...The studies of such involve developing theories; this is the development of criminology. Scientific research is conducted to better understand individuals in societies. Criminology is the foundation of the justice system where crime is studied along with issues related to crime. This paper is intended to discuss the sociobiological theory that will explain the relationship between personality and criminal behavior, to compare key elements of sociobiological with biological and psychological theories, and finally, to identify the philosophical basis to each of these theories. The Relationship between Personality and Criminal Behavior Sociobiological theory is based on the combination of human behavior that occurs naturally with the effects of society. Researchers have thought of this theory by means of learning behaviors that are genetic compared to the environments that individuals are surrounded by. Founded by E.O. Wilson, the sociobiological theory used principles are Darwinism, in that human behaviors are evolutionary (Stanford, 2009). There are predisposition behaviors that will separate a criminal from an upstanding citizen. One example can be found among gang members as they have developed territorial traits which lead to violence. Criminal behavior is can be argued to be a learned behavior, however often times, the genetic line is often over looked. Those who have been labeled as criminals may have certain personality traits that contribute to the reasons why these...
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...gender, myths are hurting our relationships, our children, and our jobs” by Rosalind C. Barnett, and “Our Kind” by Marvin Harris. Some questions aren’t just about the biological and cultural aspect but about the social norms as well. In what ways are males and females different? Also what ways are they similar? These questions all can be answered going back to the beginning of time. Evolution is something we need to understand because it is responsible for the observable differences between males and females. A question that everyone wonders is, how did we get here? Jared Diamond’s “The Third Chimpanzee” answers this question. A strong theory comes from Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection and adaptation. Even though species are all different in its own nature they play a special role in life. The species that have the traits to allow them to survive in the environment will be able to reproduce which is mutation, or “survival of the fittest”. Humans take for granted that we aren’t the species of the world. We share this wonderful place with many other species, even though we are considered the dominant species. Humans started agriculture, and mainly began and expressed some kind of language. This allowed us to better understand...
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...aggressive to himself and to others by the video games he plays and the violent traits he can acquire from the game. Observing this link through a psychological viewpoint, the social-cognitive perspective would best explain the link between video games and aggression. The social-cognitive theory states that behavior is shaped by environmental factors and cognitive factors. (Nevid, 9) The gaming environment of the video game and the way people react in the video game may play a role on how the gamer behaves and how his behavior may have an effect on others. The gamer may apply the rules of video games to every day life. Aggression could be accepted by the characters in the video game but in the real world, aggression is usually not accepted. If the gamer assumes that people in real life will react regarding his actions in the same way as those in the video game, he might become angry and frustrated towards others. Video games can also isolate the gamer from society and make him antisocial. If the antisocial behavior continues, the gamer may not know or may forget how to control his anger in social settings. Another example of environmental factors is the concept of rewards and punishments. (Nevid, 9) The gamer can be rewarded for an action in the video game that he would not be rewarded in real life. When the reward is not the same in real life as it would have been in the video game, aggression can occur. Aggression may continue to persist until he gets his reward. His character in the...
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...of psychology, many think of it as a science but in reality, psychology has different levels with many dimensions. Psychology is compounded with many theories and studies that by trial, and error, have made psychology into the discipline that it has become today. Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and Alfred Adler are just a few scholars that have helped psychology become the science studied today. One must remember that these men are psychologists, yet they all possessed very different views and theories from one another. Sigmund Freud Probably one of the best known psychologist’s is Sigmund Freud; he has been the most influential on psychodynamic ideas. His psychodynamic therapy was used to cover the theories of personality and a source of therapy to go along with it. He believed that human behavior comes from three types of intuitions or impulses, which are the id, the ego, and the superego. The id is responsible for unconscious thoughts of personal pleasures. The id grows into the ego, which is basically on a conscious level and is thought to protect one’s self or self-preservation. The ego becomes the superego, which develops to consist of thoughts on one’s moral judgments and conscience. The id, the ego, and the superego are supposed to work together to form human behavior (George, 2008). Freud believed that traits of one’s behavior started at birth, which led him to break down behavior into stages. * Birth – 18 months: Oral Stage * The infant receives pleasure...
