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Conclusion to neural and hormonal explanations of aggression
The relationship between drug use/abuse and violent crime
Biopsychosocial models of violence
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Goldstein tripartite model of drugs and crime defined all three drug violence connection factors as pharmacological violence, economically compulsive violence, and systemic violence. Pharmacological violence refers to acts of violence resulting from the influence of a particular drug. Economic compulsive violence is associated with efforts to obtain money to finance the high cost of drug use. The systemic violence occurs from the activities of drug dealing from the practice of organized and purposeful crime. According to Nurco, Hanlon & Kinlock within a psychophysiological framework, violence results from short- or long-term effects of drug ingestion, such as barbiturate or PCP use. An economic-compulsive view recognizes that violence is committed
Neurotransmitters have been suggested as a significant cause of aggressive behavior. Hans Brunner, a geneticist at the University Hospital in Nijmegen, has found that the violent male members of the Dutch family mentioned earlier in this paper, lacked a gene that produces monoamine oxidase-a (MAOA) (4). MAOA is an enzyme that breaks down significant transmitters in the brain. If the MAOA does not break down these transmitters - specifically, serotonin - then buildup of serotonin will occur and could cause a person to act violently (3).
According to Goldstein’s Tripartite model there are three major contributions to framing the drug-violence relation. The Mexican Drug Cartel they use the systemic model, it is within the context of supply and distribution that violence occurs in the drug trade. Violence is used to ensure protection and sharing of territories, sales, and stock. It is seen as an organizational management strategy. Violence is used by dealers and drug traffickers in retrieving debts owed to them.
The focus of a psychologist’s study would be to identify the physical, social, mental and emotional issues within the environment that affect human psyche through a predisposition towards violence. This study would involve evaluation of personal life experiences of gang members, to identify the presence of common stressors and factors. Further investigation would be conducted to establish an understanding of how these factors initiate violence within the psyche.
Drugs and Behavior, Rebecca Schilit and Edith Lisansky Gomberg, Page 62, SAGE Publications, Inc.- 1991
Stevens provides us with an alternate view. She argues on violence as the result of biological composition of individuals. Stevens uses the blood sugar deficiency called hypoglycemia and its relationship with alcoholism and smoking. Stevens argues that alcoholism increases ones chance of getting hypoglycemia. Symptoms of hypoglycemia that are relevant are irritability and even in some cases mental disturbances. Since alcoholism increases the chance of hypoglycemia, then violence may be more in congruence with biological factors then we believe. Also the facts that mental disorders and chemical deficiencies have also been proven to be linked with violence support her argument also.
Neihoff, D. (1999). The biology of violence: How understanding the brain, behavior and environment can break the vicious circle of aggression. New York: Free Press.
The purpose of the proposed study is to apply one of the many theories learned over the semester and apply it to a movie character to explain their criminality. In order to understand criminality we first must understand the definition of crime. “Crime is human conduct that violates the criminal laws of state, the federal government, or a local jurisdiction that has the power to make and enforce the laws” (Schmalleger 2). In the American crime drama film directed by Taylor Hackford Blood In Blood Out Bound by Honor follows the lives of three Hispanic relatives. They start out as members of a street gang called the Vatos Locos in East Los Angeles. After dramatic incidents occur in the young men lives honor and family ties are forever changed. In this study, the main focus point is going to be on one of the relatives Miklo “Milkweed” Velka who throughout his life was looking for acceptance from family and friends.
The static risk factors for violence present in Mr. Y’s case includes Mr. Y being a male, and his lengthy history of substance abuse that includes abusing cocaine and methamphetamine. Also, due to his psychosis, Mr. Y experienced problems of unstable employment, and maintaining interpersonal relationships with his family. His psychotic disorder include auditory hallucinations, and delusional thought processes.
The media is a dominating aspect of American culture. The way the media depicts crime and criminal behavior has an effect on the way society views crime and criminals. Television series such as CSI, NCIS, Law and Order, Criminal Minds and countless others, have become very popular in our society today showing that our culture has an immense interest in crime. It is clear that there is a fascination with criminals and why they do the things they do. To analyze the way crime dramas represent crime and criminal behavior, I completed a content analysis of one episode of Criminal Minds. The episode I chose was season one; episode eight, which first aired in 2005, titled ‘Natural Born Killer’.
Substance abuse, a mental disorder, is also seen as a large risk in violent behavior (Silver 2006). Hiday (1995) asks the questions of the direction of this correlation. Does mental illness lead to violence or is it vice versa? THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS Silver (2006) asserts the importance of using t... ... middle of paper ... ...
Dorn, R., Volavka, J., & Johnson, N. (2012). Mental disorder and violence: is there a relationship beyond substance use?. Social Psychiatry & Psychiatric Epidemiology, 47(3), 487-503. doi:10.1007/s00127-011-0356-x
4. Dodge, Kenneth A., John E. Bates, and Gregory S. Pettit. 1990. “Mechanisms in the Cycle of Violence.” Science 250: 1678–83.
Imagine you spend your whole life working and trying to make a living for yourself. The time that it took you to get to the point where you are stable and have a great life. Now take that and throw it all away, knowing that someone else has stolen it from you. This is how life for the United States used to be. With the help of the effective, present day law enforcement, the United States has lowered crime rates and provided much more safety for its citizens.
Sociologists have been examining crime and its causes for over 150 years, and through several researches, various explanations have been used to describe crime and deviance. Crime is a behaviour that goes against all formal written laws of a given society (Haralambos, Smith, O 'Gorman, & Heald, 1996). Laws in different societies differ, so do crimes i.e. what may be considered as a crime in one society may not be in another different society. For instance, while same-sex relationship is accepted in some countries like the United States, United Kingdom etc. it is illegal in countries like Nigeria, and most Arabic countries. Other examples of general crimes are theft/robbery, murder, kidnapping and others. Once a crime is committed, sanctions
The general theory of crime I would pick is the neoclassical school of theory. Neoclassical focuses on the importance of character and the dynamics of character development, as well as the rational choices that people make when faced with opportunities for crime (Schmalleger, 2012). This theory is practically what is used in law enforcement today. The neoclassical theory focuses on punishment as being a deterrent for future crimes. Unfortunately, it is becoming more evident is the criminal justice system, criminals are being punished lightly or the charge is downgraded. More often than not, this is not helping the situation, but is allowing for the criminal to continue to commit crimes. Punishment has been established as an effective means