CRIMINAL

PSYCHOLOGY

Submitted By: Group 3

Cabrigas, Rose Connie
Dalluay, Randall
Evardone, Angelo
Gose, Donna Loida
Legaspi, Sergio
Maquiddang, Ansharina Flor
Menor, Sofia Alexandra Nicole
Poja, Kristian Rex
Regir, Romel
Reyes, Harry

Submitted To: Mr. Brian Guerrero.

CRIMINAL PSYCHOLGY
• This is a branch of knowledge that studies various aspects of criminal behavior.
Specifically, it refers to the study of the mind and its workings in relation to crime.

• Scope includes the study of the psychological traits of the criminal or his basic
psychological characteristics that is, his moral insensibility and improvidence.

PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAIT THEORIES

Andrew Luster, an heir to the Max Factor cosmetic fortune, lived a privileged life of sun and
fun in a beach house in an exclusive community near Santa Barbara. However, Andrew had a
darker side, which came to light on July 17, 2000, when he was arrested after a young woman
accused him of drugging her with the “date rape” drug GHB and then having sex with her while
she was unconscious. When police served a warrant on his home, they found tapes indicating
Luster had a habit of drugging women and raping them while they were comatose. Halfway
through the trial, Luster jumped bail, disappeared, and was declared a fugitive from justice. In
his absence, the jury found him guilty on 86 of the 87 counts, and he was eventually sentenced
to more than 100 years in prison. Five months later, he was captured in the resort town of
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, by bounty hunter Duane “Dog” Chapman. On July 3, 2003, an appellate
court denied Luster’s appeal of his guilty verdicts because he had jumped bail. How can we
explain the bizarre behavior of Andrew Luster? Why would a wealthy, handsome man drug and
rape unsuspecting women? Could his acts possibly be the result of calculation and planning, or
are they the product of some mental aberration or personality disturbance? The second branch
of trait theories focuses on the psychological aspects of crime, including the associations among
intelligence, personality, learning, and criminal behavior. Psychological theories of crime have a
long history. In The English Convict, Charles Goring (1870–1919) studied the mental
characteristics of 3,000 English convicts. He found little difference in the physical characteristics
of criminals and non-criminals, but he uncovered a significant relationship between crime and a
condition he referred to as defective intelligence, which involves such traits as
feeblemindedness, epilepsy, insanity, and defective social instinct. Goring believed criminal
behavior was inherited and could, therefore, be controlled by regulating the reproduction of
families who produced mentally defective children. Gabriel Tarde (1843–1904) is the
forerunner of modern-day learning theorists. Tarde believed people learn from one another
through a process of imitation. Tarde’s ideas are similar to modern social learning theorists who
believe that both inter-personal and observed behavior, such as a movie or television, can
influence criminality. Since the pioneering work of people like Tarde and Goring, psychologists,
psychiatrists, and other mental health professionals have long played an active role in
formulating criminological theory. In their quest to understand and treat all varieties of
abnormal mental conditions, psychologists have encountered clients whose behavior falls
within categories society has labeled as criminal, deviant, violent, and antisocial. This section is
organized along the lines of the predominant psychological views most closely associated with
the causes of criminal behavior. Some psychologists view antisocial behavior from a
psychoanalytic or psychodynamic perspective: their focus is on early childhood experience and
its effect on personality. In contrast, behaviorism stresses social learning and behavior
modeling as the keys to criminality. Cognitive theory analyzes human perception and how it
affects behavior. Psychodynamic Theory (or psychoanalytic) psychology was originated by
Viennese psychiatrist Sigmund Freud (1856–1939) and has since remained a prominent
segment of psychological theory. Freud believed that we all carry with us residue of the most
significant emotional attachments of our childhood, which then guide future interpersonal
relationships. Today the term “psychodynamic” refers to a broad range of theories that focus
on the influence of instinctive drives and forces and the importance of developmental
processes in shaping personality. Contemporary psychodynamic theory places greater emphasis
on conscious experience and its interaction with the unconscious, in addition to the role that
social factors play in development. Nonetheless, it still focuses on the influence of early
childhood experiences on the development of personality, motivation, and drives.

PSYCHODYNAMIC THEORY
Psychodynamic (or psychoanalytic) psychology was originated by Viennese psychiatrist
Sigmund Freud (1856–1939) and has since remained a prominent segment of psychological
theory.199 Freud believed that we all carry with us residue of the most significant emotional
attachments of our childhood, which then guide future interpersonal relationships. Today the
term “psychodynamic” refers to a broad range of theories that focus on the influence of
instinctive drives and forces and the importance of developmental processes in shaping
personality. Contemporary psychodynamic theory places greater emphasis on conscious
experience and its interaction with the unconscious, in addition to the role that social factors
play in development. Nonetheless, it still focuses on the influence of early childhood
experiences on the development of personality, motivation, and drives.