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...Jung was a follower of Freud and his theory held some similar traits. This theory includes the conscious, the personal unconscious and the collective unconscious. Carl Jung believed we are motivated by images passed down by our ancestors as well as our repressed experiences. The things we inherited from our ancestors he named the collective unconscious. His theory is full of past events and future expectations. Images we inherit from our ancestors are called archetypes. Personal unconscious holds repressed thoughts of one individual. Consciousness is a very small piece of personality. Jung believed personality comes from mostly unconscious. Just like Freud, Jung’s theory is hard to prove or disprove. Jung was a follower of Freud and his theory held some similar traits. This theory includes the conscious, the personal unconscious and the collective unconscious. Carl Jung believed we are motivated by images passed down by our ancestors as well as our repressed experiences. The things we inherited from our ancestors he named the collective unconscious. His theory is full of past events and future expectations. Images we inherit from our ancestors are called archetypes. Personal unconscious holds repressed thoughts of one individual. Consciousness is a very small piece of personality. Jung believed personality comes from mostly unconscious. Just like Freud, Jung’s theory is hard to prove or disprove. Carl Jung- Analytical Psychology Carl Jung- Analytical Psychology Adler-Individual...
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... as in actuality, the shaping of human behaviour does not rely solely on learned experience. Human behaviour is in fact a mutual interaction of both genetic and environmental factors, with genetic predisposition playing a substantial role. It was argued by G.W Leibniz that an individual inherently contains the sources of various notions which external objects merely rouse up on suitable occasions. This essay will concur with Leibniz’s philosophy that in fact it is the interplay of individual nature and nurture which drives the development of human behaviour, in particular, antisocial behaviour, to in turn, contradict John Locke’s tabula rasa hypothesis. Antisocial behaviours are disruptive acts characterised by hostility, intentional aggression towards others and destructive behaviour. The behaviour includes repeated violations and definance of social rules and authority, and a reckless disregard for self and others. It is characterised by deceitfulness and theft, and is considered socially unacceptable (D.C Hardy). Researchers have produced convincing evidence that antisocial behaviour in adulthood is often the product of childhood/adolescent conduct problems. Patterns of persistent deviant behaviour, attention difficulties and overly aggressive behaviour (Moffitt, 1993, 2003) are associated with antisocial behaviour later in life. Between forty to fifty...
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...generations of scientists have debated whether human aggression and violence is learned or innate, Brain (pp. 9, 1985) most likely summarizes the best and shortest answer to this question by stating that Human violence is too complicated to be interpreted in simple terms”. Empirical data and theories from both sides will be presented in this essay which will illustrate that while humans are genetically equipped to be violent and in some cases even have a genetic predisposition towards violence, social factors play key role in facilitating and enhancing aggressive behavior or suppressing and inhibiting it. Cesar Lombroso in the 20th century claimed that long arms, jutting chins and sloping foreheads were signs of born criminals, while Sigmund Freud (1930) later claimed that the drive to aggress is rooted deep in the psyche, independent of circumstances and as a result people have an innate need to inflict harm which must be satisfied periodically. A similar catharsis view was held by Lorenz (1963) who suggested that aggression being a natural instinct that accumulates over time especially in response to environmental stress, needs to be periodically released much like the periodic orgasm that helps diminish sex drive. In the 1960’s some scientists proposed that men who carried an XYY chromosome pattern were predisposed to become criminals (Ramirez, 1996). These were some of the early views on the innate nature of aggression and violence. Recent studies conducted on rats that...
