Transcript Document

Chapter 5
Trait Theories
Foundations of Trait Theory
•
The view that criminals have physical or mental traits that make them
different or abnormal
 William Sheldon suggested somatotype (body-build) makes
people susceptible to delinquent behavior
• Mesomorphs – muscular/athletic (aggression)
• Ectomorphs – tall/thin (intellectual)
• Endomorphs – heavy/slow (fences)
Foundations of Trait Theory
•
Impact of Sociobiology
 Sociobiology reemerged in the 1970s (Edmund O. Wilson)
 Sociobiologists view the gene as the ultimate unit of human
destiny
 Ensuring of survival (reciprocal altruism)
Foundations of Trait Theory
•
Modern Trait Theories
 Each offender is mentally and physically unique
 Humans do not posses equipotentiality (equal potential to learn
and achieve)
 People develop physical or mental traits at birth or soon after that
affect their social functioning over the life course and their
behavior choices
Biological Trait Theories
•
Biosocial theorists argue physical, environmental, and social
conditions work in concert to produce behavior
Biological Trait Theories
•
Learning Potential and Its Effect on Individual Behavior Patterns
 The physical and social environment interact to either limit or
enhance capacity for learning
 Biochemistry and cellular interaction control learning
 Instinct: Some biosocial theorists contend learning is influenced
by instinctual drives (rape or desire of males to control females)
Figure 5.1 Biosocial Perspectives on Criminality
Biological Trait Theories
•
Biochemical Conditions and Crime
 Some trait theorists suggest biochemical factors contribute to
criminality
 Chemical and Mineral Influences: Over-or undersupply of certain
chemicals and minerals are associated with antisocial behaviors
 Diet and Crime: (depression, mania, cognitive problems, memory
loss, or abnormal sexual behavior)
 Sugar and Crime: Linked to violence/aggression
 Hypoglycemia: blood glucose falls below necessary levels for
normal brain functioning
CNN Clip - Is A Serial Killer At Large
Biological Trait Theories
•
Weblink:
http://cms.psychologytoday.com/articles/index.php?term=PTO-20030514-000001
Biological Trait Theories
•
•
•
•
Hormonal influences: Some trait theorists suggest biochemical
factors contribute to criminality (James Q. Wilson)
Hormones may explain why males age-out of crime
Abnormal levels of male sex hormones (androgens) and testosterone
have been linked to aggressive behavior
High androgen levels increase stimulation and quest for thrills (left
hemisphere of neocortex)
Biological Trait Theories
•
•
•
Premenstrual Syndrome: PMS linked to aggression in females
Allergies: Defined as unusual or excessive
 Cerebral allergies: affect the nervous system and produce
enzymes which affect behavior
Environmental Contaminants: Lead, copper, cadmium, mercury and
inorganic gases
 Lead levels: Linked to aggressive behavior (Deborah Denno)
Biological Trait Theories
•
Neurophysiological Conditions and Crime
 Neurophysiology is the study of brain activity
 Cases such as Charles Whitman (brain tumor) have focused
attention on neurological impairments
 EEG abnormalities have been linked to violent criminals
 Minimal Brain Dysfunction: is manifested into episodic periods of
explosive rage (PET scans)
 Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: (ADHD) has been
associated with poor school performance, bullying, and
stubbornness
 Brain Chemistry: neurotransmitters such as dopamine,
norepinephrine, and serotonin in low levels are linked to
aggressive behavior
Biological Trait Theories
•
Arousal Theory
 Reaction of brain function in response to environmental stimuli
 “Sensation seekers” may include aggressive/violent behaviors
 Low heart beats rates related to seeking stimulation
Biological Trait Theories
•
Genetics and Crime
 Some trait theorists suggest personality traits may be genetically
determined
 XYY theory in the 1970s believed to be associated with violent
crime in males
 Parental Deviance: children inherit criminal tendencies from their
criminal parents
 Sibling Similarities: The effect appears greatest among same sex
siblings
 Twin Behavior: identical twins (monozygotic) research suggests
criminal tendencies are due to genes and not environment
(findings are controversial)
 Adoption Studies: research supports a genetic basis for
criminality (Mednick)
Biological Trait Theories
•
Evolutionary Theory
 The competition for scarce resources has influenced and shaped
