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Criminal behaviors in society
Criminal behaviors in society
Psychological theories of criminal behavior
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This was the second time I watch this documentary. Accounting to Richard Kuklinski psychiatrist he interprets an Anti-social behavioral disorder and also shows psychopathic behavior. As I was watching this video I couldn’t help but deny that in fact, these actions are a result of a genetic pre-disposition. I’m reminded that this isn’t the first time I’ve viewed this video. However, I strongly believe if you are susceptible to bad behavior and suffer from mental illness indeed you are a product of your environment. Richard endured a great amount of abuse by both his parents. When a child endures abuse from his parents it can persuade the child to feel empty. Eventually, the will feel un-human and become un-human. I repeatedly tell myself he
Psychopathy has fascinated the public for years due to the gruesome and evil portrayal it has received in the media. Psychopathy is defined in the DSM-III as a personality disorder characterized by enduring antisocial behavior, diminished empathy and remorse, and disinhibited or bold behavior (Patrick, Christopher, Fowles, Krueger, Rober, 2009). Psychopathy represents a cluster of different dimensions of personality found amongst the general population to varying degrees (Patrick et al, 2009). The diagnostic definition is meant to be applied to adults, however psychopathology can occur in children. Controversy surrounds the topic of childhood mental illness because the brain is not fully developed until the age of 18; thus allowing the possibility that symptoms are the result of growing up and will change. The triarchic model, formulated by Christopher J. Patrick, is the most commonly used model in diagnosing adult and childhood psychopathy. This model suggests that different conceptions of psychopathy emphasize three observable characteristics to varying degrees; boldness, disinhibition and meanness (Patrick, et al, 2009). Boldness is the first observable characteristic and is comprised of low fear including stress-tolerance, toleration of unfamiliarity and danger, and high self-confidence and social assertiveness. Disinhibition; characterized by poor impulse control including problems with planning and foresight, lacking affect and urge control, demand for immediate gratification, and poor behavioral restraints. Meanness is defined as lacking empathy and close attachments with others, disdain of close attachments, use of cruelty to gain empowerment, exploitative tendencies, defiance of authority, and destructive excitement seek...
Chuck Klosterman is renown because of his unique style in writing. This author takes risks in what he writes and he does not follow a template that is commonly used as he really tries to make his writing one-of-a-kind by being very open minded and making assertions that are non-conforming to what people want to hear. This style of writing embodies a type of man that is not afraid to take risks and gets his ideas across in a very unique and interesting way.
Leonhard Von Eck was a German chancellor, or head of government of Bavaria, therefore held a high status and role in society, revealing him as a probable reliable source (doc 1). As chancellor, Von Eck regulated order in society and was accustomed to the behavior of the peasants during this time period. He states that “the peasants are blinded, led astray, and made witless”, which displayed their lack of knowledge (doc 1). Ignorance of the peasants revealed that they, themselves are not dependable, thus, not reliable. Von Eck demonstrates this idea through the quote, “they could change their minds within an hour.” However, Von Eck showed accuracy as he emphasizes facts instead of opinions. His purpose in writing this report was to express his disagreements about Protestantism and how the “Word of God”, “the Gospel” in addition to “brotherly love”, were critical influences in their religious lives. Their “blindness” as Von Eck states, was caused by the utmost control of the Catholic Church. The Peasant Parliament of Swabia in March of 1525, implied the demands of the peasants as a unified faction. (doc 3) The Parliament stressed that as “poor serfs”, they have distressed and
Furthermore, it was not merely through nurture or nature that lead Robert Wringhim to commit these murders; it was the combination of both. Nature and nurture should not be classified into two separate categories or theories, because they have a correlating relationship and work off of each other. Hogg demonstrates this through Robert Wringhim using both nature (Paranoia Schizophrenia), nurture (rejection of society), and a mental disorder that combines both classifications (Multiple Personality Disorder).
The case of whether serial killers are born with the lust to kill or if they are truly victims of their environment has been a hot debated question by both psychologists and the FBI today. A serial killer is traditionally defined as one that kills 3 or more people at different times with “cooling off” periods in between kills. Both psychological abuse as a child and psychological disorders are to blame for the making of a killer. The nature vs. nurture debate is best applied to the mysterious behaviors and cases of serial killers and their upbringing and environment. Nature is the genetic and biological connections a person has, personality traits, and how genetic make-up all relates to a killer. Nurture is examining the upbringing and environment that a person is around that affects what a person becomes. In some cases however, the effects of only upbringing or only biological problems were the reasons certain serial killers committed crimes. Although there is no definitive answer to what plays the bigger role: nature or nurture, they both are contributing factors that make a serial killer. These deviants of society are afflicted with problems in either their upbringing or have psychological disorders, and are able to blend into our everyday lives with no apparent differences, yet they wreck havoc through their unremorseful killings.
Lorena Hickok was an American journalist who had a very close relationship with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. In 1933, Hickok went on a two-month tour of the American South, where she was horrified by the poverty, lack of nutrition, and lack of education that she encountered.
