Understanding Criminal Behavior Through Psychological Lenses: A Report

Desklib provides past papers and solved assignments for students. This report explores the psychology of crime and its implications for public services.

Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................................1
P3................................................................................................................................................................2
M3...............................................................................................................................................................3
P4................................................................................................................................................................5
M4...............................................................................................................................................................6
P5................................................................................................................................................................9
CONCLUSION.............................................................................................................................................10
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INTRODUCTION
This assignment aims towards the understanding between crime and the psychological
theories. It aims to discuss the influencers and the general factors which are related to crime. It
helps in the formation of link between general factors and crime overall. The assignment also
deals with the psychological aspect of criminal behavior and thus attempts to explain criminal
theories. It also deals with the reduction of crime by the use of psychological theories. It also
attempts to draw a link between the psychological theories and individuals as well as teams in
public services.
2

P3
Following are some factors which lead to criminal activities:-
 Poverty and Unemployment: Unemployment and Poverty causes individuals to have
less and less basic facilities and no luxuries. This deprivation can at time cause people to
indulge in criminal activities in order to have a better life (Edmark, 2005).
 Substance Abuse: Addiction to different kinds of drugs makes individuals to criminal
activities in order to get these drugs to fulfill their urges. When they don’t have the
money to buy these drugs they get into criminal activities to get money (Fazel et al,
2009).
 Upbringing: Nobody is born a criminal, it is the upbringing which can have a negative
impact. A child who has been brought up in an environment where criminal activities
take place on a daily basis then there is high probability that the child will get into
criminal activities him/herself (Nygaard et al, 2007).
 Undesirable Circumstances: Sudden change in life such as death of a family member,
bankruptcy, etc. can have a huge impact on an individual who can cause them to get
into bad company and get indulged in criminal activities (Tilley, 2014).
 Stereotype: stereotyping a particular group of people on grounds of color, sexuality,
race, religion, etc. can lead to hate crimes. It can also cause that particular group to feel
suppressed and then they can commit crimes with the motive of revenge (Dixon, 2006).
Following are the influences which can cause criminal activities:-
 Peer Pressure: Youngsters get pressurized by their peers to get into criminal activities in
order to stay in the group. Later, they find all these activities very attractive and then
they start doing unethical things themselves (Costello and Hope, 2016).
 Religion: Hating a particular religion and spreading wrong information about it in order
to get more people to share the same view can cause individuals belonging to that
particular religion to commit crimes in the belief that they are saving their religion
against all these accusations (Hoffmann and Bahr, 2006).
 Media: This can further be divided into two namely Online and Offline.
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o Online: Cyber-crimes take place every day. People bully other people, wrongful
accusations causes the victim to use unethical means to take revenge. People
often defame others online to take revenge. This keeps their identity safe and
their motive is fulfilled as well (Taylor et al, 2014).
o Offline: Inaccurate information through Television and Newspapers can cause
many people to get infuriated about a particular topic. People develop hate
towards an individual or an idea and thereafter commit crimes because of it
(Sandvik and Waade, 2008).
 Trend: Growing trends in the youth about being rebellious towards the law directs them
towards criminal activities. Being on the other side of the law and not caring about the
results of their actions sounds very exciting to the young generation (Christie, 2016).
M3
Major theories of criminal behavior
 Eysenck’s Biosocial Theory: This theory says that if a person needs high level of
environmental stimulations for arousal in his or her CNS and ANS then that person is
more likely to have a criminal behavior as an environmental stimulator. Individuals who
are volatile and offensive can most likely have high neuroticism. On the other hand,
those who are aggressive and anti-social are likely to have high psychoticism ( Congdon
and Canli, 2008).
 Cognitive Theory: Explained in stages by Kohlberg, this theory focuses on the moral
development of an individual. It says that if an individual is at the lower level of moral
development then he or she is more likely to commit crime. What these people feel is
that they need to obey laws or else they will get punished. This thinking drives them to
commit crimes. On the other hand, individuals who understand the laws and why they
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are implemented are less likes to commit crimes. These people are therefore at a higher
level of moral development (Bennett et al, 2005).
