Foundations of Trait Theory: Understanding Criminal Traits and Behaviors

1. Chapter 5 Trait Theories

2. Foundations of Trait Theory • The view that criminals have physical or mental traits that make them different or abnormal • William Sheldon suggested somatotype (body-build) makes people susceptible to delinquent behavior • Mesomorphs – muscular/athletic (aggression) • Ectomorphs – tall/thin (intellectual) • Endomorphs – heavy/slow (fences)

3. Foundations of Trait Theory • Impact of Sociobiology • Sociobiology reemerged in the 1970s (Edmund O. Wilson) • Sociobiologists view the gene as the ultimate unit of human destiny • Ensuring of survival (reciprocal altruism)

4. Foundations of Trait Theory • Modern Trait Theories • Each offender is mentally and physically unique • Humans do not posses equipotentiality (equal potential to learn and achieve) • People develop physical or mental traits at birth or soon after that affect their social functioning over the life course and their behavior choices

5. Biological Trait Theories • Biosocial theorists argue physical, environmental, and social conditions work in concert to produce behavior

6. Biological Trait Theories • Learning Potential and Its Effect on Individual Behavior Patterns • The physical and social environment interact to either limit or enhance capacity for learning • Biochemistry and cellular interaction control learning • Instinct: Some biosocial theorists contend learning is influenced by instinctual drives (rape or desire of males to control females)

7. Figure 5.1 Biosocial Perspectives on Criminality

8. Biological Trait Theories • Biochemical Conditions and Crime • Some trait theorists suggest biochemical factors contribute to criminality • Chemical and Mineral Influences: Over-or undersupply of certain chemicals and minerals are associated with antisocial behaviors • Diet and Crime: (depression, mania, cognitive problems, memory loss, or abnormal sexual behavior) • Sugar and Crime: Linked to violence/aggression • Hypoglycemia: blood glucose falls below necessary levels for normal brain functioning

9. CNN Clip - Is A Serial Killer At Large

10. Biological Trait Theories • Weblink: http://cms.psychologytoday.com/articles/index.php?term=PTO-20030514-000001

11. Biological Trait Theories • Hormonal influences: Some trait theorists suggest biochemical factors contribute to criminality (James Q. Wilson) • Hormones may explain why males age-out of crime • Abnormal levels of male sex hormones (androgens) and testosterone have been linked to aggressive behavior • High androgen levels increase stimulation and quest for thrills (left hemisphere of neocortex)

12. Biological Trait Theories • Premenstrual Syndrome: PMS linked to aggression in females • Allergies: Defined as unusual or excessive • Cerebral allergies: affect the nervous system and produce enzymes which affect behavior • Environmental Contaminants: Lead, copper, cadmium, mercury and inorganic gases • Lead levels: Linked to aggressive behavior (Deborah Denno)

13. Biological Trait Theories • Neurophysiological Conditions and Crime • Neurophysiology is the study of brain activity • Cases such as Charles Whitman (brain tumor) have focused attention on neurological impairments • EEG abnormalities have been linked to violent criminals • Minimal Brain Dysfunction: is manifested into episodic periods of explosive rage (PET scans) • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: (ADHD) has been associated with poor school performance, bullying, and stubbornness • Brain Chemistry: neurotransmitters such as dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin in low levels are linked to aggressive behavior

14. Biological Trait Theories • Arousal Theory • Reaction of brain function in response to environmental stimuli • “Sensation seekers” may include aggressive/violent behaviors • Low heart beats rates related to seeking stimulation

15. Biological Trait Theories • Genetics and Crime • Some trait theorists suggest personality traits may be genetically determined • XYY theory in the 1970s believed to be associated with violent crime in males • Parental Deviance: children inherit criminal tendencies from their criminal parents • Sibling Similarities: The effect appears greatest among same sex siblings • Twin Behavior: identical twins (monozygotic) research suggests criminal tendencies are due to genes and not environment (findings are controversial) • Adoption Studies: research supports a genetic basis for criminality (Mednick)

