Biological Theories of Crime Causation PDF

**CHAPTER II** **BIOLOGICAL THEORIES OF CRIME CAUSATION** *Early Biological Theories: Atavism, Physiognomy, Phrenology, and Somatotypes* Biological reasons for crime suppose that certain people were physiologically separate \"born criminals\" from non-criminals. Cesare Lombroso is the best-known...

**CHAPTER II** **BIOLOGICAL THEORIES OF CRIME CAUSATION** *Early Biological Theories: Atavism, Physiognomy, Phrenology, and Somatotypes* Biological reasons for crime suppose that certain people were physiologically separate \"born criminals\" from non-criminals. Cesare Lombroso is the best-known advocate of this approach. Classifications of Criminals by Lombroso: 1\. Born Criminals (Inheritance) 2\. Criminal by Passion (Unstable Emotions) 3\. Insane Criminals (Mental abnormalities/disorders) 4\. Criminoloid (lack of self-control) 5\. Occasional Criminal (Opportunity and motives) 6\. Pseudo-criminals (Self-defense) **Phrenology** Phrenology or craniology is the study of the external formation of the skull formation indicating the conformation of the brain and the development of its various parts in relation to the behavior of the criminal. This is associated with the work of Franz Joseph Gall. **Physiognomy** Physiognomy is the study of facial features of a person in relation to his criminal behavior. This is done to determine whether the shape of the ears, nose and eyes, and the distances between them were associated with anti-social behavior. The first to use this approach was Beccaria in his Crime and Punishment. It was later revived by Swiss theologian Johann Kaspar Lavater (1741-1801). **Atavism** Atavism- Cesare Lombroso called these abnormalities atavistic characteristics. Atavistic comes from the word "avatus", which means ancestor in Latin. According to him, the physical abnormalities that offenders have occurred because offenders were the products of an earlier stage of human evolution, a stage where more primitive humans and apes existed. Thus, offenders are basically throwbacks to earlier phases of human history. theory suggests that there are basic differences between offenders and non-offenders. More specifically, according to Lombroso, born criminals have certain physical characteristics or abnormalities that make them different. *Charles Goring- Disagree with Lombroso on the atavism. He concluded that no distinct physical abnormalities differentiating criminals from non-criminals.* **Pysiology or (Somatotyping)** Physiology or somatotype refers to the study of the body build of a person in relation to his temperament and personality and the type of offense he is most prone to commit. This approach was originated by Ernst Kretschmer and developed by William Sheldon. Kretschmer studied the different body types and presented the relationship between physique and mental illness. He classified the body build into three distinct types:  *Development of Biological Theories focuses on the contemporary approach such as:* - Biochemical conditions (e.g., Related to poor diet or deficiency in hormones) - Neurophysiological conditions (e.g., learning disabilities caused by brain damage) - Genetic inheritance and/or abnormality - Intelligence **Genes (Eugenics)** Eugenics is the practice or advocacy of improving the human species by selectively mating people with specific desirable hereditary traits. Also, it focus on hereditary mental capacity. **Henry H. Goddard (Kallikak Family)** Goddard concluded that different mental characteristics are inherited and that society would prevent the reproduction of those who have these characteristics. *\ Kallikak Family:* One case involved the descendants of an anonymous man referred to as Martin Kallikak. This man produced two different lines of descent, one with a supposedly \"feebleminded\" bar maid with whom he had had sexual relations and one with his wife, reputed to be an honest Quaker woman. The offsprings from the two women generated two lineages that could not have been more different. The pseudonym \"Kallikak\" was taken from two Greek words: kallos, meaning beauty (referring to the descendants of the Quaker woman) and kakos, meaning bad (referring to the descendants of the bar maid). Goddard discovered that the inferior branch of Martin Kallikak\'s family included \"46 normal people, 143 who were definitely feebleminded, 36 illegitimate births, 33 sexually immoral people, 3 epileptics, and 24 alcoholics. These people were horse thieves, paupers, convicts, prostitutes, criminals, and keepers of houses of ill repute.  **Richard L. Dugdale** He published a book titled "The Jukes: A Study in Crime, Pauperism, Disease, and Heredity'. He studies the juke family. Ada Juke - \"mother of criminals.\" The Juke Family was consisted of 6 girls some of whom where illegitimate. One of them, Ada Juke was also known as MARGARET became the \"Mother of all criminals.\" He traced Margaret\'s 1, 200 descendants for 75 years from it\'s origin and found 280 as paupers(or extremely poor), 140 criminals, 7 murderers, 50 prostitutes, 440 afflicted with sexual diseases and 30 were persecuted for bastardy. Many of the criminals could also be linked to \"Margaret, the Mother of Criminals". **XYY Chromosomal Abnormality (This \"supermale\" syndrome)**\ \ XYY \"Supermale\" Syndrome - theory attempting to explain sex and gender differentials in criminal behavior was known as the XYY Syndrome theory. XYY syndrome is a genetic condition in which a human male has an extra male (Y) chromosome, giving a total of 47 chromosomes instead of the more usual 46. This produces a 47,XYY karyotype, which occurs every 1 in 1,000 male births. The presence of the extra Y chromosome in XYY males does not in and of itself produce aggressive behavior in those affected; dealing with aspects of the condition during adolescence is a more likely explanation for any delinquency or criminal behavior exercised by XYY males.) **Psychological Theories of Crime Causation** Psychological crime theories explore the causes that can contribute to criminal behavior, such as poor socialization and traumatic early childhood experiences. **Sigmund Freud -** Founder of Psychoanalysis. The Freudian view on criminal behavior was based on the use of Psychology in explaining an approach in understanding criminal behavior -- the foundation of the Psychoanalytical theory. Psychologists have considered a variety of possibilities to account for individual differences -- defective conscience, emotional immaturity, inadequate