The Biological And Psychological Trait Theory - 851 Words

The Biological and Psychological Trait Theories are theories that are used to try and explain deviance. Biological Trait Theory stems from the Italian School of Criminology (mid-nineteenth century), head by criminologist Cesare Lombroso. Lombroso argued that criminality was a biological trait found in humans. Lombroso’s idea of atavism connected an individual’s appearance and their biological inclination to criminal activity. The Psychological Trait Theory focused on the mental aspects of explaining criminal activity by evaluating their intelligence, personality, and learning behavior. There are three subunits of the Psychological Trait Theory, which are the psychodynamic theory, behavioral theory, and cognitive theory. Sigmund Freud developed the psychodynamic theory with his research of the conscious, preconscious, and unconscious functions of the mind. The behavioral theory is about developing human actions through learning experiences. It explains that crime is learned from life situations. People aren’t born with violent tendencies, rather it’s learned from life experiences. Three sources of this behavior are family, the media, and the environment. Cognitive theory focuses on how people perceive and mentally represent the world around them and solve problems. In the case of Jared Loughner, the psychological trait theory is the most applicable. With his diagnosis of being a paranoid schizophrenic, that connects him to both the psychodynamic perspective andShow MoreRelatedTaking a Look at Biological Criminology1240 Words   |  5 PagesBiological criminology began many years ago along with the scientist Cesare Lombroso. He believed that criminals are born, not made. A â€Å"born criminal†, is a â€Å"defective individual†, whom has natural or instinctive tendencies towards low types of social life. (Biosocial and Psychological Theories, Feb. 11, 2014) Biological criminology believes criminals are geneti cally determined but face major shortcomings for being â€Å"simplistic, untestable, illogical, and often ideological† (Biosocial and PsychologicalRead MoreThere Is A Wide Array Of Theories About The Cause Of Crime1102 Words   |  5 PagesThere is a wide array of theories about the cause of crime ranging from predisposition to environmental factors. Research and development of these delinquency theories have progressed and been categorized by biological, psychological, and sociological theories. A major biological theory is Richard Dugdale’s theory of inheritance. There are several psychological theories with two of them being intelligence theory and Sigmund Freud’s personality trait theory. Sociological theories includes Emilie Durkheim’sRead MoreThe Theory Of Routine Activity Theory870 Words   |  4 PagesChoice theory (routine activity) or trait theories (bio social and psychological), which is responsible for more criminal activity? In order to de termine which one causes more criminal activity, they each must be defined. Choice Theory (routine activity) Rational choice theory commonly known as choice theory is based off of beliefs from classic criminology, which believe that individuals freely choose their behavior and are motivated by the pursuit of gratification and the attempt to avoid painRead MoreBiological And Trait Perspectives On The Human Personality1480 Words   |  6 PagesBiological and Trait Perspectives and Explanations of Neuroticism Two perspectives on the human personality will be explained in the following two sections. The first perspective is the biological perspective of personality. 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My closing paragraph will concludeRead MoreA Study Of Crime Fell Into The Domain Of Metaphysicians, Penologists And Moralists1478 Words   |  6 PagesQuestion 1: Before the mid-1800’s the study of crime fell into the domain of metaphysicians, penologists, and moralists and it was not until Cesare Lombroso that the study of crime was turned into a biological science (Rafter, 2006). Lombroso’s main focus for the biological school of thought was that criminals do have physical characteristics that are well defined and are distinct when compared to people who abide by the law. In fact, Lombroso believed that born criminals had the physical,Read MoreThe Case Of Jeffrey Dahmer Essay1377 Words   |  6 PagesDNA be the reason for his impulses to kill? Many theories criticize the biological perspective, but the studies of those who commit murder suggest the biological theory could be accurate. I. Introduction First, psychological theory suggests that a person’s environment and past can influence their ability and desire to commit crime while biological theory suggest a person’s DNA makeup could influence their ability to commit crime. â€Å"Biological theories within the field of criminology attempt to explainRead MorePsychological Disorders And The Movie A Beautiful Mind Essay1477 Words   |  6 Pagescan be analyzed to bring a more conclusive close to this debate. The thesis statement of this essay is that psychological disorders need to be understood independently of various factors such as biological and environmental factors. This is because the world of psychology has always tried to attach the above factors to various psychological disorders but I strongly feel that psychological disorders need to be understood and analyzed independently so as a true and deeper understanding of these disordersRead MoreFour Theories Of Criminology : Seminole State College974 Words   |  4 PagesFour Theories of Criminology Kendy Menelas Seminole State College Author Note Kendy Menelas, Department of English, Seminole State College This research was supported in part by the Federal Pell grant Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Kendy Menelas, Department of English, Seminole State College, Sanford, FL 32773. Contact: kendym@live.seminolestate.edu â€Æ' Abstract This paper summarizes four theories of criminology. Rational choice theory states that criminals act basedRead MoreDispositional, Evolutionary And Evolutionary Theory1283 Words   |  6 Pagesand Evolutionary Theory Nicholas DeRico PSY/405 August 24, 2015 Dispositional, Biological and Evolutionary Theory Abstract There are many theories that attempt to clarify the structures that influence personality, for example dispositional, and Evolutionary theory. This paper will discuss the differences that are among dispositional and evolutionary personality theories, as well as, strengths and limitations of dispositional and evolutionary and biological personality theories their bearing on