Theories on Crime Comparison

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Theories on Crime Comparison: Psychological Positivism At the end of the 19th, and into the early 20th century a new school of thought emerged in regard to behavior, called positivism. This theoretical principle maintained that a person’s behaviors, although also the product of free will, were primarily the result of a person’s biological, psychological, and social traits. Modern criminologists continue to use components of the positivist theoretical approach in determining criminal behavior; however, many experts are of the opinion that various aspects of this school of thought are obsolete. This view originates from the knowledge that medical science, psychological research, and sociological studies are far more advanced than they were 100 years ago. Nevertheless, criminologists continue to find useful aspects of old studies even from discredited psychological theories, like psychoanalysis (Williams & McShane, 2009). Personality and Criminal Behavior in Psychological Positivism As psychology became a credible source of insight into human behavior, criminologists began using this perspective to define the origins of deviant personalities. Within psychology are various models that explain behavior, some of which include psychoanalysis, learning theory, and cognitive development. Although these philosophies are similar, each perspective provides a unique viewpoint on the causes of criminal behavior (Flowe, 1996). Psychoanalysis Psychoanalysis, a system developed by Sigmund Freud in the early 1900s, describes behaviors as the result of one’s ability to control drives and impulses. According to Freud and his contemporaries, the id, ego, and superego comprise what is known of an individual’s personality. The id is the least developed aspect of a person’s psyche, and considered the source of primitive instincts in humans. Its only concern is an immediate
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