Elements of Psychodynamic Theory

According to the classic version of the theory, the human personality contains a three-part
structure. The id is the primitive part of an individual’s mental makeup present at birth. It
represents unconscious biological drives for sex, food, and other life-sustaining necessities. The
id follows the pleasure principle: it requires instant gratification without concern for the rights
of others. The ego develops early in life, when a child begins to learn that his or her wishes
cannot be instantly gratified. The ego is that part of the personality that compensates for the
demands of the id by helping the individual guide his or her actions to remain within the
boundaries of social convention. The ego is guided by the reality principle: it takes into account
what is practical and conventional by societal standards. The superego develops as a result of
incorporating within the personality the moral standards and values of parents, community,
and significant others. It is the moral aspect of an individual’s personality; it passes judgments
on behavior. The superego is divided into two parts: conscience and ego ideal. Conscience tells
what is right and wrong. It forces the ego to control the id and directs the individual into
morally acceptable and responsible behaviors, which may not be pleasurable.

Psychosexual Stages of Human Behavior

The most basic human drive present at birth is eros, the instinct to preserve and create life.
The other is the death instinct (thanatos), which is expressed as aggression. Eros is expressed
sexually. Consequently, very early in their development, humans experience sexuality, which is
expressed by seeking pleasure through various parts of the body. During the first year of life, a
child attains pleasure by sucking and biting; Freud called this the oral stage. During the second
and third years of life, the focus of sexual attention is on the elimination of bodily wastes—the
anal stage. The phallic stage occurs during the third year when children focus their attention on
their genitals. Males begin to have sexual feelings for their mothers (the Oedipus complex) and
girls for their fathers (the Electra complex). Latency begins at age 6. During this period, feelings
of sexuality are repressed until the genital stage begins at puberty; this marks the beginning of
adult sexuality. If conflicts are encountered during any of the psychosexual stages of
development, a person can become fixated at that point. This means, as an adult, the fixated
person will exhibit behavior traits characteristic of those encountered during infantile sexual
development. For example, an infant who does not receive enough oral gratification during the
first year of life is likely as an adult to engage in such oral behavior as smoking, drinking, or drug
abuse or to be clinging and dependent in personal relationships. Thus, according to Freud, the
roots of adult behavioral problems can be traced to problems developed in the earliest years of
life.

The Psychodynamic of Anti-social Behavior

Psychologists have long linked criminality to abnormal mental states produced by early
childhood trauma. For example, Alfred Adler (1870–1937), the founder of individual
psychology, coined the term inferiority complex to describe people who have feelings of
inferiority and compensate for them with a drive for superiority. Controlling others may help
reduce personal inadequacies. Erik Erikson (1902–1984) described the identity crisis as a period
of serious personal questioning people undertake in an effort to determine their own values
and sense of direction. Adolescents undergoing an identity crisis might exhibit out-of-control
behavior and experiment with drugs and other forms of deviance. The psychoanalyst whose
work is most closely associated with criminality is August Aichorn. After examining many
delinquent youths, Aichorn concluded that societal stress, though damaging, could not alone
result in a life of crime unless a predisposition existed that psychologically prepared youths for
antisocial acts. This mental state, which he labeled latent delinquency, is found in youngsters
whose personality requires them to act in these ways:

❚ Seek immediate gratification (to act impulsively)

❚Consider satisfying their personal needs more important than relating to others

❚ Satisfy instinctive urges without considering right and wrong (that is, they lack guilt)

The psychodynamic model of the criminal offender depicts an aggressive, frustrated person
dominated by events that occurred early in childhood. Perhaps because they may have suffered
unhappy experiences in childhood or had families that could not provide proper love and care,
criminals suffer from weak or damaged egos that make them unable to cope with conventional
society. Weak egos are associated with immaturity, poor social skills, and excessive dependence
on others. People with weak egos may be easily led into crime by antisocial peers and drug
abuse. Some offenders have underdeveloped superegos and consequently lack internalized
representations of those behaviors that are punished in conventional society. They commit
crimes because they have difficulty understanding the consequences of their actions. Offenders
may suffer from a garden variety of mood and/or behavior disorders. They may be histrionic,
depressed, antisocial, or narcissistic. They may suffer from conduct disorders, which include
long histories of antisocial behavior, or mood disorders characterized by disturbance in
expressed emotions. Among the latter is bipolar disorder, in which moods alternate between
periods of wild elation and deep depression. Some offenders are driven by an unconscious
desire to be punished for prior sins, either real or imaginary. As a result, they may violate the
law to gain attention or to punish their parents. According to this view, crime is a manifestation
of feelings of oppression and people’s inability to develop the proper psychological defenses
and rationales to keep these feelings under control. Criminality enables troubled people to
survive by producing positive psychic results: it helps them to feel free and independent, and it
gives them the possibility of excitement and the chance to use their skills and imagination.
Crime also provides them with the promise of positive gain; it allows them to blame others for
their predicament (for example, the police), and it gives them a chance to rationalize their
sense of failure (“If I hadn’t gotten into trouble, I could have been a success”).

