Exploring the Quest to Understand Human Behavior and Crime

Intrinsically, humankind posses a burning desire to understand what surrounds them. As a result, mankind has developed, throughout history, instruments that intent to help understand the dynamics of their environment such as the clock, to measure and understand time, compass, to have a sense of direction, and many others inventions. In addition, theories have been developed to try to explain intangible phenomena such as behavior, intelligence, social interactions, and crime. For instance, crime is a behavior engaged by an individual that is harmful to others, and generally condemned by the law (p.45). Further, it has been a great challenge for professionals, in the social science field, to create a theory that accurately explain why people

First, major causes of crime must be addressed. There are numerous factors that seems to directly effect on crime. The author lists several variables that have incidence on crime; however, they seem to cluster into two categories intrinsic such as impulsivity and extrinsic such as family peers or school (p.2). Furthermore, a well structured theory must encompass the reason why these causes increase the likelihood of crime from different perspective. For example, Strain theorist suggest that child abuse increases the likelihood of crime because it upsets the teenagers, for instance, and as a result the individual will engage in crime activities to either run away from or end the abuse by assaulting their parents or peers, or substance abuse to relieve the pain (p.3). On the other hand, control theorist claim that child abuse increases the chances of crime engagement because it severs the relationship parent-child, and as a result, the child will feel as it has less to lose because a severed bond may implicate lack of value on the parent’s opinion. Additionally, Social Learning theorist sustain that aggression is a learned behavior, and when the child experience abuse learns this behavior and then participates in crime, as a result (p.3). Third, an integral General Theory of Crime addresses the interaction between the causes of crime. In other words, how internal and external causes interact and relate to each other, and if one has effect on the other, or if the effect is reciprocal (p.3). In the same fashion, a good theory must tack on the effect that prior crime has on subsequent ones. For instance, the author expresses that it’s been discusses how committing a crime may directly increase the chances of engaging in crime again, and this may be due to the feeling of instant gratification that