Theories of Criminal Behavior and Casual Factors

This paper analyzes the influences and factors that contribute to criminal activity through the lens of psychology. It explores various theories of criminal behavior, such as Bowlby's Attachment Theory and Rational Choice Theory. The application of psychological perspectives in public services, both at an individual and team level, is discussed. Additionally, strategies for reducing criminal behavior, including understanding the psychology of criminals and providing education and employment opportunities, are examined.

Running head: THEORIES OF CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR
Theories of Criminal Behavior and Casual Factors
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1THEORIES OF CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR
Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Influences and factors which contribute to criminal activity.....................................................2
Theories of criminal behavior....................................................................................................3
Psychological perspectives and its application by individuals in the Public Services...............4
Psychological perspectives and its application to teams within the Public Services.................5
Psychology and reduction of criminal behavior.........................................................................6
Analysis of Christchurch mosque shooting on the basis of psychology....................................6
Psychological perspective and its application to the work of a range of public services..........7
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................7
References..................................................................................................................................9

2THEORIES OF CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR
Introduction
As opined by Canter (2017), the increasing number of crimes that the world is facing
presently had given rise to the branch of study, namely, criminology, which is often seen as
the study of the law enforcement and also the analysis of the criminal activities on the basis
of this. Tonkin et al. (2017) are of the viewpoint that another important trend which is being
seen within the framework or the contemporary work is the fact that the different criminal
activities of the individuals are being analyzed through the specific lens of psychology. This
is important because of the fact that an analysis of the criminal activities of the individuals on
the basis of psychology not only offers an insight to the authorities regarding the behavior of
the criminals but also the factors which have propelled them to resort to such activities
(Crighton and Towl 2015). This is perhaps one of the major reasons why different
psychological theories and models are increasingly being applied for the analysis of the
behavior of the criminals in the public services and others. This paper will undertake an
analysis of the influences as well as factors which propel the individuals to resort to criminal
activities through the particular lens of psychology.
Influences and factors which contribute to criminal activity
Eaton and Korach (2016) are of the viewpoint that there are various factors or
influences which propels the individuals to resort to criminal activities which are often duped
derogatory by the law enforcement departments of the different nations. As opined by Nee et
al. (2018), the nature versus nurture debate is an important one which in a succinct manner
highlights the major influences or factors that propel the criminals to resort to derogatory
actions. For example, over the years genetics had been considered to be one of the most
important factors which greatly determine the actions of the individuals. In this regard, it
needs to be said that the individuals whose family members or past ancestors have shown a
violent trait or inability to control themselves then it is likely that these genes would also be
transferred to the concerned individuals although it might be dominant or suppressed (Bonta
and Andrews 2016). Thus, it can be said that the individuals in whose family there are past
cases of criminal activities are at a higher risk of resorting to such activities. On the other
hand, the upbringing of the individuals is another important which contributes in a significant
manner towards the criminal activities on the part of the individuals. For example, recent
researches have shown that the individuals who had faced domestic violence, abuse or other

3THEORIES OF CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR
kinds of similar events in their childhood develop a pent-up anger against the authorities and
also the societies (Schug and Fradella 2015). The net result of this is that they always look for
avenues through which they can take their revenge for the abuse that they have faced in their
younger days. Another important factor is the psychology of the individuals and also the
cognition of the individuals (Brennan 2008). In this regard, it needs to be said some of the
individuals during the course of their life had to face various kinds of injustices and
discrimination and this in turn develops a revenge mindset or a hate tendency on their part for
which they turn towards the different kinds of criminal activities (Wortley and Townsley
2016). A pertinent example of this is the increasing number of crimes which are being
committed by the Muslims in the present times in the diverse First World Nations because of
the discrimination as well as the injustice that they have face in the same.
In addition to the above mentioned reasons, there are other factors as well which
contribute to criminal tendencies on the part of the individuals in a significant manner. One of
the most important ones in this regard is the wide popularity as well as the media coverage
that the different criminals receive in the contemporary time (Nee et al. 2018). As a matter of
fact, it is seen that there are many criminals whose resort to violent activities just to come into
the limelight and also to get popular media attention. In addition to this, another important
factor is the problem of substance abuse and as a matter of fact it is seen that this is a
common factor among the different criminals of the world (Gross 2015). In this regard, it
needs to be said that the problem of abuse of substance abuse creates mental imbalance in
these individuals which in turn makes them violent and also resort to the kind of actions
which are harmful for others. Another important factor is the mental health issues like
schizophrenia and others which often make the individuals that they are someone else and
thereby perform the kind of actions that in their normal state of mind would not have
performed (Dovidio et al. 2010).
Theories of criminal behavior
Nee et al. (2018) have articulated the viewpoint that the increased cases of criminal
activities had given rise to different kinds of theories which try to not only analyze the actions
of the criminals but at the same time try to find out the probable causes of the same. One of
the most important theories in this regard is Bowlby's Attachment Theory and Maternal
Deprivation. In this context, it needs to be said that the major precept of this theory is the
fact that the one of the most important bonds which the individuals form during the course of

