Unfortunately, it is impossible to distinguish between a criminal and a normal person. The common phrase people hear is “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” Criminals are all different, they do not have a specific tattoo or a specific hairstyle. Criminals can look like a friend, a neighbor, or a stranger on the street. Fortunately, there are a few theories that can be studied on criminals, that may permit a clue. Furthermore, the theories that relate to crimes are from the past, but some of them hold some truth. For example, one theory is phrenology. Phrenology is used to predict if a person could be a criminal based on the shape of their skull. This theory seems far-fetched, although it could hold some truth. The skull is made to protect the …show more content…
Psychoanalysis was created by Sigmund Freud. He believed that the mind had three parts, which were the id, ego, and superego. The id is the first piece developed. The id is the child part of the brain. It does think it just wants what it wants. The second is the ego, which is when the brain starts thinking about other things, it rationalizes. Super ego is the last to develop. Super ego is the sane part of the brain. It is the part that has morals in it, such as social norms and parental approval. This theory makes sense, I believe that a criminal would be missing the super ego part of the brain. If the super ego did not develop then the person would have no morals, meaning that the person would not care about social norms, which could have led to deviant …show more content…
Antisocial personality disorder is an illness that affects a person mental health. Antisocial personality disorder to when the individual does not stress the importance of right or wrong in any given situation and they do not regard other people’s feelings. Typically, they treat others with harsh behavior. Individual with antisocial personality disorder can be manipulative, brutally, hostile and believe they are superior to the rest of the citizens. They function on impulse, which means they can do it on a whim. I could see a connection between serial killers and antisocial personality disorder. If the individual has antisocial personality disorder, they do not really have emotions. Emotions make humanity weak, but in a sense, they make us strong, they keep us grounded and sane. If a serial killer can’t experience emotions, maybe that’s why they commit crimes, to see the emotions in others. They are easily agitated and act on impulse, meaning they could commit a crime without even thinking about it. We as humans have a conscience, which keeps most of us from hurting other people, but someone with this disorder has no care for right or
The first part of the disorder that needs to be explored is the symptoms. “The essential feature of Antisocial Personality Disorder is a pervasive pattern of disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others that begins in childhood or early adolescence and continues into adulthood (American Psychiatric Association, 2000).” Some examples of this are that people with this disorder frequently commit acts that could be grounds for arrest (but they do not always get arrested), mutilation of small animals in childhood, or the beating of ones spouse or child. A person with this disorder usually seems to have an artificial charm and can be very manipulative, which may have led to many of the murders in the headlines above. Another key feature of this disorder is that individuals suffering from this disorder tend to be irresponsible, especially in the workplace and finances. The individuals tend to fail at keeping a job for very long and cannot keep track of their spending. Another key feature of the disorder is that the individual usually doesn’t care about the safety of themselves or others. This behavior ...
...tly that: a theory. It is based off of assumptions and abstract concepts of inherent drives and unconscious processes that are extremely difficult to comprehend, test and prove because if certain types of information are unconscious in one person, then they are most likely located in the unconscious of everyone else, including the people attempting to conduct research. The phenomenological theory, in contrast, places a greater emphasis on more concrete aspects of life such as perception of experiences, number and types of social interactions, relationships, and feelings of self-worth and self-esteem. Such concepts are easier to define, test, and manipulate into reasonable arguments regarding the causes of antisocial criminal behavior and that is why the phenomenological theory provides a better explanation of this behavior than the psychoanalytic theory does.
Psychological theories of criminal behavior emphasize criminal thinking patterns or personality defects. These theories emphasize individual differences in behavior and the approaches to thinking, feeling, and decision-making that make some people predisposed to committing criminal acts.
Crime is a serious issue in the United States. Research shows that crime is running rampant and its effects are felt in all socioeconomic levels. Each economic class has its own crime rates and types of crime. It is a mistake to think of crime as a lower class problem. Crime is a problem for all people. The lower classes commit crime for survival while the upper class commits crime to supplement capital and maintain control.
Trait theory views criminality as a product of abnormal biological or psychological traits. It is based on a mix between biological factors and environmental factors. Certain traits alone cannot determine criminality. We are born with certain traits and these traits along with certain environmental factors can cause criminality (Siegel, 2013). According to (Siegel, 2013), the study of sociobiology sparked interest in biological or genetic makeup as an explanation for crime and delinquency. The thought is that biological or genetic makeup controls human behavior, and if this is true, then it should also be responsible for determining whether a person chooses crime or conventional behavior. This theory is referred to as trait theory (Siegel, 2013). According to Siegel (2013), due to the fact that offenders are different, one cannot pinpoint causality to crime to just a single biological or psychological attribute. Trait theorist looks at personal traits like intelligence, personality, and chemical and genetic makeup; and environmental factors, such as family life, educational attainment, economic factors, and neighborhood conditions (Siegel, 2013). There are the Biosocial Trait theories an...
Biological theories suggest that criminal behaviors are a result of the general biological makeup of individuals. People will be able to take on various criminal activities depending on the way in which their biological composition is characterized. Typically, people will have a particular character depending on many factors that affect them and make them accept various criminal activities. The behavior that people reveal in most cases will be as a result of the genetic makeup. When people have a particular genetic makeup, it will enable people to develop specific characteristics that are essential for maintaining good personality.
