Risk factors

Risk Factors and Somatotypes

• A risk factor influences the likelihood of developing a condition or behavior.
• Somatotypes categorize body types: ectomorph, mesomorph, and endomorph.
• The endomorph somatotype features a heavy build with a soft and round body shape.
• Criminogenic risk factors contribute to criminal behavior, including environmental, social, and biological elements.
• Ectomorphs are often seen as introverted, hypersensitive, and intellectual in personality.
• A specific criminogenic risk factor for crime causation includes socioeconomic status and exposure to violence.

Genetics and Criminality

• Exploring individual criminal risk factors focuses on understanding personal traits and circumstances influencing criminal behavior.
• Genes can predispose individuals to certain behaviors, impacting criminal causation.
• Hereditary factors can include family history of criminal behavior or aggression as a criminogenic risk factor.
• The interplay between genetics and environmental influences shapes criminal tendencies; both contribute to behavior.
• According to Sheldon's somatotypes, the mesomorphic body type relates primarily to delinquent boys.
• Genetic factors associated with criminal risk may include impulsivity and aggression tendencies.

Critiques and Perspectives

• Major criticism of Sheldon's research revolves around its lack of empirical support and over-reliance on physical traits to explain complex behaviors.
• Ectomorphic individuals exhibit relaxed, extroverted traits and relatively low criminality levels.
• Stratts views genetic predisposition as a factor in criminality, but emphasizes the importance of environmental influences.
• Lykken identifies key components of socialization, excluding certain aspects, such as innate personality traits.

Socialization and Behavior

• A person's pro-sociality stems from their ability to learn and adopt positive social behaviors.
• Acceptance of adult responsibility focuses on understanding and fulfilling societal roles expected of adults.
• Agents of socialization, such as family, peers, and educators, significantly shape behaviors and values.
• Inborn characteristics, like temperamental traits, can hinder effective socialization in children, according to Lykken.

Personality, IQ, and Criminality

• Personality is defined as the combination of characteristics and qualities that form an individual's distinctive character.
• The indirect link between IQ and criminal behavior suggests that while there is a correlation, it is not straightforward or causal.
• Temperamental components relate to emotional and behavioral responses that can influence social interactions.
• Debate exists regarding the link between IQ and criminality, with some arguing it may affect problem-solving abilities leading to criminal outcomes.
• Kuperminc and Allen's findings indicate that individuals face challenges to develop resilience and resolve issues effectively.

Disorders and Behavior

• A personality trait strongly linked to criminal behavior is impulsivity, as noted by Hill (2002).
• A disorder is classified as a dysfunction in mental processes affecting behavior, according to Hill (2002).
• Physiological disorders impact behaviors by creating challenges in emotional regulation or cognitive functioning as defined by Hunter and Dantzker (2002).
• Psychological disorders can lead to increased risk for criminal behavior, as explained by Walsh (2015).
• Socialization is defined as the process through which individuals learn and internalize the norms and values of their culture, as per Barkan (in Schoeman, 2002).