Crime is committed in various different forms. It is something that has existed throughout human history for as long as society can remember. Crime has affected individuals, communities, and societies on various levels. There are people who commit the crimes and others who are victims of crimes.There is so much to understand and learn about when it comes to crime. For example its causes, effects, prevention strategies, and the criminal justice system. Criminology seeks to find the factors that drive individuals to commit criminal behaviors and the impact of such behavior on victims and society as a whole. Researchers explore the social, psychological, economic, and environmental influences on a person. They seek to find changes that will make …show more content…
As defined in the book, “all behavior is learned in much the same way and that such learning includes the acquisition of norms, values, and patterns of behaviors conducive to crime, meaning that crime is also learned and that people learn to commit crime from others.” (Schmalleger, 2021). I committed the crime of underage drinking because I thought it was a normal and cool thing to be doing at my age. Everyone around me did it so I learned from them. I also copied my friends' behavior to fit in and gain their approval.
If I had committed the act of identity theft or stealing money repeatedly because of money issues, it would tie in best with the psychological theory of behavior theory. As said in the text about this theory, “When an individual’s behavior results in rewards or feedback that the individual regards as pleasurable and desirable, then that behavior will likely become more frequent” (Schmalleger, 2021). I started to see stealing from others with positive outcomes. It was easy, I wasn’t getting caught, and it was helping me financially. I began the cycle of repeating it and in the end it became a