According to Freud, human personality is divided into id, ego, and superego (law). The id comes from the latin root “it”. Id consist of “urges , impulses, and intense energies.” This has to do with sexual dives which is a large factor in serial killers. Serial killers identify with sexual drives from their younger years. It comes in play is fantasy play which is images and feelings of inappropriate items. If having to much of this in childhood can cause some discrepancies in behavior. The superego focus on morals. It is the “complete opposite of Id.” It is the “aspect of personality that holds all of our internalized moral standards and ideals that we acquire from both parents and society - our sense of right and wrong.” This cycle happens
Crazy, psycho, psychopath, sociopath, these are all common phrases that people use to describe the mental disorder that is clinically known as Antisocial Personality Disorder. Antisocial Personality Disorder is characterized by a lack of empathy for others and a disregard for social norms. Contrary to popular belief, being antisocial does not mean that someone enjoys being alone and avoids social situations, the proper term for that is asocial. Antisocial simply means that someone violates established social rules. This particular mental disorder is especially prevalent in modern fiction; movies, TV shows, and books often feature thrillers where a few daring detectives must hunt down a cold and calculating killer who shows no empathy for others and brutally torments his victims. Although Antisocial Personality Disorder is incredibly common among killers, especially serial killers and mass murderers, it is often mis-portrayed in fiction.
Antisocial Personality Disorder, also informally known as psychopathy/sociopathy, is a disorder where people elicit manipulative behaviors and lack morals. This includes disregard for rules, violence, superficial charm, promiscuity, a superiority complex, and difficulty forming attachments. This is said to be caused by genetics as well as modeling, or watching other people perform this kind of behavior. 3.3% of Americans are diagnosed with Antisocial Personality disorder. It’s 70% more common in males than females and is seen greatly in
Strain theories of criminal behaviour have been amongst the most important and influential in the field of criminology. Taking a societal approach, strain theories have sought to explain deficiencies in social structure that lead individuals to commit crime (Williams and McShane 2010). Strain theories operate under the premise that there is a societal consensus of values, beliefs, and goals with legitimate methods for achieving success. When individuals are denied access to legitimate methods for achieving success, the result is anomie or social strain. This often leads an individual to resort to deviant or criminal means to obtain the level of success that they are socialized to pursue. This is the basic premise of strain theory. This paper will explore the evolution of strain theories by first examining their intellectual foundations which laid the foundation for Robert Merton’s theories of anomie and strain. Merton’s strain theory will be discussed in detail including the modes of adaptation that people use when faced with societal strain. Finally, the paper will conclude with the strengths and weaknesses of Merton’s strain theory and an examination of the criminological theories and social policies it has influenced.
3. Development of mental elements in criminal justice system In almost all legal system the individual who is liable for committing a crime, the amount of punishment depends upon certain conditions among which mental condition of the accused at the time of committing the offence plays an important role in this regards. The liability to conviction of an individual depends not only on his giving done some outward acts which the law forbids, but on his having done them in a certain frame of mind or with a certain will. These are known as ‘mental elements’ in criminal responsibility.
In this paper I will be discussing the causes, symptoms, treatments and cures of the psychological disorder called Antisocial personality disorder. Antisocial personality disorder is also known as sociopathy. Sociopathy is a mental condition where someone continuously shows that they are not able to tell the difference between right and wrong. They also chose to ignore the feelings and rights of others they come in contact with. People with antisocial personality disorder tend to be the antagonizer, manipulate and treat others unkindly and seem to have no feelings of remorse because this disorder defeats the personals morals. They are incapable of containing guilt or remorse for their behaviors. Individuals who have antisocial
Antisocial personality disorder is a mental condition in which the individual diagnosed forms a long-term pattern of of particular behavior such as manipulation, exploitation, and the violation of another individual's rights. This behavior is often criminal. Antisocial Personality Disorder is typically associated with serial killers or people who participate in serious criminal activity. Killers such as John Wayne Gacy suffered from this disorder, he had suffered a bad childhood with parental issues and physical abuse from his father. In his adulthood this resulted in lack of remorse/empathy and he often deceived people through his lies aiding in the process of killing his many victims. Not all people diagnosed
In today’s society, one will find that there are many different factors that go into the development of a criminal mind, and it is impossible to single out one particular cause of criminal behavior. Criminal behavior often stems from both biological and environmental factors. In many cases criminals share similar physical traits which the general population do not usually have. For example criminals have smaller brains than properly adjusted individuals. However biological reasons cannot solely be the cause of criminal behavior. Therefore, one must look to other sources as to how a criminal mind is developed. Social and environmental factors also are at fault for developing a person to the point at which they are lead to committing a criminal act. Often, someone who has committed a violent crime shows evidence of a poorly developed childhood, or the unsuitable current conditions in which the subject lives. In addition if one studies victimology which is the role that the victim plays in the crime, it is apparent that there are many different causes for criminal behavior. Through the examination of biological factors, in addition to the social and environmental factors which make up a criminal mind, one can conclude that a criminal often is born with traits common to those of criminals, it is the environment that exist around them that brings out the criminal within them to commit indecent acts of crime.
Criminals are born not made. The basic definition of the word criminal is someone who commits offending behaviour within society (Harrower, 2001). The crime may range from petty theft to murder. Criminals are born not made is the discussion of this essay, it will explore the theories that attempt to explain criminal behaviour. Psychologists have come up with various theories and reasons as to why individuals commit crimes.