SOC 2760 Lecture 4: HOMICIDE UNIT 4

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SOC 2760
• Professor: Rob Shearer

Document Summary

Unit 4: understanding why homicide occur sociological perspectives part 1. Understanding homicide: chapter 3 psychological explanations of homicide. Individualists focused on biological descriptions of homicidal and other criminal, especially violent behavior. Claiming that criminality was structurally and anatomically distinct from the non criminal. Cesare lombroso generally attributed with founding this theory, influenced by darwin"s evolutionary theory. Physical characteristics such as long lower jaws, big ears, thin lips, curly black hair and aquiline noses were among the characteristics identified by lombroso as indicative of both primitive man and a tendency toward criminality. Lombroso claimed that a large portion of criminal behavior was inborn, although he entertained exceptions to this view in his later writings. Lombroso"s viewed criminals as inferior while later research suggested physical superiority. Bull and mcalpine (1998), say that people often have stereotypes of the facial appearance of criminals and that such stereotypes might affect judgment of guilt or innocence in court.