Theories of Criminal Behaviour
Kohlbergs theory
Three levels of moral development
Pre-conventional morality
When a person has no personal code of morality. So anything they do is shaped by the adults around them
Conventional morality
This includes wrong and right and where they copy valued adult role models and follow their moral standards.
Post conventional morality
The understanding of universal ethical principles such as preservation of life and this was the level Kohlberg believed stopped at.
Obedience and punishment orientation
Individualism and exchange
Good interpersonal relationships
Maintaining social order
Social contrast and individual rights
Universal principles.
Culture of Violence Theory
Ferracutti and Wolfgang
"any aspect of a culture that can legitimise violence"
Violent acts can be sanctioned by a culture.
Culture validating violence can be seen thought the likes of rape myths and also victim blaming.
Eysenck's theory
Personality theory
The idea that peoples personality type plays into whether they are more likely to commit a crime or not.
700 soldiers completed a questionnaire as a means of research
Three factor theory - three dimensions of personality
Extrovert-introvert dimension
Emotionally stable-emotionally unstable (neurotic) dimension
Psychoticism
Eysenck believed that people who were extrovert, neurotic and psychotic were more likely to offend due to their inability to control impulses.
This then implies that criminals are more likely to be impulsive, thrill seeking, and unable to accept and understand the rules of society.
Bowlby's Theory
Maternal deprivation
The idea that a poor relationship with a mother can deprive an individual of healthy emotional development.
Children have a need to attach to the mother in order to develop their personality.
Without a healthy relationship, during the childhood, the child can develop a negative effect on their emotional and psychological development.
Includes things such as delinquency, low intelligence, aggression and depression
It was also made clear that there could be a substitute for maternal care and then maternal deprivation would not be an issue.
Tested with 44 juvenile delinquents, found that the majority of the children in the study lacked a maternal figure.
Differential association theory
Sutherland
How individuals learn to be offenders
If an individual exerts attitudes that are positively associated with crime, then they are more likely to commit crime.
They will learn how to become an offender through observing attitudes and imitating criminal acts.
Broken Window Theory
George Kelling
Metaphor for disorder within neighbourhoods and also links to occurrences of serious crime
Braga, Welsh and Schnell (2015) found that policing strategies focussed on disorder, had a statistically significant impact on reducing all types of crime.
E.g. repairing broken windows and removing graffiti improved crime rates in the area and an urban environment can encourage further crime and disorder.
Heat hypothesis
Temperature
The idea that hot temperatures increase aggressive motives and behaviour.
"uncomfortable temperatures can cause an increase in aggressive motivation and behaviour"
Hot temperatures can also decrease alertness and energy whereas cold temperates exhibit the opposite effects.
Control Theory
how behaviour conforms to the behaviour which is generally expected in society.
Suggest that the norms and values of society stop the individual from breaking the law.
The process of socialisation teaches an individual to build self control. This will help build self control which stops them from committing any criminal acts.
They become afraid of the repercussions that come with committing a crime.