Attachment Theory
A view most closely associated with psychologist John Bowlby, is also connected to the
psychodynamic tradition. Bowlby believed that the ability to form attachments that is,
emotionally bond to another person has important lasting psychological implications that
follow people across the life span. Attachments are formed soon after birth, then infants bond
with their mothers. They will become frantic, crying and clinging to prevent separation or to
reestablish contact with a missing parent. Bowlby noted that this behavior was not restricted to
humans and occurs in all mammals, indicating that separation anxiety may be instinctual or
evolutionary. After all, attachment figures, especially the mother, provide support and care,
and without attachment an infant would be helpless and could not survive. Bowlby also
challenged Freud’s view of the development of the ego and superego, claiming that at birth
these were bound up in the relationship with one’s mother: it is not surprising that during
infancy and early childhood these functions are either not operating at all or are doing so most
imperfectly. During this phase of life, the child is therefore dependent on his mother
performing them for him. She orients him in space and time, provides his environment, permits
the satisfaction of some impulses, restricts others. She is his ego and his super-ego. Gradually
he learns these arts himself, and as he does, the skilled parent transfers the roles to him. This is
a slow, subtle and continuous process, beginning when he first learns to walk and feed himself,
and not ending completely until maturity is reached. . . . Ego and super-ego development are
thus inextricably bound up with the child’s primary human relationships. Bowlby’s most
important finding was that to grow up mentally healthy, “the infant and young child should
experience a warm, intimate, and continuous relationship with his mother (or permanent
mother substitute) in which both find .satisfaction and enjoyment.” According to this view,
failing to develop proper attachment may cause people to fall prey to a number of
psychological disorders. Psychologists believe that children with attachment problems lack trust
and respect for others. They often display many psychological symptoms, some which resemble
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). They may be impulsive and have difficulty
concentrating and consequently experience difficulty in school. As adults, they often have
difficulty initiating and sustaining relationships with others and find it difficult to sustain
romantic relationships. Criminologists have linked people having detachments problems with a
variety of antisocial behaviors, including sexual assault and child abuse. It has been suggested
that boys disproportionately experience disrupted attachment and that these disruptions are
causally related to disproportionate rates of male offending.

Mood Disorders and Crimes

Psychologists recognize a variety of mental disorders that may be linked to antisocial
behavior. Adolescents who are frequently uncooperative and hostile and who seem to be much
more difficult than other children the same age may be suffering from a psychological condition
known as disruptive behavior disorder (DBD), which can take on two distinct forms:
oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and conduct disorder (CD). Children suffering from ODD
experience an ongoing pattern of uncooperative, defiant, and hostile behavior toward authority
figures that seriously interferes with the youngsters’ day-to-day functioning. Symptoms of ODD
may include frequent loss of temper and constant arguing with adults; defying adults or
refusing adult requests or rules; deliberately annoying others; blaming others for mistakes or
misbehavior; being angry and resentful; being spiteful or vindictive; swearing or using obscene
language; or having low self-esteem. The person with ODD is moody and easily frustrated and
may abuse drugs as a form of self-medication. CD is typically considered a more serious group
of behavioral and emotional problems. Children and adolescents with CD have great difficulty
following rules and behaving in socially acceptable ways. They are often viewed by other
children, adults, and social agencies as severely antisocial. Research shows that they are
frequently involved in such activities as bullying, fighting, committing sexual assaults, and
cruelty to animals. What causes CD? Numerous biosocial and psychological factors are
suspected. There is evidence, for example, that interconnections between the frontal lobes and
other brain regions may influence CD. There is also research showing that levels of serotonin
can influence the onset of CD and that CD has been shown to aggregate in families, suggesting a
genetic basis of the disorder ODD and CD are not the only mood disorders associated with
antisocial behavior. Some people find it impossible to cope with feelings of oppression or
depression. Research shows that people who are clinically depressed are more likely to engage
in a garden variety of illegal acts. Some people suffer from alexithymia, a deficit in emotional
cognition that prevents them from being aware of their feelings or being able to understand
and or talk about their thoughts and emotions; they seem robotic and emotionally dead. Others
may suffer from eating disorders and are likely to use fasting, vomiting, and drugs to lose
weight or to keep from gaining weight.