the human species
 Impulsive risk-taking behavior becomes intergenerational (passed
down from parents)
 Gender and Crime: Most aggressive males have the greatest
number of offspring and impact the gene pool
• Rushton’s Theory of Race and Evolution: Migration produced
evolutionary changes in behavior
• R/K Selection Theory: Holds the “R” along a continuum
reproduce rapidly compared to those along the “K” end who
reproduce slowly
• Cheater Theory: suggests a subpopulation of men has
evolved with genes that leads to cunning methods to gain
sexual conquests
Biological Trait Theories
•
Evaluation of the Biological Branch of Trait Theory
 Critics charge biological theories are racist and dysfunctional
 Biological explanations do not account for geographical variations
in crime
 Lack of empirical testing
Psychological Trait Theories
•
•
Defective intelligence (Charles Goring) Crime could be controlled by
regulating reproduction of the feebleminded
Psychodynamic: Freud suggested people carry the residue of
childhood attachments that guide future interpersonal relationships
 ID (pleasure principal): unconscious biological urges for food, sex
and other life-sustaining necessities
 Ego (reality principal): helps guide the actions of the Id within
boundaries of social convention
 Superego (conscience): the moral aspect of one’s personality
 Eros: the most basic drive present at birth
 Conflicts during psychosexual stages of development may lead to
“fixations”
Psychological Trait Theories
•
Psychodynamics of Abnormal Behavior
 Inferiority complex (Adler): People with a drive for superiority
 Bipolar disorder: Moods alternate between depression and elation
 Disruptive Behavior Disorder (DBD) includes Oppositional Defiant
Disorder (ODD): Defiance toward authority figures
 Conduct Disorder (CD) More serious and viewed as severely antisocial
Psychological Trait Theories
•
Crime and Mental Illness
 Personality disorders are referred to as psychosis
 Paranoid Schizophrenia: Delusions of wrongdoing and
persecution
 Despite evidence of mental illness: Recidivism among mentally
disordered is less than the general population
Psychological Trait Theories
•
Behavioral Theory
 Human actions are developed through learning experiences
 Social Learning Theory: Social learning theorists argue that
people learn aggression through life experiences
 Violence is learned via behavior modeling (family interaction,
environmental experiences, and mass media)
• An event that heightens arousal
• Aggressive skills
• Expected outcomes
• Consistency of behavior with values
Psychological Trait Theories
•
Cognitive Theory
 Focuses on how people perceive and mentally represent the
world around them and solve problems
• Moral development: (Jean Piaget) People obey the law to
avoid punishment
• Humanistic psychology: Self-awareness approach
• Information Processing: How people process, store, encode,
retrieve, and manipulate information
Psychological Traits and Characteristics
•
Personality and Crime
 Personality: is the reasonably stable patterns of behavior,
thoughts, and emotions that distinguish one person from another.
 Research has identified personality traits such as extroversion
and introversion (Eysenck)
 Antisocial personality/psychopathy/sociopathy: are antisocial
persons suffering defects or aberrations
 Research on personality: Minnesota Multiphasic Personality
Inventory (MMPI)
Psychological Traits and Characteristics
•
Intelligence and Crime
 Some trait theorists argue that criminals have a below average IQ
 Nature Theory (Goddard): argues that intelligence is determined
genetically
 Nurture Theory: argues that intelligence is primarily sociological
 IQ and criminality: Reemerged in 1977 with research by Travis
Hirschi and Michael Hindelang.
 Cross national studies: Research with Danish children suggest a
relationship between IQ and delinquency
 Richard Herrnstein and Charles Murray suggest criminal
offenders have an average IQ of 92
 Critics charge the link between IQ and criminality is weak
Figure 5.2 Psychological Perspectives on Criminality
Public Policy Implications of Trait Theory
•
Important influence on crime control and prevention programs
 Primary prevention programs seek to treat personal problems
before they manifest into criminal behavior
 Secondary prevention programs provide treatment after one has
violated the law
 Use of mood-altering chemicals such as lithium, pemoline,
imipramine, phenytoin, benzodiazepines to control behavior