 Social Learning Theory: This theory suggests that an individual learns to commit a
crime. People sometimes find a criminal role models and believe what they are doing is
morally correct. This thought can direct the individual towards crime as he or she
believes it is the correct thing to do. This theory disregards all other theories which say
criminal behavior is a by-product of behavioral or psychological issues (Akers, 2017).
 Rational Choice Theory: This theory does not view criminal behavior as criminal
behavior. This theory says that people find it a rational and weighed choice to commit a
crime. People find it more rewarding and rational to commit a crime. Therefore, for
them it does not feel like a crime but the right thing to do. It nullifies all other theories
stating criminal activities take place due to mental issues with an individual. It says that
people who commit crimes are actually in the right state of mind (Cornish and Clarke,
2014).
 Bowlby and Maternal Deprivation: John Bowlby in his theory about criminal behavior
talked about the importance of attachment to maternal figure in childhood years of an
individual. What the theory says is if an individual is not given proper motherly love and
affection in the growing years then it can lead to affectionless psychopathic issues,
cognitive developmental issues, behavioral issues and problems in having future
attachment. This theory of maternal deprivation helps in assessing criminal behavior. A
person who has had a motherly figure to connect with in the past is less likely to commit
any crime as compared to a person who has been brought up without a motherly figure
(Farrington, 2011).
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P4
Psychological perspectives can be applied by individuals in public services in the following way:-
 Learning styles: - There are mainly four types of learning styles which can be applied to
individuals.
 Activists: learners who learn by performing the activity.
 Pragmatists: individuals who are equipped with turning conceptual ideas and
activities under practice into reality.
 Reflectors: learners who observe others and analyze all aspects before
performing the activity.
 Theorists: learners who delve into hypothesis and ideas behind every activity.
All these styles have different weightage for workers in the public service. One or more
of these can be used to get results. For the improvement of delivery of service, training
programs can be set up so that individuals develop better skill with regards to work
(Kolb and Kolb, 2005).
 Leadership Styles and Motivation: - Two people who played a very important role in the
advancement of humanistic perspective in psychology are Maslow and Rogers. Roger’s
theory and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs help in the establishment of leadership styles
and motivational steps which help the employees of an organization to assess their
leaders on various fronts. A leader who motivates the employees is more desirable than
one who does not provide motivation through incentives.
 Fleming Social Learning Theory: - This theory talks about the link between the
environments surrounding an individual and their behavior and is based on operant and
classical conditioning. People learn from their past experiences and then develop
behavioral traits and personality. Lead by Albert Bandura and Julian B. Rotter, this
theory is also a part of the behavioral perspective. Analysis of professionals in public
service and training of employees can become easy when this theory is taken in use.
Setting a good environment for work place and improving the quality of employee
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satisfaction therefore improving the overall quality of work is possible when
incorporating this theory. Not only this, this theory also focuses on the behavior of
young kids and their interactions with the environment (Fleming, 2013).
 Style of Communication: - Communication is one of the most important aspects of any
organization. Without it there is no proper functioning and the employee-employer
relationship can degrade. There are roughly 3 styles of communication which are listed
below:-
 Passive: This kind of communication involves an individual’s inability to reflect
his or her needs and demands.
 Aggressive: Blaming, Labelling and using aggressive and hostile expressions
comes under Aggressive Communication.
 Assertive: When individuals use open language and make use of their thought
process without being aggressive or passive in any way then the communication
can be called as Assertive Communication.
Style of communication is very important in public service as it defines the relationship
between the person responsible and the client. Organizations should organize
workshops and seminars in order to improve the communication skills of the
employees. This also helps in the improvement of the personality (Giles and Ogay,
2007).
M4
To reduce criminal behavior by public services, psychology can be applied in the
following way:-
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1. Employment: A person who has lived a life in prison might return back to criminal
activities after getting out. Therefore, it is very important that these prisoners are
provided with proper job opportunities so that they can live a proper life on the right
side of law (Bushway, 2011).
2. Education: Young adults who are sent to detention centers should be provided
proper education. This will help them get success in their lives and not be dependent
on anyone. One of the main reasons for criminal behavior is unemployment and if
proper education is provided people will get employed therefore reducing criminal
behavior (Welsh and Farrington, 2007).