Crime and Mental Illness

The most serious forms of psychological disturbance will result in mental illness referred to
as psychosis, which include severe mental disorders, such as depression, bipolar disorder
(manic depression), and schizophrenia—characterized by extreme impairment of a person’s
ability to think clearly, respond emotionally, communicate effectively, understand reality, and
behave appropriately. Schizophrenics may hear nonexistent voices, hallucinate, and make
inappropriate behavioral responses. People with severe mental disorders exhibit illogical and
incoherent thought processes and a lack of insight into their behavior. For example, they may
see themselves as agents of the devil, avenging angels, or the recipients of messages from
animals and plants. David Berkowitz (the “Son of Sam” or the “44-caliber killer”), a notorious
serial killer who went on a rampage from 1976 to 1977, exhibited these traits when he claimed
that his killing spree began when he received messages from a neighbor’s dog. Paranoid
schizophrenics, such as Eugene Weston, who went on a shooting rampage in the U.S. Capitol
building in 1998, suffer complex behavior delusions involving wrongdoing or persecution—they
think everyone is out to get them. There is evidence that law violators suffer from a
disproportionate amount of mental health problems and personality disturbance. Female
offenders seem to have more serious mental health symptoms, including schizophrenia,
paranoia, and obsessive behaviors, than male offenders. It is not surprising that abusive
mothers have been found to have mood and personality disorders and a history of psychiatric
diagnoses. Juvenile murderers have been described in clinical diagnosis as “overtly hostile,”
“explosive or volatile,” “anxious,” and “depressed.” Studies of men accused of murder found
that 75 percent could be classified as having some mental illness, including schizophrenia. Also,
the reported substance abuse among the mentally ill is significantly higher than that of the
general population. Kids growing up in homes where parents suffer mental illness are much
more likely to be at risk for family instability, poverty, and other factors that are related to
future delinquency and crime. So not only may mental illness be a cause of crime but its effect
may be intergenerational. The diagnosed mentally ill appear in arrest and court statistics at a
rate disproportionate to their presence in the population. There is also evidence that the
mentally ill are prone to attack their caregivers: doctors working with mental patients are
significantly more likely to be attacked by patients than any other health care provider. Nor is
this relationship unique to the United States. Forensic criminologist Henrik Belfrage studied
mental patients in Sweden and found that 40 percent of those discharged from institutional
care had a criminal record as compared to less than 10 percent of the general public. Another
Swedish study found that about 1 in 20 serious crimes in that country were committed by
people with severe mental illness. Australian men diagnosed with schizophrenia are four times
more likely than the general population to be convicted for serious violence. And a recent
Danish study found a significant positive relationship between mental disorders such as
schizophrenia and criminal violence. Similarly, a study of German inmates found a significant
amount of mental illness in both male and female prisoners. A recent review of the existing
literature on the relationship between psychopathology and delinquent behavior concluded
that delinquent adolescents have higher rates of clinical mental disorders when compared to
adolescents in the general population. In sum, people who suffer paranoid or delusional
feelings, and who believe that others wish them harm or that their mind is dominated by forces
beyond their control, seem to be violence prone. The Andrea Yates murder case, set out in the
Profiles in Crime feature, was one of the most widely followed stories linking mental illness to
crime.

BEHAVIORAL THEORY
Psychological behavior theory maintains that human actions are developed through learning
experiences. Rather than focusing on unconscious personality traits or cognitive development
patterns produced early in childhood, behavior theorists are concerned with the actual
behaviors people engage in during the course of their daily lives. The major premise of behavior
theory is that people alter their behavior according to the reactions it receives from others.
Behavior is supported by rewards and extinguished by negative reactions or punishments.
Behavioral theory is quite complex with many different subareas. With respect to criminal
activity, the behaviorist views crimes, especially violent acts, as learned responses to life
situations that do not necessarily represent psychologically abnormal responses.

Social Learning Theory

Social learning is the branch of behavior theory most relevant to criminology. Social learning
theorists, most notably Albert Bandura, argue that people are not actually born with the ability
to act violently but that they learn to be aggressive through their life experiences. These
experiences include personally observing others acting aggressively to achieve some goal or
watching people being rewarded for violent acts on television or in movies. People learn to act
aggressively when, as children, they model their behavior after the violent acts of adults. Later
in life, these violent behavior patterns persist in social relationships. For example, the boy who
sees his father repeatedly strike his
mother with impunity is the one most likely to grow up to become a battering parent and
husband. Though social learning theorists agree that mental or physical traits may predispose a
person toward violence, they believe that activating a person’s violent tendencies is achieved
by factors in the environment. The specific forms that aggressive behavior takes, the frequency
with which it is expressed, the
situations in which it is displayed, and the specific targets selected for attack are largely
determined by social learning.
However, people are self-aware and engage in purposeful learning. Their interpretations of
behavior outcomes and situations influence the way they learn from experiences. One
adolescent who spends a weekend in jail for drunk driving may find it the most awful
experience of her life one that teaches her to never
drink and drive again. Another person, however, may find it an exciting experience about which
he can brag to his friends.

Social Learning and Violence Social

learning theorists view violence as something learned through a process called behavior
modeling. In modern society, aggressive acts are usually modeled after three principal sources:

❚ Family interaction. Studies of family life show that aggressive children have parents who use
similar tactics when dealing with others. For example, the children of wife batterers are more
likely to use aggressive tactics themselves than children in the general population, especially if
the victims (their mothers) suffer psychological distress from the abuse.
❚ Environmental experiences. People who reside in areas in which violence is a daily occurrence
are more likely to act violently than those who dwell in low-crime areas whose norms stress
conventional behavior.
❚ Mass media. Films and television shows commonly depict violence graphically. Moreover,
violence is often portrayed as an acceptable behavior, especially for heroes who never have to
face legal consequences for their actions. For example, David Phillips found the homicide rate
increases significantly immediately after a heavyweight championship prize fight.

