Welcome to Deviance and Violence Seminar 6  Review unit 5  What to expect  Q and A

Biology and Psychology in Serial Murder What is it about an individuals biology that would cause them to act violently? What is it about an individuals psychology makeup that would cause them to act violently?

Biology and Violent Crime  Biological Trait Theories  Biochemical conditions influence antisocial behavior.  Dan White's "Twinkie defense"  Influence of chemicals and minerals is direct/indirect.  People who start drinking by age 14 are five times more likely to become alcoholics - early ingestion of alcohol will have a direct influence on behavior.  Chemical and mineral imbalances lead to cognitive and learning deficits that, in turn, are associated with aggressive behavior.

Biology and Violent Crime  Diet Healthy diet promotes normal brain function and growth. People eating diets containing too little or too much of fats, minerals, vitamins seem to be at higher risk of developing psychological disturbances. Kids with faulty diets lack attention - associated with educational underachievement

Biology and Violent Crime  Lead exposure Exposure linked to emotional and behavioral disorders. Locales with highest levels of lead concentration report the highest levels of homicide. Long-term, worldwide trends in crime levels correlate significantly with changes in environmental levels of lead.  Hypoglycemia High levels of reactive hypoglycemia found in groups of habitually violent and impulsive offenders.

Biology and Violent Crime  Male Hormonal Influences Androgens (male sex hormones) - abnormal levels produce aggressive behavior. Testosterone - the most abundant androgen - has been linked to criminality. Prenatal exposure to high levels of testosterone alters behavior in males and females - long term tendency toward aggression. Gender differences in crime rate may be explained by differences in testosterone and other androgens

Biology and Violent Crime  Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) Dalton research: Studies of English women indicated that females were more likely to commit suicide and to be aggressive/antisocial just before or during menstruation. Significant debate exists re: PMS and aggression. Fishbein research: 1) Significant number of incarcerated females committed crimes during premenstrual phase; 2) a small percentage of women appear vulnerable to cyclical hormonal changes.

Biology and Violent Crime Neurophysiological Conditions and Crime  Neurophysiology - study of brain activity  Inherited or acquired neurological and physical abnormalities control behavior throughout the lifespan.  Research: significant relationship between impairment in executive brain function (abstract reasoning, problem solving, motor skills) and aggressive behavior.

Biology and Violent Crime  Violent criminals and drug abusers have impairment in various regions of the brain.  Neurological impairment may also lead to the development of personality traits liked to antisocial behavior - i.e., low self-control.  Neurological deficits linked to a full range of criminal activity including serial murder.  Suspected link between brain dysfunction and conduct disorder - a precursor of chronic offending.  One in five offenders report some type of traumatic brain injury.

Biology and Violent Crime  Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Developmentally inappropriate lack attention along with impulsivity and hyperactivity Found in 3% of children, most often boys Associated with poor school performance, bullying, stubbornness, lack of response to discipline ADHD children may also suffer from conduct disorder. ADHD children are more likely to be suspended from school and engage in criminal behavior as adults.

Biology and Violent Crime  Brain Chemistry Low levels of dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin, MAO, and GABA associated with aggression. Low levels of MAO linked to high levels of violence and property crime. Females naturally have higher levels of MAO than males - may explain gender differences in crime rates. Low serotonin levels are associated with poor impulse control, hyperactivity, irritability, and sensation seeking.

Biology and Violent Crime  Arousal Theory People's brains respond differently in response to environmental stimuli. "Sensation seekers" look for stimulating activities that may include aggressive, violent behavior patterns.

Biology and Violent Crime  Genetics and Crime Human traits associated with criminality have a genetic basis.  Antisocial behavior is inherited.  The genetic makeup of parents is passed on to children.  Genetic abnormality is linked to a variety of antisocial behaviors.  The association between genetic makeup and antisocial behavior is often hard to validate.

Psychology and Violent Crime  Psychodynamic Perspective Sigmund Freud - believed people carry the residue of the most significant emotional attachments of their childhoods that then guide their future relationships. Human personality has a three-part structure.  Id - the primitive part of a person's mental makeup, seeks instant gratification  Ego - compensates for the demands of the id by helping to guide actions  Superego - the moral aspect of people's personalities

Psychology and Violent Crime  What happens when the ego and the superego are defective?

Personality and Violent Crime  Personality traits and crime Impulsivity, hostility, narcissism, hedonism, and aggression are highly correlated with criminal and antisocial behaviors.  Psychotic Personality Cannot empathize with others, are short-sighted and hedonistic Sociopaths are a product of a destructive home environment. Psychopaths are a product of a defect or aberration within themselves.

Personality and Violent Crime  Anti-social personality (ASP) - offenders with ASP Are crime prone Respond with strong negative emotions and are impulsive Feel stressed and harassed Maintain "negative emotionality" - a tendency to experience anger, anxiety, irritability  Factors contributing to development of a criminal personality Improper socialization Having a psychopathic parent Experiencing parental rejection and lack of love during childhood Receiving inconsistent discipline Neurological factors: low level of arousal - therefore are thrill-seekers Blair: 15-25% of inmates meet diagnostic criteria for psychopathy.

Social Process Theory  Social Process Theory Most people are shaped by their interactions with social institutions such as schools, and social groups, such as family, peers, and neighbors. Relationships can be positive and supportive or dysfunctional and destructive. Three branches  Social learning theory - people learn techniques and attitudes of crime from close relationships with criminal peers.  Social control theory - everyone has the potential to become a criminal, but most people are controlled by their bonds to society.  Social reaction/labeling theory - people become criminals when significant members of society label them as such.

Social Structure Theory  Social Structure Theories Social and economic forces operating in deteriorated lower-class cause crime. Three branches of social structure theory  Social disorganization theory  Focuses on urban conditions that affect crime rates  Disorganized area - institutions of social control have broken down  Strain theory  Crime is a function of the conflict between people's goals and the means they have to obtain them---”American Dream”  Cultural deviance theory  Subcultures maintain unique values and beliefs that conflict with conventional social norms.  Subcultural values are passed from generation to generation

Neutralization Theory  David Matza and Gresham Sykes Law violators must learn techniques that enable them to neutralize conventional values and attitudes in order to "drift" back and forth between conventional and illegal behaviors. Even the most committed criminals are not involved in criminality all the time.

Social Control Theory  General Precepts Maintain that all people have the potential to violate the law Questions why people obey the rules of society Some individuals have self-control. Some individuals have been socialized to have a commitment to conformity.

Social Reaction (Labeling) Theory  General Precepts Crime is defined by those in power. Not only are acts labeled, so too are people.  Positive labels can improve self-image and social standing.  Negative labels can stigmatize and reduce self-image. Negatively labeled individuals will become increasingly committed to a deviant career. Labeled persons turn to others who are similarly stigmatized. Labeled kids and adults may internalize negative labels and begin acting in concordance with those labels.

MacDonald Triad

Deviance and Violence Seminar 6  Summary Q and A What to expect for Unit 7