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Deviant behavior and theory
Deviant behavior and theory
Different theories of deviant behaviors
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Modelling theory also called the social learning theory can be defined as “behaviour which is learned in much the same way and such learning includes the acquisition of norms, values, and patterns of behaviour conceive to crime,
People commit crimes for various reasons and many different factors contribute to a person’s mental state and behavior. There are numerous theories that attempt to explain why individuals and particular groups of people become criminals. Psychologist and psychiatrist use science and research to attempt to determine a person’s deviant behavior. A person’s mental state usually contributes to the causation of the types of crimes that they commit. The main character in the movie “Bernie” demonstrates characteristics that fit into the frustration-aggression theory, modeling theory, and behavior theory.
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
This theory clearly rules out the effect of inherited or innate factors, and the last is the cognitive theory, which is based on how the perception of an individual is manifested into affecting his or her potential and capability to commit a crime. (Psychological theories of crime) Relating these theories to the case under study, it’s clear that the behaviour can be traced most times to faulty relationships in the family during the first years of
The differential association theory has become the most talked about learning theory of deviance. The theory focuses on how individuals can learn to become criminals. The theory does not have concern for why individuals become criminals. Criminology is the knowledge regarding crime and delinquency as a social issue.
Social process theory, or the view that people’s everyday social interactions shape their behaviors, has several subdivisions including: social control theory, social learning theory and social reaction (labeling) theory (will only focus on social control theory). Social control theory insinuates every person has the possibility of becoming a criminal, but most people are influenced by their bonds to society. It contends that individuals obey the law and are less likely to commit crime if they have: learned self-control, attachment (to family, friends, peers, education, etc.), commitment (to school, learning, etc.), involvement (in leisure activities, sports, etc.), and belief (those that are positive). According to social control theory, an
Also, Merton’s theory of social structure and anomie looks to clarify deviance. In this theory, circumstances in the social structure cause deviant conduct. An inequality of goals and their means of achievement is what cause deviant behavior. People do not have an equal chance to attain the goals. The low class does not have the same opportunities as the upper class.
• Theories explaining the origins of the offending behaviour(s) There is no one cause for paedophilia but there can be a number of factors that can contribute to this such as mental illness, brain dysfunctions or childhood abuse (Howitt;1995). The most common assumption of why people commit sexual offenses is that they had a traumatic childhood experience and yes this can be one part of the equation as there is a high percentage of sex offenders who have reported being abused as a child, but this is not the only reason of why people are sexually attracted to pubescent children, as Schiffer 2008 gives that there is a high level of evidence that specify abnormalities in the brain of sex offenders and that these occur when the brain is developing,
Most was derived from the assumption that behaviors such as; criminal and otherwise, are inherited. Which means that criminals are biologically different than non-criminals. One of the earliest explanations was known as Phrenology which was in the mid-1700’s to mid-1800’s, which viewed the shape and size of the brain and skull as determinants of criminal tendencies. The next early positivist explanation for deviance was in 1876, Cesare Lombroso’s theory of “Atavism” and “The Born Criminal” This was the 1st Major Application of this new science to the study of criminals and deviance.
Fifth, the specific direction of motives and drives is learned from definitions of the legal codes as favorable or unfavorable. Sixth, a person becomes delinquent because of an excess of definitions favorable to violation of law over definitions unfavorable to violation of the law. Seventh, Differential associations may vary in frequency, duration, priority, and intensity. Eighth, the process of learning criminal behavior by association with criminal and anti-criminal patterns involves all of the mechanisms that are involved in any other learning. Lastly, while criminal behavior is an expression of general needs and values, it is not explained by those needs and values, since non-criminal behavior is an expression of the same needs and values.
The Mafia, a subculture, was an organized crime group that consisted of criminals committing illegal activities for power, influence, financial gain, and property. They protected their activities by using corruption, exploitation, and violence. Committing crimes became a way to protect their society and families. The behavior displayed by this criminal organization undoubtedly resulted in criminal mentality. In my opinion, since committing a crime is a personal choice, differential association theory may fail at accurately explaining crime.
It normally stems from conflict as a child. Merging theories together helps to get more detailed data and better understand the reason behind human actions. Combining theories help to adequately assess an offender's reasoning for committing crimes as well as identifies ways to prevent them from committing additional crimes. Many factors overlap to create delinquent behavior, so combining research and theories is not only a good way of identifying control variables, but also a good way to extinguish
According to Siegel (2015), trait theory is the view that criminality is a product of abnormal biological or psychological traits which can be subdivided into two major categories: those that stress biological makeup and those that stress psychological functioning (p. 109). Biological trait theories includes four different conditions: biochemical, neurophysiological, genetic, and evolutionary. Biochemical factors will include diet, hypoglycemia, hormonal influences, premenstrual syndrome, lead exposure, and environmental contaminants. Neurophysiological factors will include brain structure, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, brain chemistry, and arousal theory. Genetic causes could stem from parental deviance, adoption studies, and
Where external and internal factors play a part and they are fated to be a criminal. The scientific grounds are offenders and people who have not yet offended can be given help, and they can be diagnosed by experts and receive treatment needed to not offend (Cavadino, 2007
Researchers have invested decades worth of time and data, attempting to answer the question of what causes crime. The study of criminological theory contains a great number of explanations, focused on discovering why exactly, crime occurs. Whether causations are biological, psychological, or sociological in nature, theory has lead us closer to answering the question of why crime happens. Perhaps causations are best explained using hybrid explanations that include a little bit of everything.