1. Chapter 5 Psychology and Crime

2. Chapter Objectives (1 of 3)
Understand the difference between psychiatric and psychological criminology.
Know the gist of psychoanalytic theory, including Freudian elements of personality and defense mechanisms.
Know how psychoanalytic theory and psychoanalysis has been applied to delinquents and criminals.

3. Chapter Objectives (2 of 3)
Comprehend the principles of learning (operant conditioning, classical conditioning, and observational learning) and how they relate to theories of crime.
Understand the two areas of cognitive psychology (cognitive structure and cognitive content) and how they have been applied to criminal behavior.

4. Chapter Objectives (3 of 3)
Distinguish between general personality research and research on criminal personality.
Grasp the concepts involved in the debate on the relationship between IQ and criminal behavior.
Know the policy implications derived from theories of learning, personality, and cognition.

5. You Are the Criminologist
The BTK Killer
Dennis L. Rader
BTK: bind, torture, kill
Convicted of killing 10 people
Discussion
How might a Freudian theorist explain Rader’s letters?
Does Rader show signs of being a psychopath?
What characteristics do or do not fit?

6. Introduction
How does a psychologist or psychiatrist develop and understand the criminal mind?
What does psychology contribute to the study of the criminal mind?
What is the psychological approach to the study of crime?

7. Psychoanalytic Theory
Henry Maudsley (1835–1918): Criminals suffer from “moral degeneracy,” a deficiency of moral sense.
Sigmund Freud (1856–1939): One can understand human behavior best by examining early childhood experiences.

8. Freudian Elements of Personality
Conscious v. Unconscious Mind Id
Superego
Ego

9. Freudian Elements of Personality
Lester and Van Voorhis
Id: “If it feels good, do it!”
Superego: conscience – “Stealing is wrong.”
Ego: psychological thermostat that regulates the wishes of the id with the social restrictions of the superego.

10. Freudian Elements of Personality
Two sources of anxiety
1. Desire is not met.
2. Unconscious desire becomes
conscious.

11. Freudian Explanations of Delinquency
Human nature is inherently antisocial
Id: infants start life with antisocial drives
Superego: forms from experience
Ego: helps to negotiate demands for instant gratification with acceptable behavior

12. Policy Implications of Freudian Theory
Drawbacks
Difficult to test empirically
Cannot be directly observed and measured
Still maintains a place in psychology of criminal behavior

13. Behavioral Psychology
Differs from psychoanalytical theory
Focuses on specific behaviors
All behavior is learned

14. Principles of Learning
Three types of learning
Classical conditioning
Operant conditioning
Observational (vicarious) learning

15. Principles of Learning
Classical Conditioning

16. Principles of Learning
Operant Conditioning

17. Principles of Learning
Positive reinforcement: increases the target behavior by rewarding the individual
Negative reinforcement: increases the target behavior by removing an unpleasant stimulus
Punishment: reduces the odds of the target behavior being repeated

18. Principles of Learning
Direct parental control: theorists tie delinquency to parents’ failure to effectively condition their children away from negative behaviors

19. Principles of Learning
Glueck and Glueck: inconsistent and harsh punishment correlates with delinquent children
Patterson: effective parenting (monitoring, punishing, and reinforcing behavior) correlates with nondeliquent children
Harris: parental behaviors have few effects on the child’s long-term development

20. Principles of Learning

21. Modeling Theory
Observational learning: role modeling the behavior of others.
Albert Bandura (Bobo doll experiments): learning is not based on trial and error (operant conditioning).
Effects on criminal behaviors are difficult to determine.

22. Media and Crime
Does media (TV and movies) influence aggression, violence, and criminal behavior?
Conducive to role modeling:
Perpetrators not punished
Targets of violence show little pain
Few long-term negative consequences

23. Media and Crime
Evidence suggests that reducing exposure to media violence reduces aggression and violence in children.

