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Examples Of Rational Choice Theory In Goodfellas

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In class, we watched a scene from the film Goodfellas. The scene was about Henry Hill as a kid how he got introduced to the gangster lifestyle. Throughout this essay, I will explain three behavioral theories, how it applies to a criminal behavior and Goodfellas. Rational choice theory is Attempts to explain all (conforming and deviant) social phenomenon in terms of how self-interested individuals make choices under the influence of their preferences. It treats social exchange as similar to an economic exchange where all parties try to maximize their advantage or gain and to minimize their disadvantage or loss. RCT's basic premises are that human beings base their behavior on rational calculations, they act with rationality when making choices, their choices are aimed at optimization of their pleasure or profit. An example of Rational choice theory applying to criminal behavior would be a criminal who sells drugs for the goal of money but also weigh out the risk of getting caught. The scene from Goodfellas that applied to rational choice theory was where Henry blew up cars in the parking lot with the goal of making money and didn’t care about the risk of his dad finding out. …show more content…

The lower-class subculture has a unique set of values and beliefs, which are invariably in conflict with conventional social norms. An example of cultural deviance applying to criminal behavior because the theory reflects how the subculture is attractive to many youths in the inner city because role models such as drug dealers, thieves, and pimps are so readily observable. The scene from Goodfellas that applies to cultural deviance theory is where Henry talks about his dad not understanding that he was a part of something and how he felt he finally belonged

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While a few theories are not as regular, others have developed and are utilized as a part of numerous criminal reviews today. Cutting edge criminologists consolidate the most important aspects of sociology, psychology, anthropology, and biological theories to advance their comprehension of criminal behavior. Rational choice theory, psychological, biological, and strain theory are used to analyze the

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The first theory I will be explaining is Rational Choice Theory. Cornish and Clarke argue that “offenders are rational people who seek to maximize their pleasure and minimize their pain.” (Cullen, 2015 pg. 438)

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The Rizzuto family is an Italian-Canadian organized crime family based in Montreal, Quebec. The family has a multi-million-dollar international empire and are involved with many illegal activities including, “large-scale construction fraud, drug trafficking, extortion, bribery, stock manipulation, loansharking and money laundering (Nicaso, 2017. par. 1). There are many large players in this family, including the previous leader, Nicolo Rizzuto, and the current leader, Vito Rizzuto. One way to try and understand why this whole family is involved in crime, is to apply ideas from learning theories, such as Sutherland’s Differential Association theory, where it is thought that criminal behaviour is learned through social interactions (Lilly, Ball & Cullen, 2015, p .44).

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Within the past couple of decades, criminologists have developed different criminological theories that apply to the social behaviors and decisions of criminals. One of the earliest theories developed regarding criminality is the rational choice theory, in which describes the rationalization of determining if the rewards from committing the crime outweigh the consequences. In Scarver’s case, his decision to engage in criminal activities outweighed the potential consequences, or the other alternatives if he did not engage in such criminal activities. In addition to the rational choice theory, Scarver’s criminality can be related to the social disorganization theory, which describes the influence of one’s social and physical environment on one’s decision to commit a crime. Lastly, the strain theory can be related to Scarver’s criminality as well, as it is used to describe an individual who lacks the means to obtain such goals, and aspirations, so therefore, he or she engages in criminal activities to acquire the goals.

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The classical theory of crime says that people make rational choices when they commit crimes. “Individuals have the will and rationality to act according to their own will and desires. Individuals will calculate the rationality of the crime based on the benefits of the crime versus the consequences of the crime” (Robinson, 2014). This theory discuses that how people think about the negative and positive outcomes before they commit crime. Even though they realize it is not right, they still continue to commit illegal offence because they believe that what they are doing is for the greater

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In criminology, differential association is a theory developed by Edwin Sutherland proposing that through interaction with others, individuals learn the values, attitudes, techniques, and motives for criminal behavior. The differential association theory is the most talked about of the learning theories of deviance. (DAT). (Sutherland) (Sociological Theories of Crime and Their Explanation on Crime , 2007) Theories of criminality are most commonly derived from human behavior.

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In 1958 Walter B. Miller came up with a theory in order to explain the subculture in low-income neighborhood. The theory was called the focal concerns theory, and was divided into six different concepts that Miller thought explained the subculture in Low-income neighborhoods. In the movie Carlito’s way we are shown how some scenes correlate to Miller’s Focal concern theory, and explain the actions that the main character Carlito takes. Trouble, Toughness, smartness, fate, and autonomy are five out of the six focal concerns theory that Miller used in explaining the development of the subculture that existed in low-income neighborhoods, and the reasons why youth in these neighborhoods acted in the fashion that they did (Miller, W. B. 1958, pg.7).

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