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...Personality Psychology Paper This assignment requires you to write a five- page paper on one of the topics listed below. Or, you may choose your own topic, as long as it’s approved by me (by November 15th) and has to do with personality. The paper is due December 1st. If a paper is late, five points will be deducted each day. Late is defined as anytime after the class period on December 1st. The paper must be typed, double spaced, and include a reference section. You must cite your sources and have a minimum of four references. At least four references need to be from peer-reviewed journals, although you may include references from other sources in addition to the four journal articles. You also need to supply me with a copy of your articles when you hand in the paper, although you may ask for these back by the final. Copies on CD or emailed copies are fine. Your paper may be longer than five pages but please note that longer papers will not earn higher grades for this feature alone. Papers shorter than five pages, with excessively large print, or poor grammar will be docked points. Also, if you need help with APA style you are more than welcome to use my manual when I am in my office, or to ask me for help. APA style is not required; however, whatever format you use (e.g. MLA) all paper sources must be cited both within the text and within a reference section. Topics 1) Altruism: Is it character or circumstance? *Samual Oliner has done research...
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...Two theories of criminal behaviour and their factors Developmental theories of crime A study performed by a psychologist Terri Moffitt (1993), she described a dual taxonomy of offending behaviour, and she attempted to explain the developmental processes that can lead to a distinctive shape of the age crime curve. Her original views was that the theory is one of the more important articles in criminology and proposes that there are two types of anti-social behaviour offender’s display in society. Adolescent offender’s exhibit anti-social behaviour only during their adolescent stages these are called limited adolescent offenders, whereas life-course-persistent offenders behave like this early in the childhood stages and continue to behave this way as a part of life until it becomes more serious in adult life. This theory focuses more on the anti-social aspects of crime as there are different definitions of crime across cultures and due to the similar characteristics and trajectories this theory can then be applied to both of the sexes. There are recognised disorders than can contribute to crime and that form criminals, in some cases not because they want to but because of a disorder such as (ASPD) Anti-social Personality Disorder. It is recognised by the DSM-IV (Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders 4th edition) in most cases individual who display anti-social behaviour have been convicted and gone through court processes without being diagnosed. This disorder...
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... 15.0/ 15.0 Points Question 1 of 15 1.0/ 1.0 Points Trait anxiety refers to _________ anxiety, whereas state anxiety refers to __________ anxiety. A.general; momentary B.momentary; general C.competitive; noncompetitive D.noncompetitive; competitive Question 2 of 15 1.0/ 1.0 Points The phenomenological approach to personality is consistent with the interactional approach except that it focuses on A.the individual's interpretation of the situation and himself or herself B.the traits of an individual C.the situation a person is dealing with at the time D.the behavior of the individual E.the outcome of the behavior Question 3 of 15 1.0/ 1.0 Points Which of the following is not a subscale from the Athletic Coping Skills Inventory? A.concentration B.coachability C.goal setting D.imagery E.freedom from worry Question 4 of 15 1.0/ 1.0 Points Test anxiety is an example of a A.trait measure B.state measure C.situation-specific trait measure D.situation-specific state measure Question 5 of 15 1.0/ 1.0 Points The situational approach to personality assumes that A.individuals behave differently across situations B.individuals behave similarly across situations C.if the situation is strong, the effect of personality traits would be minimal D.a and b E.a and c ...
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...individual has their own traits and characteristics that make up who they are. Personality comes from the Latin persona, which refers to a theatrical mask worn by Roman actors in Greek dramas (Feist & Feist, 2009, p. 3). These Romans wore the mask or persona to project a false appearance. Of course, personality psychologists do not accept this definition. When psychologists talk about personality they refer to something different than role play. There is no definite definition for personality, but different theorists say that personality is a pattern of permanent traits and exclusive characteristics that give stability and individuality to a person’s behavior. Traits provide individual differences in behavior, consistency of behavior over time, and stability of behavior beyond situations. A person has unique qualities called characteristics that involve intelligence, temperament, and physical appearance (Feist & Feist, 2009). Altogether, the definition of personality implies, “…a pattern of relatively permanent traits and unique characteristics that give both consistency and individuality to a person’s behavior” (Feist & Feist, 2009, p. 4). An ample explanation of the psychological understanding of personality is coming in the development of the theoretical approaches in the study of personality. There are several theoretical approaches in studying personality. One theory is psychodynamic. Among the psychodynamic personality theories are the psychoanalysis...
