Sociological Theory
Sociological Theory or Process theories, this theory by Nettler (1974) and Reid (1976)
explains criminal activity by evaluating the criminal’s environment and their individualism. Sociological Theory proposes that crime is a learned function. The fact that a person may have had a dysfunctional upbringing explains rash social behavior. Problems such as inadequate schooling, economic adversity, and community disorganization all explain reasons why a person may decide to commit crime.
The Subcultural Theory explains cultural values that may clash because of an irregular upbringing. Such problems as having one parent, being the only child, being a witness to a crime, having parents that where past criminals but tell you not to do the same as they did all have to deal with the Subcultural Theory. The Subcultural Theory usually displays an oxymoron between friend and family that gives the child a false sense of right from wrong.
The Social Labeling Theory contains a sense of labeling people that can turn the person being labeled into the same manner as they say the person should act. For instants, a person that lives in a poor area is labeled as being poor. If this person’s family moved into the area before it became less fortunate then if they had never moved, the family could still be considered middle class. Being misjudged makes people not respond well socially. The Social outcast seems to like the fact that they do not blend into the overall mixture of society.
Neutralization Techniques develop a distinct set of justifications for their law violating behavior. They conclude that criminals must accept social values before committing crime. The categories are as follows, Denial of Responsibility, Denial of Injury, Denial of the Victim, Condemnation of Condemners, and Appeal to Higher Loyalties. Results of testing of Neutralization have been inconclusive by this Sykes and Matza’s Theory.
The Social Theories represent the fact that all people generally want to be accepted. Grouping a person actually negates there independent thought. The fact of having to perform, act, and qualify the same or above other people makes an over achiever. Grouping people can be good and bad, the good part of it is that they have activities in common with each other; the bad part is that most people like to be individuals when grouped with others the individual has to stand out.
Biological Theories
Biological Theories include stress, genetic influences, neuropsychological abnormalities, and biochemical irregularities. Biological research provides clues to negative responses to social background. This incumbents problems of misconduct from people that have a good or well upbringing and may experience neural problems, chemical imbalances, and problems that are biological that could affect anger such as uncontrollable pain. The Biological Theory makes violent crime more realistic because the biological factors outweigh the social factors; it explains why the criminal was violent. Genetics play a large role in physical health this may lead us to find cures for people that have neural pathway problems.
Psychological Theories
Psychological Theories explain crime is a result of ego or control of sexual aggressive instincts of the ID. The fact that a person who commits a crime is in need of attention, self-gratification or has frustration due to low performance, are not successful in areas of life others do well in, low self esteem, unwillingness to be open about sexual preferences, and people that are showed little love while growing up all may have an altered ID.
Sigmund Fraud explains in his writings that the criminal may suffer from a need to be punished this need alleviates guilty feelings that come from the unconscious mind.
John Bowlby & Salter – Ainsworth explain that when the infant is removed from their mother at a young age the child then develops a delinquency that leads them to commit crimes repetitively when they become older. The mental wall that they build because of receiving inadequate attention when growing up effects there mental well being when they are grown.
Yochelson and Samenow explain that criminals make the choice to commit crime thus mixing Choice theory with irresponsibility. The fact that they chose to become criminals changes their course of life.
Psychopathy these are people that make crime a way of living. They are considered people that commit crime as a way of work effort to survive; Psychopathy are frequently involved in criminal activities.
Anti Social are people that are reckless, who generally fight allot, they have no respect for others or themselves. Anti Social people, do not get along with others thus causing their life relationships such as work, friends, and sibling to dislike them. Anti Social people make friction between them and others everywhere they go.
Social-Psychological Theories
Social - Psychological Theories help explain the bond a person has to society, the way they are effected by others opinions, rewards they get from their behavior, and the way they accept normal actions and reactions.
The Containment Theory as explained by Walter Reckless displays the external containment of social pressure and institutionalized rules that control crime. If society is integrated, well defined, encourages family discipline, provides proper supervision, provides reinforcement for the positive, and provides accomplishments then crime will be contained.
The Learning Theory explains that people are attached to family, friends, work relations, and church disappointment of people you are close to result in individuals’ not committing crime. The Learning theory suggests that criminal behavior is learned. Edwin Sutherland explains the fact that a criminal develops deviant behavior from learning from others that teach them criminal activities.
In Sutherlands’ study of Learning Theory he recognizes different rules that apply to the
Mixed Theories
The subject often weighs values and needs before committing criminal acts. This allows theories to be mixed in order to explain the exact reasoning behind criminal activities and causation of the criminal act. Many factor are weighed when a criminal is evaluated a psychologist must identify whether the crime was planned or implemented by impulse. Was the criminal mentally ill or did they have something to gain from their criminal act. Let us take for instance a person who steals from several banks. This type of crime allows the psychiatrist to use several theories to explain why the criminal steals from banks. The first theory would lead to Social Theory that the criminal had been taught to steal by parents and siblings from a young age. Another theory may be the Biological Theory the criminal has a problem that they were born with such as (ADD) Attention Deficit Disorder or ADHD Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder. The fact that the criminal has a biological disorder would then lead the psychologist to believe that the criminal was unable to work thus fulfilling their needs by criminal acts. If the criminal’s parents had a background of thievery, a psychologist could then combine the two theories to make one analysis of the criminal.
References
A.D.A.M (2010) Antisocial Personality Disorder from source https://health.google.com/health/ref/Antisocial+personality+disorder
Greene,Edie / Heilbrun, Kirk / Fortune, William H. / Nietzel, Michael T. / (2010) © Cengage Learning, Wrightsman’s Psychology and the Legal System, 6e
Long, Philip W M.D. (2008) Internet Mental Health from source http://www.mentalhealth.com/dis/p20-pe04.html
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