COGNITIVE THEORY
One area of psychology that has received increasing recognition in recent years has been the
cognitive school. Psychologists with a cognitive perspective focus on mental processes and how
people perceive and mentally represent the world around them and solve problems. The
information processing branch focuses on the way people process, store, encode, retrieve, and
manipulate information to make decisions and solve problems

Information Processing
When cognitive theorists who study information processing try to explain antisocial
behavior, they do so in terms of mental perception and how people use information to
understand their environment. When people make decisions, they engage in a sequence of
cognitive thought processes:
1. Encode information so that it can be interpreted.
2. Search for a proper response.
3. Decide on the most appropriate action.
4. Act on the decision
According to this cognitive approach, people who use information properly, who are better
conditioned to make reasoned judgments, and who can make quick and reasoned decisions
when facing emotion-laden events are the ones best able to avoid antisocial behavior choices.
In contrast, crime prone people may have cognitive deficit and use information incorrectly
when they make decisions. Law violators may lack the ability to perform cognitive functions in a
normal and orderly fashion. Some may be sensation seekers who are constantly looking for
novel experiences, whereas others lack deliberation and rarely think through problems. Some
may give up easily, whereas others act without thinking when they get upset
PERSONALITY AND CRIME
Personality can be defined as the reasonably stable patterns of
behavior, including thoughts and emotions, that distinguish one person from another. One’s
personality reflects a characteristic way of adapting to life’s demands and problems. The way
we behave is a function of how our personality enables us to
interpret life events and make appropriate behavioral choices.

Can the cause of crime be linked to personality?

The association between personality traits and crime has a long history. Sheldon Glueck and
Eleanor Glueck identified a number of personality traits that they believe characterize anti-
social youth:
self-assertiveness sadism
defiance lack of concern for others
extroversion feeling unappreciated
ambivalence distrust of authority
impulsiveness poor personal skills
narcissism mental instability
suspicion hostility
destructiveness resentment

Psychologist Hans Eysenck linked personality to crime when he identified two traits that he
associated with antisocial behavior: extroversion-introversion and stability instability. Extreme
introverts are overaroused and avoid sources of stimulation; in contrast, extreme extroverts are
unaroused and seek sensation. Introverts are slow to learn and be conditioned; extroverts are
impulsive individuals who lack the ability to examine their own motives and behaviors. Those
who are unstable, a condition Eysenck calls “neuroticism,” are anxious, tense, and emotionally
unstable. People who are both neurotic and extroverted lack self-insight and are impulsive and
emotionally unstable; they are unlikely to have reasoned judgments of life events. While
extrovert neurotics may act self destructively (e.g., abusing drugs), more stable people will be
able to reason that such behavior is ultimately harmful and life threatening. Eysenck believes
that personality is controlled by genetic factors and is heritable. A number of research efforts
have found an association between the personality traits identified by Eysenck and repeat and
chronic criminal offending. Other suspected traits include impulsivity, hostility, and
aggressiveness. Callous, unemotional traits in very young children can be a warning sign for
future psychopathy and antisocial behavior. Personality defects have been linked not only to
aggressive antisocial behaviors such as assault and rape, but also to white-collar and business
crimes. According to this view, the personality is the key to understanding antisocial behavior.
The more severe the disorder, the greater the likelihood that the individual will engage in
serious and repeat antisocial acts. Take for instance sadistic personality disorder, defined as a
repeat pattern of cruel and demeaning behavior. People suffering from this type of extreme
personality disturbance seem prone to engage in serious violent attacks, including homicides
motivated by sexual sadism.

The Antisocial Personality

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) defines
the antisocial personality as a pervasive pattern of disregard for, and violation of, the rights of
others that begins in childhood or early adolescence and continues into adulthood. In addition,
those suffering from this disease usually exhibit at least three of the following behaviors:

❚ Failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors as indicated by repeatedly
performing acts that are grounds for arrest

❚ Deceitfulness, as indicated by repeatedly lying, use of aliases, or conning others for personal
profit or pleasure

❚ Impulsivity or failure to plan ahead

❚ Irritability and aggressiveness, as indicated by repeated physical fights or assaults

❚ Reckless disregard for safety of self or others

❚ Consistent irresponsibility, as indicated by repeated failure to sustain consistent work

behavior or honor financial obligations

❚ Lack of remorse, as indicated by being indifferent to or rationalizing having hurt, mistreated,

or stolen from another. The terms psychopath and sociopath are commonly used to describe
people who have an antisocial personality (though the APA considers them antiquated and
obsolete). Though these terms are often used interchangeably, some psychologists distinguish
between sociopaths and psychopaths, suggesting that the former are a product of a destructive
home environment whereas the latter are a product of a defect or aberration within
themselves. This condition is discussed in The Criminological Enterprise feature “The
Psychopath.”

