Understanding Criminal Behavior and Criminological Theories

Crime is a complex phenomenon that changes over time and culture. This article explores the psychological approaches and criminological theories behind criminal behavior, including the impact of early childhood experiences and mental processes. It also discusses how proper counseling and treatment can help prevent criminal activities in the future.

Understanding Criminal Behavior

Introduction
Crime is an inevitable part of the human nature that is inescapable and it is very hard to find out
a specific cause of crime. Moreover, crime is a much complex phenomenon that readily changes
over various culture and time. Apart from that, crime also focuses on the behaviour of the
attorneys, judges, police, victims etc. and the every other actions that take place within the
criminal justice system. Almost everything of what is done regarding the criminal justice is
explained by the criminological theory and helps us in understanding the running of the criminal
justice system and the major and minor players within the system. Here we will give a glance on
some of the incidents that correlates to the theories of criminology.
Discussion
For the understanding of the context why people commit a crime is of crucial importance so as to
be able to prevent such sort of deeds in the near future. Here we will at the first place consider
the case of naked swordsman attack on the churchgoers on November 28, 1999. In this case, a
man indiscriminately attacked the churchgoers with a a 3 ft (91 cm) Samurai sword and critically
injured four of the parishioners. This relates much to the psychological approaches of criminal
behaviour that led the 26-year old man to commit such a crime out of depression regarding the
several incidents that he had faced since his childhood regarding sexual abuse by his family
friend, losing his parents. Gottfredson have expressed that ‘Modern control theories in
criminology have their roots in systematic efforts to discover and then to explain the facts about
crime’ (85-86). Personality of human being is the major factor of motivation at every situation
and drives the behaviour of an individual. In such a situation, the crime committed by the
criminal results from the inappropriate or abnormal mental condition of the criminal. Some

psycho-criminologists emphasize on some personality disorders, such as psychopaths, antisocial
personalities, and sociopaths as the reason why some people may take some impulsive decision
that may go to the point of harming others. Agnew performed qualitative research in criminology
and performed psychological research on aggression (143-164). With relevant psychometric tests
and proper counselling and treatment these kind of activities among some may be controlled.
In the similar context, the Yorkshire Ripper serial killer who murdered 13 women was arrested to
prevent such kind of crime. Peter Sutcliffe, who was the convict for the serial murders in the UK,
claimed that he have heard some voices that ordered him that he must kill the prostitutes while
he worked in the profession of a grave digger. This was the very fact that indicated that this
serial killer was not psychologically stable.
In this context, Farrington ‘elucidates life-course implications of a general age-graded theory of
crime’ (175). Following this psychological approach for criminology, psychologists may
determine the fact that how and to what extent these mental processes may affect an individual’s
tendencies to commit such crime and act of violence. With the psychoanalytic perspective the
information that are derived regarding criminals may be used to train and cure them so that they
are prevented from doing such deeds of crime in near future. In this context, family history and
early childhood experiences of the individuals associated with such crimes are very crucial and
found to have a significant impact on development of such major criminological thought. Apart
from that some other severe issues that may give rise to these situations includes lack of
education, poverty, racism, social inequality, and disorganization of the neighbourhood. It is
found that the criminals committing this kind of crimes are linked with the absence of social
etiquette, dependence on the others, immaturity. Steinmetz and Matt have expressed their views
regarding implications for Psychology (17-26). Following these theories accompanied with love,

affection, proper counselling sessions with these personnels over their reasons of being unhappy
and deprived may bring about major improvements in the life of these criminals.
Conclusion
As per psychodynamic theory, criminal offenders are often aggravated and frustrated. It is found
that the past events of their life that happened in their early childhood and deprivation affect
them to a huge extent in development of the criminal thinking patterns. On the whole it is the
thought and feelings of the individuals that overrule their actions. Upon control and proper
alignment of these thoughts every sort of criminal activities can be overcomed.

Works Cited
Agnew, Robert. "Revitalizing merton: General strain theory." The origins of American
criminology. Routledge, 2017. 143-164.
Farrington, David P. "A general age-graded theory of crime: Lessons learned and the future of
life-course criminology." Integrated developmental and life-course theories of offending.
Routledge, 2017. 175-192.
Gottfredson, Michael R. "The empirical status of control theory in criminology." Taking stock.
Routledge, 2017. 85-108.
Steinmetz, Kevin F., and Matt R. Nobles. "Introduction." Technocrime and Criminological
Theory. Routledge, 2017. 17-26.