Transcript Slide 1
Chapter 5
Psychology and Crime
Chapter Objectives (1 of 3)
Understand the difference between
psychiatric and psychological criminology.
Know the gist of psychoanalytic theory,
including Freudian elements of personality
and defense mechanisms.
Know how psychoanalytic theory and
psychoanalysis has been applied to
delinquents and criminals.
Chapter Objectives (2 of 3)
Comprehend the principles of learning
(operant conditioning, classical
conditioning, and observational learning)
and how they relate to theories of crime.
Understand the two areas of cognitive
psychology (cognitive structure and
cognitive content) and how they have
been applied to criminal behavior.
Chapter Objectives (3 of 3)
Distinguish between general personality
research and research on criminal
personality.
Grasp the concepts involved in the debate
on the relationship between IQ and
criminal behavior.
Know the policy implications derived from
theories of learning, personality, and
cognition.
You Are the Criminologist
The BTK Killer
Dennis L. Rader
BTK: bind, torture, kill
Convicted of killing 10 people
Discussion
How might a Freudian theorist explain Rader’s
letters?
Does Rader show signs of being a psychopath?
What characteristics do or do not fit?
Introduction
How does a psychologist or psychiatrist
develop and understand the criminal
mind?
What does psychology contribute to the
study of the criminal mind?
What is the psychological approach to the
study of crime?
Psychoanalytic Theory
Henry Maudsley (1835–1918): Criminals
suffer from “moral degeneracy,” a
deficiency of moral sense.
Sigmund Freud (1856–1939): One can
understand human behavior best by
examining early childhood experiences.
Freudian Elements of Personality
Conscious v. Unconscious Mind
Id
Superego
Ego
Freudian Elements of Personality
Lester and Van Voorhis
Id: “If it feels good, do it!”
Superego: conscience – “Stealing is wrong.”
Ego: psychological thermostat that regulates
the wishes of the id with the social restrictions
of the superego.
Freudian Elements of Personality
Two sources of anxiety
1. Desire is not met.
2. Unconscious desire becomes
conscious.
Freudian Explanations of
Delinquency
Human nature is inherently antisocial
Id: infants start life with antisocial drives
Superego: forms from experience
Ego: helps to negotiate demands for
instant gratification with acceptable behavior
Policy Implications of
Freudian Theory
Drawbacks
Difficult to test empirically
Cannot be directly observed and measured
Still maintains a place in psychology of
criminal behavior
Behavioral Psychology
Differs from psychoanalytical theory
Focuses on specific behaviors
All behavior is learned
Principles of Learning
Three types of learning
Classical conditioning
Operant conditioning
Observational (vicarious) learning
Principles of Learning
Classical Conditioning
Principles of Learning
Operant Conditioning
Principles of Learning
Positive reinforcement: increases the
target behavior by rewarding the individual
Negative reinforcement: increases the
target behavior by removing an unpleasant
stimulus
Punishment: reduces the odds of the
target behavior being repeated
Principles of Learning
Direct parental control: theorists tie
delinquency to parents’ failure to
effectively condition their children away
from negative behaviors
Principles of Learning
Glueck and Glueck: inconsistent and
harsh punishment correlates with
delinquent children
Patterson: effective parenting (monitoring,
punishing, and reinforcing behavior)
correlates with nondeliquent children
Harris: parental behaviors have few effects
on the child’s long-term development
Principles of Learning
Modeling Theory
Observational learning: role modeling the
behavior of others.
Albert Bandura (Bobo doll experiments):
learning is not based on trial and error
(operant conditioning).
Effects on criminal behaviors are difficult to
determine.
Media and Crime
Does media (TV and movies) influence
aggression, violence, and criminal
behavior?
Conducive to role modeling:
Perpetrators not punished
Targets of violence show little pain
Few long-term negative consequences
Media and Crime
Evidence suggests that reducing exposure
to media violence reduces aggression and
violence in children.
Policy Implications of Behaviorism
Criminals can learn pro-social behaviors to
replace criminal actions
Aversion therapy
Token economy
Cognitive Psychology
Humans’ ability to engage in complex
thoughts influences behavior
Cognitions (like behaviors) can be
learned
Focus on
Cognitive structure (how people think)
Cognitive content (what people think)
Cognitive Structure
Kohlberg's theory of moral reasoning:
humans advance through predictable
stages of moral reasoning
Self-control
Ability to empathize
Ability to anticipate consequences
Ability to control anger
Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral
Development (1 of 2)
Stage 1
Right is blindly obeying those with power and
authority.
