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Genetic And Environmental Influences On Criminal Behavior

1218 Words5 Pages

Social Aspects of a Criminal
Nicole J. Walker
Dr. Chad Scott
Bemidji State University

Abstract This paper explores three published articles that report on results of the social aspects related to a criminal. These articles are very similar in their responses in which the environment and sociology is related to the development of a criminal. This paper examines the different functions that the environment plays in the criminal behavior of individuals. According to Curt, B., & Bartol, A. (2014,2011). Introduction to Criminal Behavior. Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach (10 ed.). Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Jones, C. M. (2005, February). Genetic and Environmental Influences on Criminal Behavior. Retrieved November …show more content…

Their socialization is weak or faulty, which perceived human nature as “bad”, “antisocial”, or “imperfect” (Bartol & Bartol, 2014). The learning perspective also sees humans as born neutral and argues that humans learn all the behavior, beliefs, and tendencies from their social environment. It is not the result of emotional disturbances, mental illnesses or innate qualities, but rather people learn to be criminals from the message they get from others we were also taught to be criminals. The three perspectives of human nature are: the conformity perspective, the nonconformist perspective, and the learning perspective (Bartol & Bartol, 2014). The conformity perspective states that humans are basically good and strongly influenced by the values and attitudes of society. The nonconformist perspective states that humans are underdisciplined, their ties to social orders are weak, and the innate tendencies must be controlled by society. According to the nonconformist perspective, humans have lack of self-control. The learning perspective states that humans are born neutral, their behaviors learned through social interactions with other people and the changes affect their behavior over the life span (Bartol & Bartol, 2014). The sociology perspective of criminology focuses on examining relationships of demographic and group variables to crime. It also focuses on groups and society and how they influence criminal activity (Bartol & Bartol,

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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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