If a child is neglected or abused by a parent or guardian, then such bad behaviors or mental disorders can develop. “According to Sigmund Freud the development of the unconscious personality early in childhood will influence behavior for the rest of one’s life” (Freeman, web). When a child has no foundation to learn from, they cannot learn how to be ethical. Also the child may not be able to be empathetic and learn how to understand other people’s feelings. “Childhood adversity, such as abuse, neglect, parental loss, and other stressful experiences, has been estimated to account for 45% of the variance in childhood-onset psychopathology and 26-32% of the risk for later-onset psychiatric disorders” (Burgers, web). An example of a child affected by a lack of parenting is a man named Charles Manson. He grew up in a very unstable home. His mother was a sixteen year old prostitute who tried to sell him for one bottle to alcohol. While growing up, he moved between different family members since his mother was incapable of raising a child. Manson said in his own words “Rejection, more than love or acceptance, has been a part of my life since birth” (Emmons, pg. 24). As a result of such neglect and abuse, Manson created an occult. He made the people in the occult his new family who he could control. He then manipulated them to kill multiple people. Manson was named the most dangerous man alive and has a book on his life experiences before the killings (Emmons, web). Another serial killer who was abused as a child is John Wayne Gacy. He was molested by his uncle on multiple occasions. He then raped and killed thirty-three young
There is a pervasive pattern of childhood abuse or some form of neglect in studied cases of sociopaths. “Son of Sam” David Berkowitz’s, adoptive mot...
Gertrude Simmons Bonnin who names herself ( Zitkala-Sa) was born in 1876 and died in1938. She spent the earlist years of her childood in (Yankton Sioux) which is considered a traditional and closed society that values its norms and traditions. Although her community encounters the European invasion, she fights to gain a successful life and a good job later on. She crosses many difficulties in order to achieve higher education from a boarding school that has an assimilative system. After graduation, she works as an English teacher in an indian American school in her tribe. Actually, she become an inflexible and a courageous person as aresult of spending many years during her childhood apart of her family and society. She resists and spreads the suppressed voice
Many people with antisocial personality disorder are taught to have a lack of empathy in early childhood. There is a high number of serial killers with abusive pasts. Parents who abuse their children both mentally and physically at an early age are training their child to be cold and emotionless. Many killers suffered this fate at childhood and became heartless creatures with little to no remorse for their actions. In the article “What makes Serial Killers Tick?” it is said that Serial Killer Albert Desalvo was sold into slavery by his father and was sexually and physically abused for most of his you...
(SAYS) To begin his essay Robert Krulwich recalls a story from his childhood involving a family dinner and dying caribou. (DOES) Krulwich uses a story from his childhood to help connect to his audience and help them understand the purpose of his article. (BECAUSE) Krulwich tells a story about his family to help connect to the audience. Krulwich is appealing to pathos in his use of a personal story.
The media most often showcases psychopaths as individuals who are inherently evil and dangerous towards themselves and others. Yet, this concept of psychopathy goes far beyond this idea of pure evil and instead necessitates a needed psychological understanding. These individuals, psychopaths, are generally characterized by a lack of empathy and conscience. Indeed, psychopath’s indifference to the repercussions of their actions combined with other characteristics such as hostility and aggression make for a potentially dangerous personality (Lyken, 1996, p.30). In order to identify a psychopath’s recidivism, it is important to differentiate them from sociopaths who, instead of having a psychological impairment that makes it difficult for them to socialize, have been systematically under socialized (Lyken, 1996, p.30). In accordance. psychologists have developed the methods such as the Psychopathy Checklist- Revised (PCL-R) to help identify those with psychopathic tendencies (Walters, 2012, p.409). That is why predictions of recidivism among psychopaths is most efficient when done
To think how far we have come with medicine and technology is astounding. Looking into the biological model of abnormalities we learn that the focus is to connect a medical prospective to the variations in abnormal behavior. The text uses the case of Philip Berman, a person who exhibits a wide range of emotion when triggered with certain topics. In this case researchers are looking to find a glitch between his body chemistry and his behavior. The question here is: Can there be a connection between imperfect organisms within the body which in turn display abnormal behavior? We learn from the text that the brain has many parts that are designed to specific duties. If one of the nerves or cells is faulty, can it somehow be tied to the way a person acts? The answer is yes. We know that abnormal behavior is not just that of a mental disorder, and we know that certain chromosomal disorders have been proven to cause abnormalities within the human body. In Philip’s case, it is not necessarily a behavior that we know could be caused by a glitch in the system. We learned many facts about his life that can play a role in the way he carries himself. If we were looking into his genetic inheritance we might ask questions like the genetic makeup of the family history (i.e. has there been a history of mental disorder in the family?). Was Philip used to being an only child for so
As with many influences on human behavior, environmental actions may actually trigger the genetic predispositions toward antisocial behavior. Of these environmental triggers, childhood abuse may be the most important of situational factors. Understanding antisocial personalities in individuals with biological susceptibility to antisocial behaviors and those who experienced maltreatment in a hostile environment would be at a high risk for developing antisocial personality disorder.
In conclusion I think that people are formed into the evil/great people we know and see. The things Gacy went through played a part in which John Gacy became. Some say that it he was born with it and psychologists think certain traits can be passed down through generations or early family members. John Gacy was reported as being a great person in his community. His father or grandfathers weren’t known to be violent in the way Gacy was. Sure his father was an physical abusers but all physical abusers are serial killers. I think it something you have to go through or endure to become something as evil as being a serial killer. Nurture is definitely the reason why humans become the killers they