Understanding the Psychology of Criminal Behavior in Children

PSYCHOLOGY OF
BEHAVIOUR
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All individuals have different behaviours which are why all of them have a unique identity
of nature which can make the people have a better functioning for them. There are different
theories which can explain the reason behind people have a certain kind of behaviour and before
understanding that there has to be a clear observation of the people. The parents have to give
attention to the children so that they can have a better growing experience which will not reflect
in their future. The report consists of the behavioural pattern of children so that there is a better
understanding of the crime they have committed so that the there is a better result from giving a
verdict. The parents of the kids can be improved and helped for the kind of help they need so that
the children can have a better life. Therefore understanding the behavioural pattern is very
essential so that the right decisions can be taken.
1. PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES & IDENTIFICATION
Two approaches
There are a lot of theories which can be used to understand the behaviour of a human
being and in this case the behaviour of two kids who are 10 years old who have committed a
crime will be discussed. There is a learnt behaviour which all the individuals have which is
reflected in their actions. The two behavioural approaches which will be discussed in this report
are biological approach and cognitive approach.
Biological Approach
There is a lot of learning which a child gets from the parents and in this case, it is quite
possible that the children, Thompson and Venables got their learning from the parents because of
the health situation they are in. Mental disorders is the kind of illness which the parents of the
two kids had which is why the kids got that too and the kids could not recover from that (Kocsis,
2018). It is very important that the children up left from the mistakes they make but the parents
only beat them so that did not make them find and they must be beaten up even if they were not
wrong and beaten up because the parents were depressed or alcoholic which is not the kids fault.
It is very important that the kids get the right mind set and the right parents who can make the
minds of the kids function and be controlled so that they do not make criminal decisions or
mistakes which they do not want to. The children learn from what they see around them which is
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what the learning theory also explains which is why it is very important for the parents to show
the children the right path and positive behaviour around them.
Cognitive Approach
Cognitive theory is what we think and it is very difficult to understand the minds of others
but one can control the thoughts in their own mind. In this case it was not so because the kids
had grown up in such an environment that it is not possible for them to think any think positive
about anything which is why they had such a negative plan to execute. The kids did not have a
good background and the parents could not handle their own lives therefore they would not have
been able to handle anyone else’s life and the kids had to grow up according to themselves (de
Motte and et.al., 2017).
Conformity and obedience and impact of them on human behaviour
There are different kind of people the once who have to a tendency to listen to others and
follow what they ask us to which is called conformity and the other people are who question and
have an authority over people and life and they are known as obedience. It is very important that
the people have both these kind of mind set so that they can have a balance of life but in this case
this was not possible. Thompson and Venables had to listen to their parents and get beaten up
even after listening to them therefore they took out their anger in other ways by torturing the
siblings in the house and kids outside the house. They murdered James Bulger brutally because
they had no idea what they were doing and they could have made worst decisions if the court
would not have sent them to jail because they had learnt nothing positive and other kids would
have gotten tortured as well. B.F. Skinner has also discussed that there is a repetition of actions
then the person learns them. Both the children show the broken family which was under drug or
alcohol intake therefore they spoilt their children and nothing was taught to them. The parents
did not teach the right when the child saw the wrong so that had to reflect somehow in some
way.
Consequences of prejudice and discrimination
There is no reason for anyone to judge people without first understanding the situation or
the reason behind the kinds which happened. Therefore in this case also it is very important that
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