3. Finance: Most people who commit crimes come from a criminal back ground. After
being released, they should be provided with proper job opportunities so that they
don’t have to commit any criminal activities for money (Hardouin, 2009).
4. Health: Even when inside the prison, officials should keep a check on the health of
prisoners. It is a basic right and prisoners should not be denied this (Stafford et al,
2007).
5. Family: A person’s moral support is always that person’s family. Close relatives and
friend should encourage the prisoner to lead a good life after getting out and should
prevent them from committing crimes in the future.
6. Society: The society should accept the prisoner once out of jail. Society plays a very
important role as the attitude of society can change the individual’s behavior. There
should not be any negativity or else the person might want to offend again
(McCollister et al, 2010).
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7. Drugs and Alcohol: Besides unemployment and financial instability, drugs and
alcohol are primary motivators to commit crimes. People who have committed
crimes relating to drugs and alcohol in the past should be regularly checked. If
proper care is not taken there is high probability that the same people will commit
the crime again (Miller and Hendrie, 2009).
8. Shelter: Not having a place to live in can turn a non-offender into an offender. When
prisoners are discharged, officials should make sure they are given proper
accommodation so they can lead a normal life.
9. Youth Programs: Designed for young offenders these programs include correctional
facilities and community work so that these young offenders can redeem
themselves. They have their whole life ahead of them and it should not go waste.
These programs help them to get a pathway so that they can lead a better life (de
Vries et al, 2015).
10. Debt Financing: Prisoners can have huge debts on their heads which is probably the
reason they committed a crime. While discharging proper care should be taken of
their debts and they should be cleared off so that when the prisoner is out he or she
can start fresh and does not have to worry about any mistake from the past.
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P5
Psychological perspectives can be applied to teams within public services in the
following ways:
 Group Psychodynamics: Anxiety and Stress are two common aspects which can be
found in individuals working in a group. It is necessary to analyze them in order to
keep the group in check. This psychodynamic nature of the members of the group
can be analyzed with the help of Freud’ Psychoanalytic Theory (Dodds, 2009).
 Psychodynamic Theories of Group Tension: As discussed above, the theory given by
Freud can also be applied to a whole group. Understanding the dynamics of the
members of the group individually and with one another can not only solve present
problems but can also help in avoiding future confusion and tension.
 Improving Group Performance: The formulation of a group is done with the idea of
increasing the efficiency of every individual. This further improves the quality of
work done. Therefore, proper attention should be given to the performance of the
group so that the quality of service delivery is improved. This can only be done with
the inner conflicts and confusions in the group are resolved (Sy et al, 2005).
 Compromise: Compromise is when two or more members settle an argument by
taking the accepting the neutral solution to the problem. This not only solves the
problem but also avoids further conflicts because of reasons such as disagreement
of a member regarding the solution. When a neutral solution is taken into
consideration, no member can fulfill any hidden motive.
 Personality Types: Trait Theories are one of the most widely accepted theories
regarding personality and its types. These theories work on five basic traits namely
Agreeableness, Openness, Neuroticism, Conscientiousness and lastly Extraversion.
Based on these five traits are sixteen types of personalities.
 Conflict Management: It is very important to solve the conflicts arising in the group.
These conflicts which arise in a group can be managed by five rules. The first step is
to identify the problem and tracking the source of this problem. Following steps are
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to find the most efficient solution for the problem, which is acceptable to parties
involved in conflict. A formal agreement can be formulated after this, though it is not
necessary (Himes, 2008).
 Studies of ‘in’ and ‘out’ groups: when members of a group start comparing each
other on the basis of similarities between them called as ‘in groups’ and on the basis
of dissimilarities between them called as ‘ out groups’, conflicts arise. This problem
should be dealt with in a proper manner so as to avoid the conflict (Bohner et al,
2010).
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CONCLUSION
The assignment has highlighted the importance of the psychological theories of crime. The
criminal theories have provided a basic but in depth knowledge of criminal behavior and thus
provide a solution for reducing offending behavior in public services. The assignment also
addresses the casual factors that affects and influences criminal behavior. The assignment also
draws the psychological aspect of teams and individuals in the public sector. The assignment
can be concluded with the understanding of criminal behavior with the help of psychological
theories as well as various aspects of public services.
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