SOCI3603 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Dysfunctional Family, Determinism, Moral Development
Biological and Psychological Determinism Feb 2
A focus on the individual
A key assumption underlying traditional psychological research is that people
neatly fall within criminal and non-criminal camps
Additional assumption: crime is the result of abnormal dysfunctional, or
inappropriate mental processes
Defective mental processes may have a number of causes: mental illness, inner
conflict or inappropriate learning
Psychological theory
First developed by Sigmund Freud
Others have applied psychoanalytic theory to criminal behaviours
Freud humans are essentially antisocial, as biological programmed to seek
pleasure egocentrically and as possessing destructive impulses
Attributes delinquent and criminal behaviour to three possible causes:
oA conscious to overbearing that it arouses feelings of guilt
oA conscious so weak that it cannot control the individual impulses
oThe need to immediate gratification
The human personality comprised of 3 components
oID: most primitive part, present at birth, unconscious, seeks the
satisfaction of basic biological needs (sex)
oEgo: the executive of the personality, acting as a moderator between the
superego and id
oSuperego: conscious, produces guilt when we contemplate defiance
Moral development theory
Cognitive perspective in psych deals with mental processes. The way people
perceive the world, their moral reasoning, and how they process information to
solve problems
People make moral judgements through their interactions with others
Kohlberg’s three levels of moral reasoning:
oPre conventional: individual views of the world as one of commands or
rules striving to avoid punishment. This level typically includes children
under 11 an adolescents as well as adult offenders
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oConventional: individual understands and accepts the values and rules of
society, internalized expectations and rules of others. Reached but he
average adolescent and adult in our society
oPost conventional: individual is able to go beyond and question social
conventions. Value existing laws but may act as agents of change to
improve conditions for all. Reached by just a minority of adults
Some psychologists believed that offenders display a number of
cognitive deficits and thinking errors
Social learning theory
Based on a solid body of evidence showing that behaviour s the product of ones
life experiences
Learning may process through direct personal experience or vicariously
Aggressive acts are said to be modelled after 3 main sources: the family,
community, and the mass media
Family: children who are aggressive behaviour in their dealings with others,
including family members
Community: people who live in areas in which violence is pervasive are more
likely to engage in violent behaviour than those who live in low crime areas
Mass media: many films and TV shows present graphic images of violence and it
is portrayed as acceptable. By the end of elementary school, the average
American child has been exposed to about 8,000 killings on TV alone
Mental disorders and crime
The concept of mental illness has evolved
Traditionally, mental illness was seen as an absolute condition or status, you
either had a psychosis or you didn’t
Now, more psychiatrist conceptualize mental functioning as a process with mental
illness and health being on the same continuum
Most researchers agree that the majority of criminals are not mentally ill
Most mentally disordered offenders are no violent and their risk of recidivism
may be lower than that of other offenders
Psychopathy
Psychopaths: one category of mentally disordered offenders who do recidivate
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
A key assumption underlying traditional psychological research is that people neatly fall within criminal and non-criminal camps. Additional assumption: crime is the result of abnormal dysfunctional, or inappropriate mental processes. Defective mental processes may have a number of causes: mental illness, inner conflict or inappropriate learning. Others have applied psychoanalytic theory to criminal behaviours. Freud humans are essentially antisocial, as biological programmed to seek pleasure egocentrically and as possessing destructive impulses. Attributes delinquent and criminal behaviour to three possible causes: a conscious to overbearing that it arouses feelings of guilt, a conscious so weak that it cannot control the individual impulses, the need to immediate gratification. Cognitive perspective in psych deals with mental processes. The way people perceive the world, their moral reasoning, and how they process information to solve problems. People make moral judgements through their interactions with others.
