Additionally psychologists look at social cognition the other way round, to determine social phenomena through an individuals’ cognitions. Psychologist Gudjohnsson was one of the main researchers into social cognition. His Study with Bownes looked into the attribution of blame and type of crime committed. In this particular study it is important to note that our behaviour can be caused by internal attributions and external attributions. Internal being where a person attributes the cause of behaviour within themselves and external referring to the social and environmental factors - blaming the situation.
The punishment has to fit the crime and for the punishment to be effective it must be swift, certain, and severe. The Classical School of thought has several elements: 1. People have free will to choose criminal or lawful solutions to meet or handle their problems 2. Crime looks attractive when it promises great benefits with little effort 3. Crime maybe controlled by fear of punishment 4.
PROPOSITION 1: CRIMINAL BEHAVIOUR IS LEARNT This proposition removes the roles of heredity, human nature and innovation as causes of deviant behaviour (Joubert et al., 2012:106). This suggests that behaviour is not inherited (genetic) or simply created, but rather it is learnt. By suggesting that criminal behaviour is learnt it is implies that such behaviour can be classified in same categories as any other behaviour that can be learnt (Siegel, 2002:237). This proposition
Mednick et al. have studied criminal convictions of over 14,000 people who have been adopted and created greater evidence to suggest that biology had more access over their behaviour. To support this theory further, Bohman reproduced Mednick et al’s study by analyzing the percentage of sons to with a biological parent with an existing criminal record to boys with an adoptive parent with a criminal record. Bohman also concluded with the fact that the genetic factors were more eloquent compared to the environmental influences. The psychological assumption of crime suggests that negative expectations influence certain individuals to execute in a criminal way as their stereotypes change their social interactions.
“It is a person’s environment that leads them into criminal and deviant behaviour.” This essay will firstly define deviance and crime in sociological terms. It will explore how deviance and crime are defined and who defines them as such. Considering the moral and legal aspects of deviance and crime. Secondly this essay will consider some of the many ideas and perspectives around the reason for and the continuation of crime and deviance in society. As a conclusion this essay will take into consideration whether the perspectives outlined are external or internal in their description of reasons for crime and deviance and try and determine the relevance of the arguments.
He believes that the positivist scientific method could be applied to the study of crime so as to find out its causes and prevent it. His particular approach was described as criminal anthropology. He compared the known offenders and a control group of soldiers by the post-mortem measurement and examination. After studying the resulting, Lombroso think that there a correlation between certain physical features, such as an asymmetrical face, large jaws and long arms, and criminality. In his opinion, these physical traits were characteristic of an earlier period of human evolution.
Within biological and environmental Psychology both fields share varied beliefs as to where criminological behaviour is derived. Is criminal behaviour inherited or is it down to effects of the environment? Biological psychology theorists (BPT) believe that the criminal is born that way whereas environmental psychology theorists (EPT) believe criminal behaviour is learned. There is a range of research studies that support both these arguments. Cesare Lombroso (CL) was a Psychiatrist that believed that criminals had common facial characteristics and that they were “born criminals” which he also referred to as “atavisms”.
They argue that our behavioural aspects originate only from the environmental factors of our upbringing. From my personal point of view, one theory cannot simply be used to explain human behaviour, because there are various factors that affect the way a human thinks, speaks, moves and generally acts. It would take a lot of research to prove that simply DNA is what makes our personalities the way they are. The truth of the matter is that it is a combination of both genetics and the environment we surround ourselves in that help define us as beings. For example, a murderer being studied at a local prison could have a psychological disorder, which causes them to interpret the world around them differently, but it also be because of an genetically inherited disease that runs in the family.
What arguments would a sociologist use to counter the idea that “Biology is destiny”? The idea that “biology is destiny” is an intrinsic element of what is known as the genetic self, the nature part of the nature or nurture debate. A sociologist will use points with grounds in social influences on the self to argue that rather than biology, there are other elements such as socialization that affect how we behave and are “destined” to be. This paper demonstrates the ideas and research of several sociologists to counter the ‘destiny of biology’ as it were, to show that development and behaviour are not pre-determined by genetics but instead by other, social-related factors, and goes on to level the argument with the notion that perhaps both are mutually influential on one another in the outcome of the self. Determinism is the philosophical doctrine that all events, including human action, are ultimately determined by causes external to the will.
Are criminals made from their environment? Are they made from the combination of both nature and nurture? Do their peers influence them? “Research indicates that genetics is responsible for about fifty percent of criminal behavior and that environment accounts for the rest” (Beller). The causes of criminal behavior in juveniles are failure in school, substance abuse, gang membership and gun possession, their environment, and family problems.