Psychological Trait Theory in Criminology:
The field of criminology can basically be described as the scientific study of criminals and criminal behavior since professionals in this field try to develop theories that explain the reason for the occurrence of crimes and test the theories through observation of criminal behavior. The criminological theories in turn help in shaping the response of the society to crime in relation to preventing criminal behavior and reacting to such behaviors after they occur. Generally, the field of criminology has evolved in three different phases since the inception of this discipline in the 18th Century. While crime and criminals have existed for as long as societies have existed, the systematic study of these incidents began in the late 1700s. Prior to this period, crime and criminal behavior were mainly equated to sin i.e. The infringement of a sacred obligation.
Evolution of the Discipline of Criminology:
As previously mentioned, the development or evolution of the discipline of criminology occurred in three distinct phases that shaped the discipline to what it is in the modern society. Notably, each of these phases or stages was characterized by unique attempts by criminologists to explain crime and criminal behavior based on the events that were taking place in the society. The first phase of the evolution of the discipline of criminology was when scholars first differentiated crime from sin, which was the original explanation for crime and criminal behaviors. The second phase, which is commonly known as modern criminology, began in the 19th Century where criminology was distinguished as a sub-specialty in emerging disciplines of sociology, psychology, and economics. The third phase that began in the second half of the 20th Century is known as independent criminology since the discipline started to assert its independence from the conventional disciplines that initiated it.
Theories of Crime:
One of the most notable features of the evolution of the field of criminology is that criminologists have usually developed different theories in attempts to explain the reason for the occurrence of crimes and evaluate these theories through observing criminal behaviors. The established theories have constantly been used as the basis for understanding criminal behavior and the development of the discipline of criminology. Actually, these theories have proven to be important elements in this field since they have been helpful in shaping the society's response to crime with regards to understanding, preventing, and responding to crime and criminal behavior when they occur.
Throughout the history of criminology, there are various theories that have been developed and used to explain why people commit crimes. These theories of crime have mainly been divided into the biological, social, and psychological categories to help understand crime and criminal behavior. As criminologists developed the theories of crime to explain the occurrence of these incidents, they no longer relied strongly on the explanations of criminal offenses based on the rational choice of the offender. On the contrary, these professionals attributed criminal behavior and activities to the motivation to commit the offenses and the social context that permit people to pursue criminal inclinations (Lynch, n.d.).
Notably, modern scholars believe that criminal motivation is the product of at least one or more complex set of factors. The complex set of factors are not only numerous but they are also varied to an extent that no system of classification can define the existence theories of crime causation with total accuracy. The theories of crime are classified into three major categories because many criminologists have proposed a wide range of theories of multiple causation involving factors from different categories. Generally, the biological theories attribute criminal behavior to the congenital or inherited defects of the criminal while the sociological theories attribute crime to social or environmental factors that facilitate criminal behavior. On the contrary, the psychological theories attribute crime to the mental disorders or psychological factors of the offender.
Psychological Theories of Crime:
The psychological trait theory basically focuses on all the mental aspects of the reason an individual commits a crime and relates it to the personality, intelligence, criminal behavior, and learning of the individual. The psychological theories of crime and criminal behavior were stylish before sociology was embraced. These theories were mainly interested in the individual differences in the inclination to commit offenses rather than environmental or social conditions assumed to have facilitated criminal behavior.
The psychological trait theory examines how certain personality traits are conducive to crime and criminal behavior with a huge emphasis placed on temperament and intelligence. The main assumption behind the psychological theories of crime is that low intelligence hinders the ability to accurately calculate or develop the pleasures and pain involved in carrying out criminal activity. Moreover, these theories are based on the assumption that certain...
For instance, this theory holds that extraverts have low levels of cortical arousal and introverts high leaves, meaning extraverts need more stimulation for socializing and being outgoing, while introverts receive enough stimulation from their own physical make up. Since each person has differing levels of brain chemicals, there are thousands and thousands of factors that can be combined to make up unique personality dimensions. This view is more biochemical
When viewed in this light, the psychological effects of racism are actually fairly similar to those of other abusive, oppressive, or otherwise threatening attitudes, actions, and situations. The disposition toward negative affect encouraged by the perception of racism is in many ways the same kind of damaging psychological reinforcement experienced by individuals in an abusive household or people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, because in all of these cases many
Psychological Testing When one hears the phrase "psychological testing" one might be inclined to think of a test to determine one's mental health, a test that could tell someone whether she or he was crazy or not. But psychological testing is hardly so clear-cut, nor does it deal with the highly subjective subject of sanity. Psychological tests instead measure a range of qualities and potentials, including one's aptitude for various kinds
Personality Traits The discussion of "nature vs. nurture" has been a long-standing one. It relates to whether the main characteristics of an individual are genetically determined or whether these are actually deeply affected by environmental factors and by society as the individual evolves. This is where the discussion of whether an individual's personality is largely fixed at birth or not can also be placed. Arguments are both for and against, although
Routine Activity & Trait Theories The Routine Activity Theory is based on the idea that in the absence of effective controls, offenders will prey on attractive targets (A Theory of Crime Problems, n.d.). In the case of a shopping mall with an underground garage having an increase in auto theft, auto burglary, and robberies, the handlers in the situation could be parents, relatives, friends, siblings, or spouses of the offenders. The
Alcoholism and Upbringing Psychological theory James' father is responsible for James' involvement in crime and burglary. Origin of the problem. Alcoholic parents are the reason for the moral decay of juveniles Another reason for James' feelings of inadequacy Effect of alcoholism in the upbringing of a child The effect of taking James out of his mother's home as a juvenile Reaction formation An examination of James' denial of his responsibility over his problem Personality theory Sociological theory Personality and sociological
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now