4THEORIES OF CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR
their entire life is with their mother and on the basis of the kind of bond that they share with
their mother, all other relationships of their life depend (Crighton and Towl 2015). However,
if the individuals are being deprived of the love as well as care of their mother during the
initial years of their life then this is likely to create a void in their life which in the longer run
can give rise to violent desires and propensities on their part. On the other hand, Albert
Bandura’s Social Learning Theory states that the individuals learn new things on the basis
of the stimuli, responses and other aspects of their immediate external environment in which
they dwell (Eaton and Korach 2016). This theory is an important one for the analysis of the
criminals and their activities because of the fact that this is one of the very few theories which
highlights the role of the environment in the violent activities undertaken by the individuals.
This is perhaps one of the major reasons why the individuals who have been the victims of
society or for that matter had to face injustices or discrimination or other forms of evil within
the societal framework often resort to violent activities.
Rational Choice Theory states that the overall social behavior of the individuals can
be seen as the conglomeration of the all the individual actors which affect the rationale or the
thinking pattern of the individuals (Canter 2017). In this regard, Becker, one of the most
important contributors towards this theory had articulated the viewpoint that the factors of
discrimination, social injustice and others are the major actors which affect the rationale and
the thinking pattern of the individuals (Wortley and Townsley 2016). The net result of this is
that the majority of the criminals during the course of their entire had faced one of these
issues at one point of time or the other. On the other hand, Eysenck's Theory of Criminal
Personality, takes into account the personality of the individuals and their personality traits
for the analysis of the behavior of the criminals (Tonkin et al. 2017). In this regard, the theory
states that there are two personality traits which are predominant in the individuals, namely,
extraversion and neuroticism and excessive extraversion on the part of the individuals can
propel them to criminal activities (Bonta and Andrews 2016). In addition to these, there are
other theories as well which are being used for the analysis of the behavior of the criminals
and also the factors which propel them to resort to criminal activities like cognitive theory
and others.
Psychological perspectives and its application by individuals in the Public Services
In the present times, it is seen that different kinds of psychological perspectives are
being used by the individuals in the public services both on an individual level and also on a

5THEORIES OF CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR
personal level. In this regard, it needs to be mentioned that at the individual or the personal
level the style or the mode of communication is important and there are four styles of
communication which are commonly used, namely, submissive, passive, assertive and
aggressive (Arnold et al. 2005). This is important because of the fact that the outcomes that
the individuals are hoping to attain in the public sector greatly depend on the communication
style which is being used by the individuals. On the other hand, for the purpose of attainment
personal or individual development different kinds of learning theories are also available to
the individuals like Mumford’s Learning Styles, Kolb’s Learning Styles and others. As per
Honey and Mumford Learning Styles, there are four kinds of learners, namely, activists,
theorists, pragmatists and reflectors (Tews, Michel and Noe 2017). In this regard, activists are
the individuals who learn new things by undertaking them or undertaking different kinds of
activities whereas the theorists are the ones who learn new things through the help of
hypothesis, theories, models and others (Leberman and McDonald 2016). Furthermore, the
pragmatists are the individuals who have the capability to implement the things that they have
learned into practice and the reflectors are the individuals who learn new things by reflecting
and contemplating things (Manuti et al. 2015). On the other hand, as per Kolb’s Learning
styles, there are four kinds of learning styles, namely, diverging, assimilating, converging and
accommodating (Riggio 2017). For example, the diverging kinds of learners are the ones who
learn by feeling and watching in contrast to the assimilating ones who learn by watching and
thinking (Illeris 2018). Moreover, the converging learners are the ones who learn by doing
and thinking whereas the accommodating learners are the ones who learn by doing and
feeling (Kirwan 2016). Thus, it can be said that the individuals for the attainment of
individual or personal development have the option to use any of these learning styles and
theories.
Psychological perspectives and its application to teams within the Public Services
There are various psychological perspectives which are applicable to the teams within
the public sector like team roles, group psychodynamics, personality styles, conflict
management and others (Van der Heijden, Gorgievski and De Lange 2016). In this regard, it
needs to be said that the different members of a team have different psychology and thus in
order to work in an effective manner the different members of the team need to set their
personal psychology aside and form a conglomerate team psychology which will reflect the
overall psychology of the entire team itself (Marsick and Watkins 2015). However, it is