childhood socialization, maternal deprivation, and poor moral development. **Psychoanalytical Theory** The *psychoanalytic theory* related to crime comes from the imbalance of these id, ego, and superego. When these id, ego, and superego are imbalanced it causes people to commit crimes. Therefore, in regards to criminology, the psychoanalytic theory suggests that everyday occurrences are not the cause of the problem just simply triggers underlying problems that have caused the imbalance of the id, ego, and superego. The root of these problems is hidden in the unconscious and must be brought to the conscious by psychoanalysis therapy. Psychoanalytic theory has been a major contribution and laid the groundwork for many other personality theories for instance; Freud's Psychosexual Theory and Erikson's Psychosocial Stages Theory.mPerhaps the most impactful idea put forth by Freud was his model of the human mind. His model divides the mind into three layers, or regions: 1\. [Conscious:] This is where our current thoughts, feelings, and focus live; 2\. [Preconscious] (sometimes called the subconscious): This is the home of everything we can recall or retrieve from our memory; 3\. [Unconscious:] At the deepest level of our minds resides a repository of the processes that drive our behavior, including primitive and instinctual desires. *In this model, there are three metaphorical parts to the mind:* 1\. Id: The id operates at an unconscious level and focuses solely on instinctual drives and desires. Two biological instincts make up the id, according to Freud: eros, or the instinct to survive that drives us to engage in life- sustaining activities, and Thanatos, or the death instinct that drives destructive, aggressive, and violent behavior. 2\. Ego: The ego acts as both a conduit for and a check on the id, working to meet the id's needs in a socially appropriate way. It is the most tied to reality and begins to develop in infancy; 3\. Superego: The superego is the portion of the mind in which morality and higher principles reside, encouraging us to act in socially and morally acceptable ways. **Defense Mechanisms** Freud believed these three parts of the mind are in constant conflict because each part has a different primary goal. Sometimes, when the conflict is too much for a person to handle, his or her ego may engage in one or many defense mechanisms to protect the individual. These defense mechanisms include: - Repression: The ego pushes disturbing or threatening thoughts out of one's consciousness; - Denial: The ego blocks upsetting or overwhelming experiences from awareness, causing the individual to refuse to acknowledge or believe what is happening; - Projection: The ego attempts to solve discomfort by attributing the individual's unacceptable thoughts, feelings, and motives to another person; - Displacement: The individual satisfies an impulse by acting on a substitute object or person in a socially unacceptable way (e.g., releasing frustration directed toward your boss on your spouse instead); - Regression: As a defense mechanism, the individual moves backward in development to cope with stress (e.g., an overwhelmed adult acting like a child); - Sublimation: Similar to displacement, this defense mechanism involves satisfying an impulse by acting on a substitute but in a socially acceptable way (e.g., channeling energy into work or a constructive hobby) **The 5 Psychosexual Stages of Development** Finally, one of the most enduring concepts associated with Freud is his psychosexual stages. Freud proposed that children develop in five distinct stages, each focused on a different source of pleasure: 1\. First Stage: Oral---the child seeks pleasure from the mouth (e.g., sucking); 2\. Second Stage: Anal---the child seeks pleasure from the anus (e.g., withholding and expelling feces); 3\. Third Stage: Phallic---the child seeks pleasure from the penis or clitoris (e.g., masturbation); 4\. Fourth Stage: Latent---the child has little or no sexual motivation; 5\. Fifth Stage: Genital---the child seeks pleasure from the penis or vagina (e.g., sexual intercourse). Freud hypothesized that an individual must complete each stage to become a psychologically healthy adult with a fully formed ego and superego. Otherwise, individuals may become stuck or "fixated" in a particular stage, causing emotional and behavioral problems in adulthood. **Behavioral Theories** The behavioral theory seeks to explain human behavior by analyzing the antecedents and consequences present in the individual\'s environment and the learned associations he or she has acquired through previous experience. **Cognitive Theories** Cognitive theories of crime explain criminal behavior as a defect in moral thinking thought processes and mental development. Cognitive theories also help us to understand how an individual\'s personality and intelligence level are linked to delinquency. Cognitive theories focus on how we perceive the world around us, how we think, and the factors that influence our mental development (family upbringing, parental modeling, personality, intelligence). These theories help to explain how we develop morally in our thought process. **Personality Theories** The basic hypothetical relationships underlying Eysenck\'s theory are that : 1. criminals and psychopaths exhibit distinctive personality traits or behavior patterns; 2. there is a genetic basis for these personality traits; and 3. the formation of conscience, which functions to restrain deviant behavior patterns, maybe faulty on psychophysiological grounds, resulting in criminal and psychopathic behavior. At the core of Eysenck\'s theory is the role played by three personality traits: 1. extraversion-introversion, 2. neuroticism, and 3. psychoticism. The bulk of research into the validity of Eysenck\'s arguments concerns the measurement of these traits in criminal and noncriminal populations. Based on a review of relevant research, the theory falls far short of being an integrated theory of criminality which could be used to guide social practice and intervention. Hans Eysenck's theory of criminal personality suggests that personality is biologically based and those personality traits include dimensions of extraversion and neuroticism that can be measured using a personality questionnaire. **SOCIOLOGICAL THEORIES OF CRIME CAUSATION** What are Sociological Theories? ⮚ All the theories discussed crime in terms of families, education, peer groups, the workplace, the communities, and people in a social sense.