimentality
  • Impulsive
  • Family dysfunction
  • Easily distracted
  • Power centric
  • Invincibility
  • Cognitive laziness
• Rationalisation


  The criminal rationalising their own behaviour by diverting blame and motive onto others, most typically the victim(s) so they don't consider the consequences of their own behaviour
• Rationalisation


  • "she deserved it, she was asking for it, she didn't say no"
• Entitlement


  The criminal believes they are allowed to or somehow superior and allowed to commit crime, so they believe they are above accountability and therefore they are right in committing their crimes
• Asocial value system


  The criminal will have a sense of apathy and lack any empathy towards others and the actions they have taken
• Sentimentality


  The criminal may deem themselves morally superior because they might not commit a crime against children or animals
• Impulsivity


  An inability to control their behaviour or temperament which may result in more violent crime
• Family dysfunction


  The criminal may lack family support on both financial or emotional levels and lack stability, which may result in many different types of criminals based on other factors such as socioeconomic background
• Easily distracted


  The criminal may lose focus on legitimate goals which can cause them to fall back into old habits
• Power centric


  The criminal views situations based on power dynamics and struggles. Offenders such as sex offenders may commit crimes based on the idea of being the stronger person and exploiting a weakness of the victim
• Invincibility


  An inflated sense of optimism which translates into a thought process of being unable to get caught
• Cognitive laziness


  A lack of ambition leading to poor decision making