crim2-psychological

• Trait Theory

  the view that criminality is a product of abnormal biological or psychological traits
• • Trait theories focus on basic human behavior and drives – aggression, violence, and tendency to act on impulse – that are linked to anti-social behavior patterns.
• Biosocial Trait Theory 


  believe that physical, environmental and social conditions work in concert to produce human behavior. The biosocial view is that behavior is a product of interacting biological and environmental events.
• Biosocial Theory


  It combines the study of the effects of biology, behavior and the environment on criminal behavior. Some of the studies include:

  • Chemical and mineral influences
  • Diet and crime
  • Hypoglycemia
  • Hormonal Influences
  • Premenstrual Syndrome
• Biochemical 


   these are conditions that are genetically predetermined and those acquired through diet, hormonal influences and environmental contaminants.
• Neurophysiological


   this refers to the study of brain activity in which brain structure, brain damage and brain chemicals have been related to violent crime.
• Genetic 


  children of criminal parents should be more likely to become law violators that the offspring of conventional parents.
• Biosocial Arousal Theory by Hans J. Eysenck


  This theory states that an individual’s level of arousal works in conjunction with the social environment. Those with low levels of arousal are less likely to learn appropriate ways to deal with aggression and violence, thus are more prone to commit crime.
• Heredity and Crime


                 Accordingly, heredity transmits single trait and characteristic from parent to offspring. Criminality of the offspring is used to determine the nature of the parent and nature of their crime. However, modern criminologists seem not to accept the role of heredity in the formation of criminal behavior.
• Juke Family


  A family of “mental degenerates”
• Kalikkak Family


  family where crime is the result of low grade mentality, primarily feeblemindedness, which is an inherited quality of criminals.
• • Sir Jonathan Edwards Family Tree

   

  It may be stated that the influence of heredity on a person’s behavior can’t be satisfactorily established since it is not possible to isolate the hereditary factors from various kinds of environmental factors. It may however be conceded that certain physical & mental traits may be inherited which can indirectly result in criminal behavior
• Gene-based Theory


  It is a general approach that suggests that the process of natural selection has resulted in criminal genetic tendencies that are passed down from generation to generation.
• • XYY Syndrome- Super Male

• • Johannes Lange 1929
  • “Crime as destiny”, all tend to show greater similarity of criminal behavior among identical than among fraternal twins.
  • Grove and Christiansen
  • They both found evidence that antisocial behavior can be inherited.
• Twin and Adoption Studies

                 Studies attempting to address the hereditary bases of criminality by examining traditional families have largely been abandoned, since it is essentially impossible to disentangle the effects of nature (such as genes) from those of nurture (environment). This prompted researchers to study twins and adoptees. Twin and adoption studies refers to studies that have been done with children reared by biological parents compared to their siblings or twins reared by adoptive parents in an attempt to demonstrate a genetic link to criminal behavior.
• Evolutionary Theory by Charles Darwin (1809-1919)

  • He claimed that humans, like animals, are parasite.
  • Some criminologists believe that human traits that produce violence and aggression are produced through the long process of human evolution.
  • According to this theory, the competition to scarce resources has influenced and shaped the human species.

   
• Cheater Theory

  • A subpopulation of men has evolved with genes that incline them toward extremely low parental involvement.
  • They are sexually aggressive and use cunning to achieve sexual conquest of as many females as possible.
  • Cheater-type males may be especially attractive to younger, less intelligent women who begin having children at a very early age.
  • Their courtship produces children with low IQ scores and aggressive personalities. Their offspring will make up an ever-expanding supply of cheaters who are both antisocial and aggressive.
• • XXY Syndrome- Super Female