Research on Personality
Since maintaining a deviant per-sonality has been related to crime and delinquency,
numerous attempts have been made to devise accurate measures of per-sonality and
determine whether they can predict antisocial behavior. One of the most widely used
psychological tests is the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, commonly called the
MMPI. This test has subscales designed to measure many different personality traits, including
psychopathic deviation (Pd scale), schizophrenia (Sc), and hypomania (Ma). Research studies
have detected an association between scores on the Pd scale and criminal involvement.
Another frequently administered personality test, the California Personality Inventory (CPI), has
also been used to distinguish deviants from nondeviant groups. The Multidimensional
Personality Questionnaire (MPQ) allows researchers to assess such personality traits as control,
aggression, alienation, and well-being. Evaluations using this scale indicate that adolescent
offenders who are crime prone maintain “negative emotionality,” a tendency to experience
aversive affective states, such as anger, anxiety, and irritability. They also are predisposed to
weak personal constraints, and they have difficulty controlling impulsive behavior urges.
Because they are both impulsive and aggressive, crime-prone people are quick to take action
against perceived threats. Evidence that personality traits predict crime and violence is
important because it suggests that the root cause of crime can be found in the forces that
influence human development at an early stage of life. If these results are valid, rather than
focus on job creation and neighborhood improvement, crime control efforts might be better
focused on helping families raise children who are reasoned and reflective and enjoy a safe
environment.

INTELLIGENCE AND CRIME

Intelligence refers to a person’s ability to reason, comprehend ideas, solve problems, think
abstractly, understand complex ideas, learn from experience, and discover solutions to complex
problems. It was long believed that people who maintain a below-average intelligence quotient
(IQ) were at risk for criminality. Criminals were believed to have inherently substandard
intelligence, and thus, they seemed naturally inclined to commit more crimes than more
intelligent persons. Furthermore, it was thought that if authorities could determine which
individuals had low IQs, they might identify potential criminals before they committed socially
harmful acts. During the early twentieth century, social scientists had a captive group of
subjects in juvenile training schools and penal institutions, and they began to measure the
correlation between IQ and crime by testing adjudicated offenders.

IQ and Crime Reconsidered

IQ and Crime Reconsidered The Hirschi-Hindelang research increased interest and research
on the association between IQ and crime, but the issue is far from settled and is still a matter of
significant debate. While the studies cited above found an
IQ crime association, others suggest that IQ level has negligible influence on criminal behavior.
An evaluation of existing knowledge on intelligence conducted by the American Psychological
Association concluded that the strength of an IQ crime link was “very low. Those who question
the IQ–crime link suggest that any association may be based on spurious data and inadequate
research methodologies:

❚ IQ tests are biased and reflect middle class values. As a result, socially disadvantaged people
do poorly on IQ tests and members of that group are also the ones most likely to commit crime.
The low-IQ–crime association is spurious:
people who suffer disadvantages such as poverty and limited educational resources do poorly
on IQ tests and also commit crime

❚ The measurement of intelligence is often varied and hazard, and results may depend on the
particular method used. The correlation between intelligence and antisocial behavior using IQ
tests as a measure of aptitude is slight; it is stronger if attendance in special programs or special
schools is used as an indicator of intellectual ability.

❚ People with low IQs are stigmatized and negatively labeled by middle class decision makers
such as police officers, teachers, and guidance counselors. It is not a low IQ that causes criminal
behavior the stigma that people with low IQs suffer pushes them into criminality.

❚ Research using official record data may be flawed. It is possible that criminals with high IQ are
better able to avoid detection and punishment than low IQ people. Research using data from
arrestees may omit the more intelligent members of the criminal subclass. And even if they are
caught, high IQ offenders are less likely to be convicted and punished. Because their favorable
treatment helps higher IQ offenders avoid the pains of criminal punishment, it lessens their
chances of recidivism.
❚ Maintaining a low IQ may influence some criminal patterns, such as arson and sex crimes, but
not others, such as theft offenses. Even if it can be shown that known offenders have lower IQs
than the general population, it is difficult to explain many patterns in the crime rate.

Criminal Psychology- a study that deals on criminal behavior

Abnormal Behavior a behavior that fails to meet the characteristics of a normal person such
as:
• Free expression of personality
• Adequate security feeling
• Efficient contact with reality
• Adaptability to group norms
• Emotional maturity
• Adequate self-knowledge
• Integrated and consistent personality

Types of Abnormal Behavior

• Personality Disorder it originates during early development process leading to
maladaptive behavior.

Classification of Personality Disorder

Classification Characteristics
1.)Passive- Aggressive Passively dependent and aggressive due to
overindulgence.
2.)Hysterical Personality Disorder Easily excitable emotional instability,
dramatically attention getting, immature,
with tendency to sexualize contacts with
opposite sex.
 3.)Compulsive Personality Disorder
4.)Paranoid Personality
Excessive concern for conformity, rigid,
maybe intelligent but trait of character
explains his undoing.
Hypersensitive, unwarranted suspicion
jealousy, envy, and feelings of excessive
importance.

