Sociobiology Theory and Criminology
Criminology field has varying psychological and biological theories that explain the criminality and factors that predispose individuals to engaging in criminal behaviors. Biological theories consider criminal behavior as a product of biological abnormality or defect. The criminal cannot change their behaviors because of the variation of their biological traits, thereby, forcing them to act in a specific manner. However, biological theory is considered odd with the presence of psychological theories that try to explain the factors and reasons behind criminality. Unlike the earlier, psychological theories, consider criminality as a product of offenders due to defects of the mental functioning, adjustment to the environmental forces, and individual development (Baumeister & Vohs, 2007). Therefore, this essay analyzes the sociobiological theory that tries to explain the relationship between personality and criminality. The essay also analyzes the key elements that underpin the sociobiological theory and its philosophical basis.
Sociobiology refers to a theory that that uses evolutionary bases to create an understanding of the patterns of social behaviors that evolve through sexual selection and natural selection. Although the theory is considered to base its ideologies in the older scientific disciplines that include comparative psychology and ethology, it has grown to a distinct psychological theory that allows for the understanding of criminality. Sociobiological theory holds that genetic predispositions play a significant role in influencing behaviors such as preservation of individual offspring and territoriality that might breed undesired social behaviors such as criminality....
As explained by Gelles and Strauss in their works, "With the exception of the police and the military, the family is perhaps the most violent social group, and the home the most violent social setting, in our society. A person is more likely to be hit or killed in his or her home by another family member than anywhere else or by anyone else." (Gelles & Straus, 1985, p.
Criminal Behavior Approaches to Understand Criminal Behavior Psychological Approaches Sociological Approaches Biological Approaches Psychosurgery Chemical Methods of Control Imagine yourself having a walk in the premises of your house and a stone come flying through the boundary wall and hits you. As a layman, one might face difficulty in defining this incident. It can be termed as an assault, an act of violence or a criminal offence. This is a layman's term to define this act but
With the appropriate controls of variables, the research showed that the recidivism rate of those offenders who got deterrent sentences like 30 months and above, recorded a 29% recidivism rate as compared to those who had relatively shorter terms who had 26% recidivism rates. Proposed herein is the consistency in the punishment handed and not the use of deterrent theory to hand down long sentences or even worse death
" These authors purport that although mood and behaviour may constitute a vital part in disorderly outcomes of drinking scenarios, other social factors can equally contribute influences. These factors, according to these authors, can be categorized by the following factors: the attitude and motivations that young binge drinkers bring to drinking, the social and peer group norms under which they operate, and features relating to the drinking environment. Reasonable Investigations In the journal
A person in a state of cognitive dissonance will strive to look for ways of reducing the dissonance he or she is feeling since it is uncomfortable. Reducing cognitive dissonance may entail a change in behavior, modification of perceptions, or addition of a cognition that is consistent with a person's behavior. Cognitive dissonance is demonstrated in the movie Shrek in the scene where we see Shrek struggle with his feelings
The very notion that romantic and other social relationships may affect the cognitive development in infants from the beginnings of their life suggest parents should take courses or classes in social relationships skills more so than parenting or well baby classes to ensure their babies mature cognitively and not just physically. 4. An important environmental impact on the health of individuals from a social psychology perspective is the environment of
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