16. Biological Trait Theories • Evolutionary Theory • The competition for scarce resources has influenced and shaped the human species • Impulsive risk-taking behavior becomes intergenerational (passed down from parents) • Gender and Crime: Most aggressive males have the greatest number of offspring and impact the gene pool • Rushton’s Theory of Race and Evolution: Migration produced evolutionary changes in behavior • R/K Selection Theory: Holds the “R” along a continuum reproduce rapidly compared to those along the “K” end who reproduce slowly • Cheater Theory: suggests a subpopulation of men has evolved with genes that leads to cunning methods to gain sexual conquests

17. Biological Trait Theories • Evaluation of the Biological Branch of Trait Theory • Critics charge biological theories are racist and dysfunctional • Biological explanations do not account for geographical variations in crime • Lack of empirical testing

18. Psychological Trait Theories • Defective intelligence (Charles Goring) Crime could be controlled by regulating reproduction of the feebleminded • Psychodynamic: Freud suggested people carry the residue of childhood attachments that guide future interpersonal relationships • ID (pleasure principal): unconscious biological urges for food, sex and other life-sustaining necessities • Ego (reality principal): helps guide the actions of the Id within boundaries of social convention • Superego (conscience): the moral aspect of one’s personality • Eros: the most basic drive present at birth • Conflicts during psychosexual stages of development may lead to “fixations”

19. Psychological Trait Theories • Psychodynamics of Abnormal Behavior • Inferiority complex (Adler): People with a drive for superiority • Bipolar disorder: Moods alternate between depression and elation • Disruptive Behavior Disorder (DBD) includes Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD): Defiance toward authority figures • Conduct Disorder (CD) More serious and viewed as severely anti-social

20. Psychological Trait Theories • Crime and Mental Illness • Personality disorders are referred to as psychosis • Paranoid Schizophrenia: Delusions of wrongdoing and persecution • Despite evidence of mental illness: Recidivism among mentally disordered is less than the general population

21. Psychological Trait Theories • Behavioral Theory • Human actions are developed through learning experiences • Social Learning Theory: Social learning theorists argue that people learn aggression through life experiences • Violence is learned via behavior modeling (family interaction, environmental experiences, and mass media) • An event that heightens arousal • Aggressive skills • Expected outcomes • Consistency of behavior with values

22. Psychological Trait Theories • Cognitive Theory • Focuses on how people perceive and mentally represent the world around them and solve problems • Moral development: (Jean Piaget) People obey the law to avoid punishment • Humanistic psychology: Self-awareness approach • Information Processing: How people process, store, encode, retrieve, and manipulate information

23. Psychological Traits and Characteristics • Personality and Crime • Personality: is the reasonably stable patterns of behavior, thoughts, and emotions that distinguish one person from another. • Research has identified personality traits such as extroversion and introversion (Eysenck) • Antisocial personality/psychopathy/sociopathy: are antisocial persons suffering defects or aberrations • Research on personality: Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)

24. Psychological Traits and Characteristics • Intelligence and Crime • Some trait theorists argue that criminals have a below average IQ • Nature Theory (Goddard): argues that intelligence is determined genetically • Nurture Theory: argues that intelligence is primarily sociological • IQ and criminality: Reemerged in 1977 with research by Travis Hirschi and Michael Hindelang. • Cross national studies: Research with Danish children suggest a relationship between IQ and delinquency • Richard Herrnstein and Charles Murray suggest criminal offenders have an average IQ of 92 • Critics charge the link between IQ and criminality is weak

25. Figure 5.2 Psychological Perspectives on Criminality

26. Public Policy Implications of Trait Theory • Important influence on crime control and prevention programs • Primary prevention programs seek to treat personal problems before they manifest into criminal behavior • Secondary prevention programs provide treatment after one has violated the law • Use of mood-altering chemicals such as lithium, pemoline, imipramine, phenytoin, benzodiazepines to control behavior