Emphasis is on avoiding punishment.
Interests of others are not considered.
Stage 2
Right is furthering one’s own interests.
Interests of others are important only as a way to
satisfy self-interests.
Stage 3
Moral reasoning is motivated by loyalties to others
and a desire to live up to other’s standards.
Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral
Development (2 of 2)
Stage 4
Right is following the rules of society and maintaining
important social institutions (e.g., family, community).
Stage 5
Moral decisions are made by weighing individual
rights against legal principles and the common good.
Stage 6
Moral decisions are based on universal principles
(e.g., human dignity, desire for justice).
Principles are considered across different contexts
and are independent of the law.
Cognitive Content
Rationalizations or denials that support
criminal behavior
For example, a criminal thinks, “I’m not
really hurting anyone.”
Criminals are more likely to express such
thoughts, but the relationship (causation or
correlation) to crime is unclear.
Extremely common for sex offenders
Policy Implications of
Cognitive Psychology
Cognitive theory translates easily into
practice.
Cognitive skills programs teach offenders
cognitive skills like moral reasoning, anger
management, or self-control.
Policy Implications of
Cognitive Psychology
Cognitive restructuring attempts to change
the content of an individual’s thoughts.
Combination cognitive-behavioral
programs have had significant success.
Personality and Crime
Crime and delinquency related to the
presence of some personality trait
Personality trait: a characteristic of an
individual that is stable over time and
across different social circumstances
Personality: the sum of personality traits
that define a person
Theory in Action
Multisystematic therapy (MST)
Creator Scott Henggeler and associates
Reduces criminal behavior
Comprehensive approach
Targets many areas for change
Uses many different techniques (not just
cognitive-behavioral programs)
Personality Traits and Crime
A number of related traits combine to form
super factors
Several different models
Five-factor model
Tellegen’s personality model
Recent studies use the Multidimensional
Personality Questionnaire (MPQ)
Personality Traits and Crime (1 of 2)
• Personality dimensions in the MPQ
• Constraint
• Traditionalism
• Harm avoidance
• Control
• Negative emotionality
• Aggression
• Alienation
• Stress reaction
Personality Traits and Crime (2 of 2)
• Personality dimensions in the MPQ
• Positive emotionality
•
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Achievement
Social potency
Well-being
Social closeness
Criminal Personality:
The Psychopath
Refers to a class of individuals with a
distinct criminal personality
Term widely misused throughout history
Unclear determining factors
Psychopathy checklist (PCL) looks for
certain personality traits
Criticism: Are psychopaths qualitatively
different from other offenders?
Policy Implications
of Personality Theory
Personality traits consistently predict
delinquency and crime.
Criticism: Personality traits are often
portrayed as impossible to change.
You Are the Criminologist
Does Dennis Rader (BTK) show signs of
being a psychopath?
What characteristics of psychopathy
appear to fit with Rader?
What characteristics do not?
Intelligence and Crime
Feeblemindedness was once thought to
be a cause of crime.
What exactly is IQ and how does it relate
to criminal behavior?
A Brief History of
Intelligence Testing
IQ tests measure mental differences from
one person to another.
Old methods included:
Measuring one’s skull size
Testing the ability to memorize
These methods were determined to be
insufficient.
A Brief History of
Intelligence Testing
IQ test devised to identify students who
were performing poorly in school and
needed academic assistance
Not meant to be a measuring device for
intelligence
Has concerns of cultural bias
IQ and Crime
There is an IQ gap of 8–10 points between
criminals and noncriminals, even when
statistically controlled for race and social
class.
IQ is not a very strong indicator of criminal
behavior.
IQ and Crime
Travis Hirschi and Michael Hindelang
The Bell Curve
Crime-IQ link consistently documented
Criminologists continue to study the
relationship.
Policy Implications of
the IQ-Crime Relationship
Is IQ a measure of native intelligence or
something else?
Is IQ a direct cause of crime or does it
influence other factors that cause criminal
behavior?
What do criminologists believe about IQ
and its direct or indirect relationship to
crime?
Conclusion
The common emphasis of all
psychological theories is on the individual.
Each theory must be evaluated on its
ability to account for criminality.
Not all theories are well supported by
evidence.
Many psychological theories translate well
into treatment programs.