Signs of Passive-Aggressive Behavior

• FREQUENTLY CRITICIZING OR PROTESTING

• BEING DISAGREEABLE OR IRRITABLE

• PROCRASTINATING OR BEING FORGETFUL

• PERFORMING TASKS INEFFICIENTLY

• ACTING HOSTILE OR CYNICAL

• ACTING STUBBORN

• BLAMING OTHERS

• COMPLAINING ABOUT BEING UNAPPRECIATED

• DISPLAYING RESENTMENT OVER THE DEMANDS OF OTHERS

Causes of Passive-Aggressive Behavior

• ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER (ADHD)

• STRESS

• ANXIETY DISORDERS
• DEPRESSION

• CONDUCT DISORDER

• OPPOSITIONAL DEFIANT DISORDER

• BIPOLAR DISORDER

• SCHIZOTYPAL PERSONALITY DISORDER

• SCHIZOPHRENIA

• ALCOHOL ABUSE

• COCAINE WITHDRAWAL

Signs of Hysterical Personality Disorder

• Self-centeredness, feeling uncomfortable when not the center of attention

• Constantly seeking reassurance or approval

• Inappropriately seductive appearance or behavior

• Rapidly shifting emotional states that appear shallow to others

• Overly concerned with physical appearance, and using physical appearance to draw attention
to self

• Opinions are easily influenced by other people, but difficult to back up with details

• Excessive dramatics with exaggerated displays of emotion

• Tendency to believe that relationships are more intimate than they actually are
• Is highly suggestible (easily influenced by others)

Causes of Hysterical Personality Disorder

The cause of histrionic personality disorder is unknown, but childhood events and genetics may both
be involved. HPD occurs more frequently in women than in men, although some experts contend that
it is simply more often diagnosed in women, because attention-seeking and sexual forwardness are
less socially acceptable for women than for men.

People with this disorder are usually able to function at a high level and can do well in social and
occupational environments. They may seek treatment for depression when their romantic
relationships end. They often fail to see their own situation realistically, instead tending to
overdramatize and exaggerate. Instead of taking responsibility for failure or disappointment, those
with the disorder typically cast blame on others. Because they tend to crave novelty and excitement,
they may place themselves in risky situations. Their behavior may lead to a greater risk of developing
depression.
The symptoms of OCPD include

• perfectionism to the point that it impairs the ability to finish tasks

• stiff, formal, or rigid mannerisms

• being extremely frugal with money

• an overwhelming need to be punctual

• extreme attention to detail

• excessive devotion to work at the expense of family or social relationships

• hoarding worn or useless items

• an inability to share or delegate work because of a fear it won’t be done right

• a fixation with lists

• a rigid adherence to rules and regulations

• an overwhelming need for order

• a sense of righteousness about the way things should be done

• a rigid adherence to moral and ethical codes

causes of OCPD

The exact cause of OCPD is unknown. Like many aspects of OCPD, the causes have yet to be
determined. OCPD may be caused by a combination of genetics and childhood experiences.

In some case studies, adults can recall experiencing OCPD from a very early age. They may have felt
that they needed to be a perfect or perfectly obedient child. This need to follow the rules then carries
over into adulthood

The symptoms of PPD

• Believing that others have hidden motives or are out to harm them

• Doubting the loyalty of others

• Being hypersensitive to criticism

• Having trouble working with others

• Being quick to become angry and hostile

• Becoming detached or socially isolated

• Being argumentative and defensive

• Having trouble seeing their own problems

• Having trouble relaxing

Causes of paranoid personality disorder

The cause of paranoid personality disorder is unknown. However, researchers believe that a
combination of biological and environmental factors can lead to paranoid personality disorder.

The disorder is present more often in families with a history of schizophrenia and delusional
disorders. Early childhood trauma may be a contributing factor.

• Neuroses
Neuroses or psychoneuroses are behavioral disorders that are brought about by emotional
tension resulting from conflicts, repression, frustration, or insecurity. Neurotic individuals
compromise with reality by developing imaginary ailments, obsession, phobias, compulsion,
depression or anxiety.

Behavioral Characteristic of Individuals Displaying Neurotic Reactions

1. Inability to function at the normal capacity level - An inability to make common, everyday
decisions without the reassurance of others.

2. Presence of anxiety - Feelings of anxiety from time to time. Anxiety can be described as a
sense of uneasiness, nervousness, worry, fear, or dread of what's about to happen or what
might happen. While fear is the emotion we feel in the presence of threat, anxiety is a sense of
anticipated danger, trouble, or threat.

3. Rigid of repetitive behavior - They include repetitive movements with objects, repeated body
movements such as rocking and hand-flapping, ritualistic behavior, sensory sensitivities and
circumscribed interests.
4. Somatic complains - Pain is the most common symptom, but whatever your symptoms, you
have excessive thoughts, feelings or behaviors related to those symptoms, which cause
significant problems, make it difficult to function and sometimes can be disabling.

