Are Criminals Born or Made?

"Unlocking criminal mind's through psychology"

Are criminals born or made?

Anisa Hafeji

Introduction

Phrenology Perspective

Neurology Perspective

Nature Nurture Debate

"It's in the genes"

Social Influence

Index

Freud's Theory

Economic Influence

Twin Studies & Adoption

Eyesenck's Theory

Conclusion

Lombroso's Theory

NATURE NURTURE DEBATE

NATURE

NURTURE

The internal and genetic predispositions inherited at birth

The external and environmental factors affecting human development

SOCIAL INFLUENCE

Merton's Strain Theory

Robert K Merton proposed the "Strain Hypothesis" stating that society puts pressure on individuals to achieve social and cutural valued goals, causing frustration and often leading to deviant behaviour

Durkheim's Concept of Anomie

Anomie is a state in which expectations are unclear and the social system which keeps people functioning has broken down - a condition of instability and disintegration.

ECONOMIC INFLUENCE

Chiricos & Box

Cantor & Land

An investigation into the correlation between unemployment and crime (the U-C relationship), particularly 'property' crimes.

Integration of the Opportunity & Activity Theory to further explain the U-C relationship and propose its contradictions.

EYSENCK'S THEORY

Eysenck's Personality Theory

The theory shares the psychoanalytical assumption that offending is linked to stable personality traits and that the root cause of most criminality is the failure to contain immature pleasures and impulses.

Lombroso's theory

Lombroso's Biological Theory

An atavistic perspective whereby the physiological features that you inherit can be used to determine whether you are 'born' criminal i.e. there is a distinct class of people prone to criminality based on their primitive features.

PHRENOLOGY

"A Debunked Pseudoscience"

Phrenology is the study of the shape and size of the cranium as an indication of an individual's character

Franz Joseph Gall first proposed the idea that criminal brains were different from the general public's. It was used to explain mental and moral qualities and made a significant impact in legal procedures.

NEUROLOGY

The work of Dr Adrian Raine

With recent research into neurocriminology, Raine is a pioneer for brain imaging studies on murderers through the use of PET scans, recognising differences in:

• Amygdala
• Prefrontal Cortex
• Hippocampus
• Activity between hemispheres

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"Its in the genes"

CDH13 Gene

MAOA Gene

Research into the variants of this gene has suggested associations regarding impulsivity, ADHD, substance abuse, and criminal behaviour. However it's complexity means we must use other factors such as environmental influences to explain the above associations.

A gene coding for an enzyme responsible for releasing neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin, and noradrenaline. Itis low-activity and deficiency is what has been the subject of interest for investigation and research into its potential association with aggresive and antisocial behaviours.

sigmund freud

Psychodynamic Theory

SUPEREGO

The theory proposes that an individual's personality is influenced by unconscious mental processes rooted in chilchood experiences, made up of three key components: Id, ego, and superego. A significant theory to understand criminal motives, but cannot completely rely on a 'nature' explanation.

The development of a conscientious sense between right and wrong

Step 1

The balance between primal impulses of the id and the moralistic superego

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EGO

The primitive part of personality assigned at birth

Id

Step 3

The important thing is that everything fits the theme.

NATURE X NURTURE

Adoption Studies

Twin Studies

Researchers make twins an interest of investigation by juxtaposing their contrasting environmental upbringing to understand criminal behaviour. Key studies such as the National Swedish Twin Study focusing on subtypes of criminal behaviour as well as a longitudinal twin-sibling investigation focusing on criminal convictions from adolescence to early adulthood.

The Hereditary-Environment Interactions in Youth Study investigates nature-nurture interplay by disentangling the contribution of genetic and environmental influences as they are raised in a different environment to their biological parents.

CONCLUSION

Thank you for listening!