24. Policy Implications of Behaviorism
Criminals can learn pro-social behaviors to replace criminal actions
Aversion therapy
Token economy

25. Cognitive Psychology
Humans’ ability to engage in complex thoughts influences behavior
Cognitions (like behaviors) can be learned
Focus on
Cognitive structure (how people think)
Cognitive content (what people think)

26. Cognitive Structure
Kohlberg's theory of moral reasoning: humans advance through predictable stages of moral reasoning
Self-control
Ability to empathize
Ability to anticipate consequences
Ability to control anger

27. Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development (1 of 2)
Right is blindly obeying those with power and authority.
Emphasis is on avoiding punishment.
Interests of others are not considered.
Stage 2
Right is furthering one’s own interests.
Interests of others are important only as a way to satisfy self-interests.
Stage 3
Moral reasoning is motivated by loyalties to others and a desire to live up to other’s standards.

28. Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development (2 of 2)
Right is following the rules of society and maintaining important social institutions (e.g., family, community).
Stage 5
Moral decisions are made by weighing individual rights against legal principles and the common good.
Stage 6
Moral decisions are based on universal principles (e.g., human dignity, desire for justice).
Principles are considered across different contexts and are independent of the law.

29. Cognitive Content
Rationalizations or denials that support criminal behavior
For example, a criminal thinks, “I’m not really hurting anyone.”
Criminals are more likely to express such thoughts, but the relationship (causation or correlation) to crime is unclear.
Extremely common for sex offenders

30. Policy Implications of Cognitive Psychology
Cognitive theory translates easily into practice.
Cognitive skills programs teach offenders cognitive skills like moral reasoning, anger management, or self-control.

31. Policy Implications of Cognitive Psychology
Cognitive restructuring attempts to change the content of an individual’s thoughts.
Combination cognitive-behavioral programs have had significant success.

32. Personality and Crime
Crime and delinquency related to the presence of some personality trait
Personality trait: a characteristic of an individual that is stable over time and across different social circumstances
Personality: the sum of personality traits that define a person

33. Theory in Action Multisystematic therapy (MST)
Creator Scott Henggeler and associates
Reduces criminal behavior
Comprehensive approach
Targets many areas for change
Uses many different techniques (not just cognitive-behavioral programs)

34. Personality Traits and Crime
A number of related traits combine to form super factors
Several different models
Five-factor model
Tellegen’s personality model
Recent studies use the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MPQ)

35. Personality Traits and Crime (1 of 2)
Personality dimensions in the MPQ
Constraint
Traditionalism
Harm avoidance
Control
Negative emotionality
Aggression
Alienation
Stress reaction

36. Personality Traits and Crime (2 of 2)
Personality dimensions in the MPQ
Positive emotionality
Achievement
Social potency
Well-being
Social closeness

37. Criminal Personality: The Psychopath
Refers to a class of individuals with a distinct criminal personality
Term widely misused throughout history
Unclear determining factors
Psychopathy checklist (PCL) looks for certain personality traits
Criticism: Are psychopaths qualitatively different from other offenders?

38. Policy Implications of Personality Theory
Personality traits consistently predict delinquency and crime.
Criticism: Personality traits are often portrayed as impossible to change.

39. You Are the Criminologist
Does Dennis Rader (BTK) show signs of being a psychopath?
What characteristics of psychopathy appear to fit with Rader?
What characteristics do not?

40. Intelligence and Crime
Feeblemindedness was once thought to be a cause of crime.
What exactly is IQ and how does it relate to criminal behavior?

41. A Brief History of Intelligence Testing
IQ tests measure mental differences from one person to another.
Old methods included:
Measuring one’s skull size
Testing the ability to memorize
These methods were determined to be insufficient.

42. A Brief History of Intelligence Testing
IQ test devised to identify students who were performing poorly in school and needed academic assistance
Not meant to be a measuring device for intelligence
Has concerns of cultural bias

43. IQ and Crime
There is an IQ gap of 8–10 points between criminals and noncriminals, even when statistically controlled for race and social class.
IQ is not a very strong indicator of criminal behavior.

44. IQ and Crime Travis Hirschi and Michael Hindelang The Bell Curve
Crime-IQ link consistently documented
Criminologists continue to study the relationship.

45. Policy Implications of the IQ-Crime Relationship
Is IQ a measure of native intelligence or something else?
Is IQ a direct cause of crime or does it influence other factors that cause criminal behavior?
What do criminologists believe about IQ and its direct or indirect relationship to crime?

46. Conclusion
The common emphasis of all psychological theories is on the individual.
Each theory must be evaluated on its ability to account for criminality.
Not all theories are well supported by evidence.
Many psychological theories translate well into treatment programs.