5. Immaturity - the state of being immature or not fully grown and having or showing a lack of
emotional maturity.

6. Hypersensitivity - (also called hypersensitivity reaction or intolerance) refers to undesirable

reactions produced by the normal immune system, including allergies and autoimmunity.
4 types of Hypersensitivity.
- Hypersensitivity reactions are categorized into four major types: type I, type II, type III, and
type IV. Type I, II, and III reactions are the result of antibody actions, while type IV reactions
involve T cell lymphocytes and cell-mediated immune responses.
Example of Hypersensitivity
- Examples include anaphylaxis and allergic rhinoconjunctivitis. ... Type IV reactions (ie, delayed
hypersensitivity reactions, cell-mediated immunity) are mediated by T cells rather than by
antibodies. An example is contact dermatitis from poison ivy or nickel allergy.
Anaphylaxis
- Anaphylaxis is a serious allergic reaction that is rapid in onset and may cause death. It typically
causes more than one of the following: an itchy rash, throat or tongue swelling, shortness of
breath, vomiting, lightheadedness, and low blood pressure. These symptoms typically come on
over minutes to hours.
Rhinoconjunctivitis- Rhinitis is characterized by one or several of the following symptoms: nasal
congestion, runny nose, post-nasal drip, sneezing, red eyes (conjunctivitis), and itching of the
nose or eyes. It may be allergic in origin, but isn't always.
7. Egocentricity- having little or no regard for interests, beliefs, or attitudes other than one's
own; self-centered: an egocentric person; egocentric demands upon the time and patience of
others.
Egocentric Person - Egocentrism is the inability to differentiate between self and other. ...
Although egocentrism and narcissism appear similar, they are not the same. A person who is
egocentric believes they are the center of attention, like a narcissist, but does not receive
gratification by one's own admiration.
Example of Egocentric- Egocentrism is caused in children and teenagers. The child always feels
that there is an audience watching him. For Example: If a child spills water on his shirt, he might
feel that everybody has stopped working and all they are doing is watching the water on his
shirt.
8. Unhappiness - the feeling of not being happy; the feeling of not being satisfied or pleased
with a situation.
9. A great deal of unconsciously motivated behavior - refers to hidden and unknown desires
that are the real reasons for things that people do.

Factors to be Considered in Understanding the Causes of Neuroses

• Predisposing or Constitutional Factors can also be defined as a physiological state or
condition of a human person in which his/her body has malfunction that causes illness.
We may also understand how a person have neuroses by knowing that person has
illness for example a one person has an asthma it may cause for that person to be
frustrated because he/she may not be able to participate in activities that includes
physical and strength conditioning.
• Childhood Development Patterns a childhood development patterns can also be a
reason on why one person may have neuroses is it because if one person always being
harassed by their parents in their childhood they may developed a high percent of
anxiety or a fear that makes them to be unstabled or having low self esteem that leads
them to have behavioral disorders.
• The Immediate Life Situation a personal situation of person who has neuroses can also
be the reason on how we may understand the causes of it is it because personal
situation can also be the factor on why one person can be frustrated, insecured,
depressed, or maybe phobias or obsessed into something. That is why a one person may
not able to have this kind of behavioral disorders if it is not affected or connected to its
personal life situation.
• Important cultural factors cultural factors can also be a way on how we may understand
why one person have a neuroses culture is an influencer it also serves as the manner
that we learn and also how we live and behave. like for example if one person grew up
in a culture that his family is conscious about skills and abilities when it comes in studies
if one person fail to meet that kind of skills and abilities they may experience frustration
or dissapointments.

Classification of Neuroses According to the Most Striking Symptoms

• Anxiety Reactions
These are principally manifested in diffused and consciously experienced feelings of
anxiety and apprehension for which there seem to be no specific basis in reality.

• Hysteria
A disorder in which the individual manifests, without identifiable physical pathology,
one or more symptoms usually associated with organic disease. Disabilities that develop
include paralysis of the limbs, intense and aches and pains, deafness blindness, loss of
voice, continuous vomiting, head or hand tremors.

Forms of Hysteria
• Amnesia a disorder in which the individual cannot recall his or her name and
remembers little or nothing about the past.

Types of Amnesia
1.Anterograde the inability to retain information, which just been seen or read.
2.Retrograde the inability to recall any event that took place during a certain
period.
3.Localized the inability to recall events that are related to a particular situation.

• Fugue an amnesia state where one wonders away from his or her home or usual
surroundings; and there is no recollection as to how he or she came to be there
when awareness sets in.
• Multiple Personality a dramatic form of hysteria where the patient develops two
or more separated and very different personalities.
 • Somnambulism a dreamlike state where the person walks about and carries on
certain activities that he eventually fails to remember when he wakes up.

References:
https://thecsspoint.com/product/criminology-theories-patterns-and-typologies-10th-edition-
by-larry-j-siegel/
Human Behavior and Crisis Management by Rodolfo V. Castillo Jr. and Atty. Ramil G. Gabao
Introduction to Criminology and Psychology of Crimes by Rodolfo V. Castillo and Atty. Ramil G.
Gabao
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