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Psychological factors underlying criminal behaviour
Psychological factors underlying criminal behaviour
Case study of treating antisocial personality disorder
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Antisocial Personality Disorders among Criminals
Antisocial personality disorder is very common among criminals. Criminals normally have had something in their lives happen to cause these acts of violence or rule-breaking to occur. Personality disorders and social problems are common not only in criminals, but in the general population. The extent to which innocent people are effected by disorders from criminals are diverse, with some actually losing their lives and loved ones. This report it will include: signs of antisocial personality disorders among criminals, testing, the trigger of these criminals to act out, causes, statics, treatment and how people around the criminal are affected by the antisocial personality disorders.
There is always symptoms with an issue such as a car problem, the common cold, diseases, and psychological problems. Although, in this situation the symptoms of psychological problems are really common in criminals. This psychological problem is antisocial personality disorder. “Antipersonality disorder is a characterized by disregard for social obligations, and callous unconcern for the feelings of others.” (Long, n.d.) I most circumstances, people who have antisocial personality disorders need to meet certain criteria: social norm with respect to lawfully behaviors (repeated acts of for arrest.), repeated lying, aliases or conning others for profit/ pleasure, failure to plan in advance, aggression and repeated physical assaults, no care for safety for others or oneself, irresponsibility and unable to keep consistent work, lack of remorse. “Major age appropriate societal norms or rules are violated, as manifested by the present of 3 of the following fifteen criteria:” bullies, threatens or intimidates ...
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... disorders are common among criminals. As mentioned before scientist Francia et al, looked at 251 rapists and 311 child molesters and compared them with a group of nonsexual offenders. This research of looking at rapist, child molesters, and nonsexual offenders found that rapists had suggestively higher levels of antisocial personality traits than child molesters but no difference in narcissistic traits. Nonsexual offenders also recorded higher on the antisocial scale than child molesters but not higher than rapist. (Medscape Log In) Some criminals do not have the ability to get rid of this mental problem, some criminals got over the disorder, but most of the time it takes something to trigger the though and disorder to come back. This personality problem could take years to correct. Anti-personality disorders among criminals effect towns, citizens and families.
Simons, C. (2001). Antisocial personality disorder in serial killers: The thrill of the kill. The Justice Professional, 14(4), 345-356.
Every few years there are disturbing, yet fascinating headlines: “BTK killer: Hiding in plain sight” or “Police discover at least 10 victims at Anthony Sowell's home”; but what would allow an individual to commit the crimes they did? In cases like these there is usually a common link: Antisocial Personality disorder. It is an unknown disorder to most of the population which is why there are so many questions to be answered, the main ones being what is antisocial personality disorder and how does it effect patient and society as a whole? To answer these questions one needs an accurate background picture of the disorder.
Moran, P. "The epidemiology of antisocial personality disorder ." Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology. 34.5 (1999): 231-242. Print.
Criminology is only part of anti-social behavior which may include the causes, nature and control of such criminal behavior. Criminology focuses on criminals, while psychology is applied to understand the mind behind the criminal. Criminology deals with research into the cause, form and consequences of a crime. Psychopathology applies science useful in understanding the abnormalities in early development of the brain that contributed to the creation of the social deviant. It is necessary to include data from both fields to formulate hypothesis that state the nature of anti-social behaviors specifically relating to serious disorders such as schizophrenia. Applying the science of psychology to issues relating to violent crim...
Generally, the public views women as nurturers, motherly and incapable of harming a child. Research indicates that female sex offenders capable of committing such acts have serious psychiatric and psychological problems. In comparison, research indicates male sex offenders are more callous, more antisocial, and promiscuous, involved in the criminal justice system, and have more victims (Miccio-Fenseca, 2012, slide 7). The consensus is that men commit their acts for sexual pleasure while women commit their acts due to psychiatric and psychological problems. Law enforcement, juries, and judges tend to empathize more when there are additional mitigating factors, such as emotional or psychological problems.
Psychopaths are different than their common criminal counterparts because they live a parasitic lifestyle, are often charming, apathetic, and may have average to above average intelligence. Psychopaths, or predators, usually impress others as friendly, outgoing, likeable, and alert. They appear to be well educated and knowledgeable. Predators can be verbally skillful and can talk themselves out of trouble. Psychopaths exhibit arrogance and are selfish, self-centered, and self-motivated to secure their own self-interests (DeLisi, 2009). Psychopaths, like life-course persistent offenders, start offending at a young age as persistent and versatile
It is a common stereotype that all sex offenders have some form of psychopathy, and therefore they cannot be treated, however most sexual offenders do not have major mental illness or psychological maladjustment (Ward, Polaschek and Busch, 2006), therefore it is not impossible to treat them. Finkelhor’s (1984) precondition model was made with the assumption that the psychopathology of an individual will only take us so far in explaining sexually abusive behaviour, Finkelhor states that 4 stages of preconditions must exist before sexual abuse can take place, these are; Primary motivation to abuse a child sexually, overcoming of internal and external inhibitions and dealing with a child’s resistance to sexual abuse, for each subsequent precondition to occur the previous one must be achieved. Finkelhor argues th...
