A. History:

Demonology :  individuals were possessed by evil spirits.
Trephiny: 
Exorcism:

1.  Gabriel Tarde (1843-1904) people learned from each other by imitating. 

Laws of imitation:

• people imitate those they are most intimate with

• imitation spreads from the top down: 

• intensity and frequency impact imitation

B.  Modern Psychological Theories

psychodynamic
moral development
social cognition
personality traits

  1.  Psychoanalytic Theory (p.87)

     Sigmund Freud:  Austrian physician (1856-1939)

a.  Components of the Human Personality:

• id: the unrestrained, primitive, biological pleasure-seeking drives with which each child is born.

• ego:  develops through the reality of living in the world.

• super ego:  location of conscience and the internalization of societies morals.  

b.  Developmental Stages:

Eros or sex drive. 

• oral stage:  new born--sucking and biting

• anal stage:  Urinary and bowel movements are a source of pleasure

• phallic stage: children derive pleasure from fondling their genitals. Males have sexual feelings toward their mother (Oedipus complex) and Females toward their father (Electra complex)

• Latency Stage:  Children repress sexual pleasure

Any trauma or conflict that occurs in these early developmental stages may have a lasting effect on the child

c.  Relationship to Criminal Behavior

All behavior is an expression of the subconscious drives. 

• Many criminals are ID dominated.

• Criminal  behavior may be attributed to underdeveloped superego : psychopaths

• Over developed superego:

• Weak egos are associated with immaturity, poor social skills and easily led into crime

Parents are responsible for the healthy development of the three components

Lawrence Kohlberg: People travel through 6 stages of moral development. 

STAGES OF MORAL DEVELOPMENT

LEVEL 1—PRECONVENTIONAL MORALITY

(do’s and don’ts to         
avoid punishment)

Stages:

One:  Right is the obedience to authority and avoiding punishment

Two:  You obey rules because it is beneficial to you, let others take care of themselves

“If I steal, what are my chances of getting caught?”

People stuck in this level will choose not to commit crimes based on their fear of punishment.

LEVEL 2—CONVENTIONAL MORALITY

Stages:

Three:    Right means having good motives, concern for and having the respect of  others  (care about what others think of you)
                     
Four:      Right is maintaining and conforming to  the rules of society and serving the welfare of the group.
     

“It is illegal to steal under any circumstances”

People in this stage are deterred from crime because they fear the reaction from family and friends

LEVEL THREE—POST CONVENTIONAL MORALITY

(duty to mankind)

Stages

Five:   Right is based on recognized individual rights with a society with agreed upon rules—a social contract

Six:     Right is an assumed obligation to principles applying to all humankind—principles of justice, equality and respect for human life.

“I won’t steal because it is unjust and violates universal ethical principles
and the world will not survive unless we follow these principals"

People at this stage don't commit crimes because they have a duty to others and to universal rights of mankind.

Level One:  "I don't do drugs because I fear getting caught and punished"
Level Two:  " I don't do drugs because I am concerned that those about what others think of me and the law must be obeyed"
Level Three: "I don't do drugs because I have a duty to God and to mankind to maintain a keen mind to help this world be more healthy, safe and productive."

• encode the data

• interpret the data and search for a proper response

• act on the decision

Learn behavior in three ways:

observation
direct experience
differential reinforcement

• Observation:  Behavioral Modeling (Imitation)(Albert Bandura)

Criminal behavior is learned through behavior modeling which is based on three sources:

• family:

• environmental experiences:

• mass media:

• Direct Experience: Behavior Modification. (operant conditioning

We learn through positive and negative reinforcers, which behaviors are acceptable and which are not.

• Differential Reinforcement:

Ernest Burgess and Ronald Akers (1965) Differential Reinforcement Theory

Direct Experience:

Direction of reinforcement depends upon the group you are attracted to

Personality can be defined as reasonably stable patterns of behavior including thoughts and emotions that distinguish one person from another.

Two early researchers studied a large number of delinquents in the 1930's.

A)  Sheldon and Eleanor Glueck identified 17 characteristics associated with criminal  behavior.

self assertiveness            sadism
defiance                           lack of concern for others
extraversion                     feeling unappreciated
ambivalence                     distrust of authority
impulsiveness                  poor personal skills
narcissism                        mental instability
suspicion                         hostility
destructiveness                resentment

B)  Testing personality types:

Personality Inventory: self administered questionnaire
    (500 questions) MMPI (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory)

Personality inventories have not been proved effective at predicting criminal behavior.

A. Psychopaths/anti social personality disorder:

The American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic Manual included psychopath until 1980 when it was replaced with the Anti social personality disorder diagnosis

B.  Anti Social Personality Traits:

• shallow emotions 

• egocentric

• deceitful

• lack of remorse,  empathy, shame, guilt

• Irresponsibl

• impulsive

C.  The major differences between a psychopath and those with anti social personality disorder are:

• psychopaths are more violent
• violent acts are motivated by vengeance, retribution, sadism and money
• psychopaths are more involved in sexual sadism
• psychopaths are more likely to recidivate
• psychopaths start their criminal careers earlier and commit more types of offenses and at a higher rate
• psychopaths are less amenable to treatment
• psychopaths are unable to learn from their experiences

All psychopaths have anti-social personality disorder but not all who have ASPD are psychopaths