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...group display of aggression (16 marks) Due to the restrictions of modern society, we can no longer engage in tribal warfare, but the biological need for aggression still stands. Arguably, this has been replaced by various modern group events such as sporting events. Tajfel proposed that the groups e.g sporting teams which people belonged to were an important source of pride and self-esteem. Groups give us a sense of social identity. Social identity theory states that the in-group will discriminate against the out-group to enhance their self-image. Xenophobia is an example of this in sporting events, where crowds take to chanting offensive slurs to the other team’s supporters. An explanation for this is because humans are altruistic towards members of their own group but intolerant towards outsiders. This could have been the biological mechanism that helped our ancestors to survive, due to them being suspicious towards outsiders and thus prevented attack. Furthermore the evolutionary explanation of group displays of aggression states that in modern society, the winning teams hold high status, therefore will have access to more resources and makes the members more attractive mates. Acts of aggressions such as tackling in football are related to good psychical health, which is attractive to females. Therefore, people support the best teams. Victory in matches also holds status for the fans, as they identify as the in-group as an attempt to secure some of these traits and be attractive...
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...behind it and as well as the theories that are closely associated with the reasoning’s behind violence. With Intergenerational transmission of violence being one of the theories, we can get a better understanding if and why violence is in turn carried within families from generation to generation. Can aggression within a household eventually be carried out in violence with future relationships? How is one to tell the boundaries for aggression have gone too far? When a father releases his frustration on his children they are paying the price in the future. After all the father is molding them into the adults they are to become later in life. Many roles are transmitted from generation to generation. Skills such as being honest, wise, confident and being money suave, but with good there is always bad. Bad trait such as lying, cheating, and above all abuse. After watching the film on demand, “Breaking the Cycle of violence”, I could relate to where the father was coming from when he wasn’t sure how to hold back his aggression but opted to trying a different ways to control his son instead of showing force towards him. Raising kids is no easy task, but when we as parents cross the boundaries on enforcing discipline. Relating this to Morris & Gibson and their article on the influence of corporal punishment on children helps us distinguish the many rights and wrongs when it comes to disciplining children. It may help them or ultimately teach them aggression behavior is the correct way...
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...person Kinds of Sexual Orientation: Heterosexuality Homosexuality Bisexuality Asexuality THEORIES * SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY (Albert Bandura) Social learning theory focuses on the learning that occurs within a social context. It considers that people learn from one another, including such concepts as observational learning, imitation, and modeling Assumptions: 1. People are social beings; they react to the environment or respond to stimuli in the environment 2. The idea of an existing innate sex drive is superfluous since trait or trait-like behaviour is created in conjunction with environmental stimuli 3. Social behaviour can occur without external reinforcement; individual cognitions mediate the cues from the environment. * LABELING THEORY (Social Reaction Theory) Labeling theory is concerned with how the self-identity and behaviour of an individual is influenced (or created) by how that individual is categorized and described by others in their society Assumptions: 1. Labels applied to individuals influence their behaviour, particularly the application of negative or stigmatizing labels (such as "gay") promote deviant behaviour becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy References: http://www.taeterinnen.org/en/04_constructivist.html http://www.psychiatry.org/lgbt-sexual-orientation Social learning theory Social learning theory focuses on the learning that occurs within a social context. It considers that people learn from one another...
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...Another narcissistic trait Rodger shows is that he lacks empathy for others through his powerful sadistic streak. In the article, “Narcissism and Empathy in Young Offenders and Non-offenders”, author Erica G. Hepper explains that, “Empathy is defined as both the cognitive ability to understand others’ perspectives and the affective tendency to respond to others by sharing their emotions or feeling compassion” (qtd. in Davis). Rodger lacks empathy because he’s unable to identify other people’s feeling and forgive those who have hurt him. He just enjoys hurting people, and wants them so suffer more. One time at a bus station, he smiles at two girls, but these girls ignore him so he splashes his drinks on them. After what he has done, he recalls...
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