This essay will begin by describing criminological psychology as a branch of applied psychology, which uses biological, psychological and sociological theories to study criminal behaviour (Howitt, 2017). In addition, a brief outline on the biological theories of offending will be discussed, specifically focusing on the genetic influences on crime. Subsequently, the examination of psychological theory will be presented with a detailed explanation on Eysenck’s theory and Psychosis. Finally, comparison and contrast will be provided with a clear conclusion drawn on the two theories, determining which theory explains offending behaviour more persuasively and why.
Criminological psychology is the study of causes and motivations for crime, as well
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Several researchers have looked at crime from a psychological perspective, starting with Sigmund Freud who believed that crime can result from irrational and unconscious processes (Sammons, 2018). While Freud’s approach is less popular than it once was, it still contributes to today's understanding of crime (Sammons, 2018). Similarly to Freud, Eysenck (1964) suggested that offending is linked to fixed personality features, and that the root cause of most criminality is an inability to control immature pleasure-seeking and selfish impulses. During his research, he approached theorising crime by attributing offending to three universal personality traits, extraversion (E), neuroticism (N), and psychoticism (P), claiming that those with high scores in all three traits are more likely to commit crimes. When taking this theory into consideration, it is clear that it generates predictions that can be easily tested. In general, however, studies of ‘average’ offenders proved this theory wrong, as the connections disappeared or diminished (Farrington et al., 1982). Nonetheless, Eysenck's thesis was perhaps the first completely developed psychological theory of offending, and it still stands out for going beyond a purely descriptive insight of offenders to present a causal explanation of criminality that incorporated genetic, biological, psychological, and social components (Sammons, 2018). Eysenck's ideas have influenced research in the biological tradition, as well as psychopathy, which has a strong connection to offending (Sammons, 2018). Psychopathy refers to a personality disorder characterized by callousness, narcissistic, impulsive, and irresponsible behaviour (Cooke et al., 2006). Some evidence suggests psychopathic traits may be influenced by genetic factors, as indicated in a twin study by Beaver et