6THEORIES OF CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR
important that the overall team psychology is in synchronicity with the individual psychology
of the each member of the team. More importantly, it is seen that during the process of
working together the individuals face different kinds of conflicts whose resolution is of
paramount importance for the effective working of the entire team itself (Riggio 2017).
Furthermore, for the effective resolution or the management of these conflicts, the team
members needs to understand the psychology of the individuals who are involved in the
conflict and come up with a solution that would be as per their demands (Manuti et al. 2015).
Lastly, the team or the management also needs to understand the fact that each member of the
team had an individual personality and thus the decisions which are being made by the
concerned team should take into account these different personality styles.
Psychology and reduction of criminal behavior
There are various ways through which the authorities can reduce the criminal
behavior on the part of the criminals and one of the best ways in this regard is to understand
the psychology of these individuals in an effective manner. More importantly, having an
effective understanding of the psychology of the criminals would not only enable the
authorities to understand the factors that have propelled them to resort to crime and thereby
address these factors (Crighton and Towl 2015). Another important measure is to offer
adequate education to these individuals and also to make them understand the adverse effect
that their criminal behavior is causing to others and also to the society. As opined by Tonkin
et al. (2017), offering adequate employment opportunities to the criminals is another way
through which the criminal activities on the part of the criminals can be reduced in an
effective manner. In addition to these, it is seen that there are many criminals who suffer from
mental health issues and thus offering them the right kind of mental health services is another
way through which these activities can be reduced (Canter 2017). The same can be done for
the resolution of the substance abuse problems that the majority of the criminals have in
common. Furthermore, community work during prison time, youth programs and others are
also options which can be used for the resolution of the problem under discussion here.
Analysis of Christchurch mosque shooting on the basis of psychology
Dylann Roof, a 28 year old man, killed more than 42 people and injured more than 50
people in the Christchurch mosque of New Zealand in what had been duped as one of the
most grotesque shootings in the concerned nation (BBC News 2019). However, an analysis

7THEORIES OF CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR
of the psychology of Roof and his motivations to undertake the concerned shooting would
reveal insightful. In this regard, it needs to be said that Roof believed in the concept of white
supremacy and believed the fact that the people from other nations and religious backgrounds
are far below him (BBC News 2019). However, the active support that the NZ government is
presently giving to people from different nations, especially the Muslims upset him in a
significant and this in turn propelled him to undertake the shooting under discussion here.
More importantly, the investigations clearly revealed the fact that he had past history of
murders which till now were not detected (BBC News 2019). In addition to this, he had
travelled in the past to nations like Pakistan, South Korea and others and also developed
hatred for the people of these nations (BBC News 2019). On the basis of this, it can be said
that the shooting was an outburst on the part of Roof and expression of his hatred for the
people from other nations and ethnicities.
Psychological perspective and its application to the work of a range of public services
Marsick and Watkins (2015) are of the viewpoint that the concept of psychological
perspective is being widely employed within the public services to not only understand the
behavior of the different employees but also to enhance their performance as well. More
importantly, it is also seen that the different firms are increasingly resorting to the use of the
concept of psychology for the formulation of effective working teams so that they can attain
the strategic goals or objectives that the firm had designed for itself (Kirwan 2016).
Furthermore, an effective utilization of the concept of psychological perspective also enables
the firms to understand the psychology of the individuals in an effective manner and also the
factors which motivate them so as to utilize these factors for the improvement of their
performance (Illeris 2018). In addition to these, an effective utilization of this concept also
enables the firms to allocate work to the individuals as per their capabilities or psychology.
Thus, it can be said that the effective usage of the concept of psychological perspective had
enabled the firms to not only understand the individuals who are associated with them but
also in the better completion of the different tasks or jobs of the firm as well.
Conclusion
To conclude, psychology had emerged as one of the most important branches of
knowledge which is being extensively used for the analysis of the behavior of the individuals
and also the factors or the influences which propel them to act in that manner. More

8THEORIES OF CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR
importantly, presently it is seen that psychology is also being used to understand the behavior
of the criminals and thereby to take the help of actions or measures which are likely to help
the authorities to curb such activities on the part of the individual. In addition to this, it is
seen that psychology is also being used within the framework of the different public services
to not only understand the psychology or the behavior of the individuals but also to attain a
higher level of organizational growth as well.

9THEORIES OF CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR
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