Some of the criteria that a sociopath is required to meet are the outright display of more than three symptoms of antisocial personality
There are several identifiable psychological factors that increase the likelihood an individual will demonstrate deviant sexual behavior. One of the most important contributing factors is physical or sexual abuse endured as a child. According to Becerra-García, García-León and Egan (2012), sex offenders are twice as likely to report being sexually, emotionally, or physically abused as a child in comparison to other offenders. There are also other factors besides abuse that must be taken into consideration. A recent study on female sex offenders by Roe-Sepowitz and Krysik (2008) states, “the data reveal that many of the 118 female juvenile sex offenders came from chaotic and disorganized families and had poor parental supervision and serious school and mental health problems”. As Becerra-García, García-León and Egan (2012) discuss further, there are also personality traits that sex offenders are likely to possess, which makes it possible for psychologists to distinguish general characteristics of sex offenders. These personality traits can be identified using the Five Factor Model, which scales an individual’s level of neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness.
Many studies suggest that there are significant differences in the brain between individuals who possess antisocial personality disorder (psychopathy). While not all people who possess an antisocial personality disorder will become serial killers, every serial killer studied has an antisocial personality disorder; “Neuropsychological testing revealed abnormalities in all subjects tested” (Blake, Pincus, and Buckner 1642). Brain injury, brain abnormalities, or mental illness affects all the serial killers tested. Even if all serial killers had some type of abnormality in the brain, would that mean that they were doomed to become a serial killer? According to the experimental findings discussed in Neurologic Abnormalities in Murderers; 64.5% of serial killers have a frontal lobe dysfunction and 29% have temporal lobe abnormalities. The frontal lobes of the brain “control the essence of our human...
A persons’ personality is made up of different characteristics such as, being humorous, compassionate, self-obsessive, outgoing, shy, aggressive etc… These are things that influence our behaviour in predicable ways. An increase of certain personality traits like, being aggressive, impulsive, easily influenced, no fear/understanding of consequences, make people more disposed to crime. People with personality disorders are even more disposed to crime. Personality disorders are mental health illnesses that affect how people cope with their feelings and how they communicate with other people. They usually develop in late adolescence and early childhood.
Two Greek words: ‘psyche’ (soul or mind) and ‘pathy’ (suffering or disease), were combined in the 19th century by German Psychiatrists, to form a word that would describe the most dangerous and violent of all humans. Psychopathy, today, is called ‘mental disorder’, the study of which is still known as psychopathology. Other relating terms like 'constitutional (inborn) psychopaths' or 'psychopathic personalities' were used through the early 20th century to cover anyone socially undesirable in any way or those who violated legal laws and moral expectations.
Seto, M. & Barbaree, H. (1999). Psychopathy, Treatment Behavior, and Sex Offender Recidivism. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, Vol. 14, pp.1235-1248
Antisocial personality disorder is unknown to the public even though it’s a term used for criminals. The terms popularly used to describe these criminals are “sociopaths” or “psychopaths” which in fact is antisocial personality disorder. The most common trait in this disorder is that the people who have this disorder lie and have mastered the ability to manipulate. They do not seek professional help because they don’t believe anything wrong with them. This disorder is associated with criminals because this disorder is self-serving; people with antisocial personality disorder are only concerned with their wellbeing and will do anything for their own improvement. Criminals diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder have no moral compass which makes their behavior dangerous to others.
Criminality constitutes strategic mannerisms characterized by apathy to misery inflicted on others, egocentricity and depressed self-control. Habitual criminal behaviour seeks to satisfy the offender’s desires for material prestige, power or pleasurable feelings regardless to damage inflicted to victim or society. Such behaviors extend mistrust, fuel prejudice, and largely corrupt social cohesion. Biological, psychological and environmental attributes are thought to heavily influence antisocial and criminal behaviour. Numerous studies have proven that active emulation, genetic predispositions and psychosocial labeling are all complementary to development and expressions of criminal behaviour. There has historically been a myriad of theories that attempt to explain criminal behaviour through different perspectives, all which constitute intricate paradigms that play a role in expressio...