ORIGINS OF CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR: DEVELOPMENTAL RISK FACTORS CHAPTER 2 ORIGINS OF CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR: DEVELOPMENTAL RISK FACTORS

The Developmental Perspective The life course of all humans follows a trajectory that may be littered with risk factors

The Developmental Perspective Antisocial Behavior Antisocial Behavior Risk Factor Risk Factor Antisocial Behavior Risk Factor

Risk Factors Individual attributes and developmental social and family experiences that are believed to increase the probability that an individual will engage in persistent criminal behavior

Types of Risk Factors Psychological Social Familial

Risk Factors Social Risk Factors Poverty Early peer rejection Association with antisocial peers Inadequate pre-school child care Inadequate after-school care School failure

Risk Factors Parental and Family Single-parent household Permissive or lax parental style Minimal parental monitoring Parental psychopathology Physical and emotional abuse/neglect Domestic violence Substance abuse Antisocial siblings

Risk Factors Psychological Cognitive and language deficiencies Low IQ scores or psychometric intelligence Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) Conduct disorder

Social Risk Factors Poverty The relationship between poverty and violence is not well understood Many other variables Inadequate schools Inequities in resources Discrimination, racism, Unsafe living conditions Unemployment Neighborhood violence

Social Risk Factors Peer Rejection Peer-rejected children tend to be more aggressive, argumentative, inattentive, and disruptive than others, and generally have poorer social skills Membership in deviant groups or gangs encourage and increase the already existing antisocial patterns in children and adolescents

Social Risk Factors Day Care Poor-quality child care Poorer language Impaired cognitive development Difficult social and emotional adjustment Low-income children who experience high-quality infant and preschool care show better school achievement and socialized behavior in later years than similar children without child-care experience or with experience in lower- quality care

Social Risk Factors After-School Care Children who are unsupervised after school in the early elementary grades are at elevated risk for behavior problems in early adolescence Antisocial children seek out niches that involve association with antisocial peers and environments with minimal adult supervision

Social Risk Factors School Experiences Early school failure is also linked to antisocial development and delinquency reading achievement appears to play a prominent role in school failure

Family Risk Factors Parenting Practices and Styles Allowance Reading together Serving as home room parent Parenting styles Gestures Tone of voice Expression of emotion

Baumrind’s Parenting Styles Intention Authoritarian To shape and control child’s life Permissive No control, few restrictions Authoritative Rational, apply reasonable restrictions Neglecting Detached and unengaged in child’s life

Family Risk Factors Parental Style Enmeshed Inconsistent and ineffective discipline Use of coercive punishment for even minor misbehavior Lax Lack of discipline Denial about antisocial behavior

Family Risk Factors Parental Monitoring Parents’ awareness of their child’s peer associates, free-time activities, and physical whereabouts when outside the home Strong predictor of antisocial behavior during later childhood and adolescence

Family Risk Factors Siblings and Parent Psychopathology Antisocial sibling is most influential when siblings are close in age Parental depression, alcoholism, violence related to delinquency

Bowlby’s Attachment Theory Secure Child feels secure in parent’s presence, distressed when leaves but delighted by parent’s return Insecure Anxious/ ambivalent Child is very distressed by separation but may be indifferent or hostile when parent returns Avoidant Child is indifferent about both separation and return

Psychological Risk Factors Empathy Affective Ability to experience another person’s emotions Deficiencies closely linked to antisocial behavior Cognitive Ability to understand another’s emotions

Psychological Risk Factors Language Impairment Leads to peer rejection and academic difficulties Males more difficulty Difficulty expressing self may increase frustration levels Conflict resolution Aggressive behavior

Psychological Risk Factors IQ Psychometric approach Many types of intelligence not measured by test Relationship between IQ and school performance IQ and ethnicity

Psychological Risk Factors IQ Scores Individual experiences Rich and varied increase score School experiences Positive increase language skills Negative stagnate or decrease Test Type, content, situation, examiner

Psychological Risk Factors Learning Disability Many learning disabilities are overdiagnosed Label that follows individuals through the educational system The relationship between delinquency and learning disability is unclear

Psychological Risk Factors Conduct Disorder Persistent misbehavior Stealing, cruelty to others, fighting, lying Catch-all category Signs may occur as early as age three Often mislabeled Learning disability or ADHD Associated with peer rejection

Psychological Risk Factors Two Subtypes of Conduct Disorder Childhood Onset Type Adolescent Onset Type

Types of Conduct Disorder Childhood Onset Type Pattern begins prior to age 10 Prognosis is not good, according to DSM-IV-R

Types of Conduct Disorder Adolescent Onset Type Absence of any pattern prior to age More favorable prognosis

Psychological Risk Factors Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Inattention Easily distracted Impulsivity Acts before thinking, one activity to another Excessive motor activity Unable to sit still, fidgets, noisy

Psychological Risk Factors Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Leading psychological diagnosis for American children Self-regulation ADHD and substance abuse Symptoms of ADHD and antisocial behavior at young age correlated with criminal behavior

Developmental pathways Enmeshed style Language impairment Lax style Chapter 2 Key Concepts Developmental pathways Enmeshed style Language impairment Lax style Neglecting style Attachment theory Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) Authoritarian style Authoritative style Conduct disorder

Psychometric approach Psychometric intelligence Self-regulation Chapter 2 Key Concepts Parental monitoring Parental practices Parental styles Permissive style Psychometric approach Psychometric intelligence Self-regulation