Differentiating Criminal Behavior

            For centuries, Psychologists have been attempting to explain the reasons why people commit crimes.   While they have come up with four possible theories, Sociological, Psychological, Biological or Social-Psychological, they have been unable to agree on which theory is the one that explains all crime.  

            The first theory that we will discuss is the Sociological Theory of Crime.  This theory surmises that those in lower class societies are not given the legal means to achieve better status, therefore commit more crime in an attempt to attain such.  They feel trapped in their situations and feel that there is no other way to get out of it.   The Sociological Theories "maintain that crime results from social or cultural forces that are external to any specific individual, exist prior to any criminal act, and emerge from social class, political, ecological, or physical structures affecting large groups of people.  (Nettler, 1974)" (Wrightsman, pg. 70) 

            This is evident any time you go into the poor section of any town, such as New York’s “The Bronx”.    It seems that gangs abound, children run rampant and without adult supervision, women wearing little attire are at many street corners and the sound of gun fire is almost a daily occurrence.   You can see many men and women sitting on porch steps in front of broken down, dilapidated apartment buildings smoking cigarettes, looking disheveled and beaten down.   If you talk to them, you will hear stories of how they are unable to find jobs or how they are going to lose their homes because they cannot make the rent.   Many of these people turn to dealing drugs, prostitution, or theft, just to make ends meet.

            Next, we will look at the Biological Theory of Crime. This theory contends that there could be some physical abnormality in the brain of criminals that makes them more prone to performing illegal activities.  The thinking of the Italian physician, Cesare Lombroso (1836-1909) was that some people are predisposed to behavior that is antisocial.   He also contended that these people had certain physical attributes such as high cheek bones and large ears (Bartol, 2005). (Zarka)  It was also thought that those whose parents had criminal records were four times more likely to commit crimes.  (Wrightsman, pg. 73)

            Then there was the Biological Theory of Crime as stated by William Sheldon.  He asserted that certain body types were more prone to certain behaviors.  The Heavy, obese, soft (or Endomorphic) body type was more sociable; The Ectomorph (thin and wiry) had an introverted personality and the Mesomorph (solid and muscular) was the aggressive or adventurous type. (Rice)  Think of Santa Claus… he would be defined as being Endomorphic, being a jolly and plump old man, or the infamous high school “jock”.  He would be considered a Mesomorph, because he is always into sports and working out.

            Another example of the Biological Theory of Crime is someone who has a brain tumor or an alcohol or drug addiction.  They may be incapable of differentiating between right and wrong and unable to control their impulses and act irrationally.   They possibly could over react and kill someone or take something that is not theirs simply because they were angry or just wanted it.

            Another theory is the Psychological Theory of Crime.  This theory is about how people think or feel about their behavior.   It also deduces that people are more prone to commit crimes because of increasing anger, they may not feel strong attachments to their friends or families, or they are more apt to take risks, i.e. they would be seeking the thrill of the action. (Wrightsman, pg. 76)  A sociopath, for example, may commit a crime because they perceive a threat against their person by someone or something around them.

            The Social-Psychological Theories of Crime contend that crime is a learned behavior through social interaction. (Wrightsman, pg. 80)  The voracity of this theory can be very difficult to prove.  For example, let’s say crime is higher in gang related areas and recruitment for gangs is higher in areas of high crime.  The examples set by the gang as to behavior become so common as to be acceptable to more potential members.  The more members a gang has, the greater the incidences of such behavior.  In other words, what you have here is the chicken and egg dilemma.  Which came first?  Did the gangs form and then start committing crimes or did the criminals simply get together and form gangs?

            The two subcategories within the main Social-Psychological Theory are the control theories and direct learning theories.  Control theories state that people will be antisocial until trained by others not to be.  (Conger, 1980) (Wrightsman, pg. 80) Some people never form bonds with others so are less likely to interact with their peers or other people in society.  The Learning Theory is about how criminal behavior is learned.  Edwin H. Sutherland (1947) stated that "criminal behavior requires socialization into a system of values conducive to violating the law...”  (Wrightsman, pg. 83) In other words, 'other people are doing it, so that means I can do it too' is the mentality that people hold.

            In the end, we can see that all crimes fit into one of the preceding four theories.  However, a single crime could potentially fit into more than one theory.  You could have a crime that at first seems to fit into the biological end up also fitting into the psychological or one that fits into the sociological can also fit into the psychological, ergo Social-Psychological.  Therefore, it is strongly indicated that there is not just one single theory that defines all crime.  When it comes right down to it, crime is a very complex machine made up by many different parts.     

 

References

   

    Biological, Sociological and Psychological Theories of Crime, Heather Zarka, http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/243059/biological_sociological_and_psychological.html

    Biological Theories of Crime, Keith E. Rice, http://www.integratedsociopsychology.net/crime-biological_theories.html

    Wrightsman’s Psychology and the Legal System, 6e, Edie Greene, Kirk Heilbrun, William H. Fortune, Michael T. Nietzel