Mental Illness and Criminality Discussion 2022

Running head: MENTAL ILLNESS AND CRIMINALITY
Mental Illness and Criminality
Student’s name
University
Author’s note

MENTAL ILLNESS AND CRIMINALITY
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Introduction
The relationship between mental illness and violence is inexplicably intertwined as per
the common public perception. However, the relationship between mental illness and criminality
is still an issue of debate and scholarly discussion. In the light of repeated instances of school
shootings, the matter has resurfaced among the scholastic arena, as most of the convicts are
reported to have some sort of psychiatric disorders or conditions. The perception has been further
augmented by the sensationalized media presentations of violent crimes committed by people
with psychiatric illnesses (Metzl & MacLeish, 2015). Thus, a social stigma is likely to develop
that relates mental illness with criminality. However, the essay argues that criminality does not
essentially presupposes mental illness; rather, the relationship between criminality and mental
illness is only partial.
Psychological theories of Criminality
Criminality is commonly understood as violent or harmful behaviours forbidden by law
as well as social norms. However, the term criminality is often used in criminal psychology to
describe criminal characteristics of a person. Traditionally, psychologists believe that all human
behaviours are a result of the intricate relation between an individual’s social experience and
biological dispositions. Hence, criminal behaviours can also be explained by this particular
framework. Moreover, the theorists tend to analyze criminal behaviour and delinquencies by
focusing on the personality traits of the human beings. On the other hand, according to
contemporary psychological theories, the criminal behaviours or tendencies are a result of
individual cognition patterns. To elucidate, crime often occurs due to different thinking process
respective to individuals that govern their behaviours and actions. For this reason, criminal
offenders often fail to realize the harm they have inflicted, or even justifies their actions (Taylor,

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2015). According to criminal psychologists, there are several significant reasons that may lead
an individual to commit crimes. They are as following:
1. Lack of psychological development
While developing cognitive abilities, some individuals lack the adequate maturity and
growth. As a result, they do not develop the required analyzing capability to identify a
behaviour or am action to be of criminal nature. Moreover, factors such as poor
parenting, negligence, inconsistent discipline, imparting corrupt value can culminate in
faulty personality development causing criminality in later life (Huesmann & Eron,
2017).
2. Learned behaviour of aggression
As some psychologists emphasize the role of the social environment in the context of
development of personality, they claim that if an individual grows up in an environment
surrounded by violence and aggression, they are likely to normalize such traits in their
behaviour. For example, if children endures witnesses their mother being abused on a
regular basis, they might think this to be normal and will eventually engage themselves in
similar actions (Abrantes et al., 2016)
3. Freudian Theory
Among the earlier psychological theories of crime, Sigmund Freud’s Tripartite
Theory holds a significant place in explaining criminal behaviours. According to Freud,
human nature is divided into three distinct sections, namely id, ego and superego. Among
them, the id is a reservoir of instinctive urges and drives that require gratification. These
demand of id often could be unjustified, irrational or even immoral. The superego then