Psychology and Crime Psychoanalytic Theory/Psychoanalysis Cognitive Psychology Principles of Learning Personality and Crime IQ/Intelligence and Crime

Psychoanalytic Theory ▪ Sigmund Freud ▪ 1856–1939 ▪ Psychic Determinism A CIGAR IS NEVER JUST A CIGAR

Freudian Elements of Personality ▪ Conscious vs. Unconscious Mind ▪ 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

Defense Mechanisms ▪ Used to reduce anxiety REPRESSION RATIONALIZATION DENIAL PROJECTION

Freudian Explanations of Delinquency ▪ Overactive Id ▪ Delinquent Superego ▪ Delinquent Ego Crimes with “special meaning” Translating psychoanalysis into rehabilitation? Works for articulate adult neurotics who can talk out their problems…

Policy Implications of Freudian Theory ▪ Drawbacks ▪ Almost impossible to test empirically (Cannot be directly observed and measured) ▪ Still maintains a place in psychology of criminal behavior Many concepts from Freud used in modern theory LOW SELF CONTROL PRO-CRIMINAL ATTITUDES

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

Classical Conditioning

How is classical conditioning related to crime? As a cause of crime? Not likely Use as a foundation for rehabilitation Aversion Therapy

Operant Conditioning ▪ 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

Principles of Learning ▪ Delinquency tied to parents’ failure to effectively condition their children away from bad behavior Inconsistent and harsh punishment Glueck and Glueck study from 1950s

Principles of Learning GERALD PATTERSON AND FRIENDS

Do parents matter that much? Patterson and others Effective parenting (monitoring, punishing, and reinforcing behavior)non-deliquent Judith Rich Harris Argues that parental behaviors may have few effects on the child’s long-term development. Instead, parenting is related to kids behavior because troublesome kids evoke angry parenting. How would you tell who is correct?

How to Train Your Parent

Observational Learning ▪ Albert Bandura (Bobo doll experiments): most human learning is not based on trial and error (operant conditioning). ▪ Effects on criminal behaviors are difficult to determine.

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 Some evidence (but still debate)—reducing exposure may reduce aggression

Policy Implications of Operant Conditioning Manipulate Reward Structure of Offenders Token Economy Contract Contingencies Parent Management Training Reinforcement works better than punishment! Immediate reinforcement works best (or you end up owning a yellow raft).

The Yellow Raft The “Contingency” Contract The Child Reaction after Failing to Meet Quota

Cognitive Psychology ▪ Humans’ ability to think creates unique learning processes ▪ Cognitions (like behaviors) can be learned, and humans can use cognition to self-reinforce ▪ Focus on: ▪ Cognitive structure (how people think) ▪ Cognitive content (what people think)

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

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.

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.

Cognitive Content ▪ Rationalizations or denials that support criminal behavior ▪ For example, a criminal thinks, “I’m not really hurting anyone.” Extremely common for sex offenders ▪ Criminals are more likely to express such thoughts Sociologists are often skeptical (time-ordering) Psychologists: NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT ▪

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. Cognitive restructuring attempts to change the content of an individual’s thoughts. ▪ Combination cognitive-behavioral have track record of success

Theory in Action ▪ Multisystematic therapy (MST) ▪ Creator Scott Henggeler and associates ▪ Example of “Cognitive-Behavioral” Approach ▪ Observe family, design specific intervention ▪ Targets many areas for change (parenting, school/peer systems, home environment…)

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

Personality Traits and Crime (2 of 3) ▪ Personality dimensions in the MPQ ▪ Constraint ▪ Traditionalism ▪ Harm avoidance ▪ Control ▪ Negative emotionality ▪ Aggression ▪ Alienation ▪ Stress reaction

Personality Traits and Crime (1 of 3) ▪ 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)

Personality Traits and Crime (3 of 3) ▪ Personality dimensions in the MPQ ▪ Positive emotionality ▪ Achievement ▪ Social potency ▪ Well-being ▪ Social closeness

Criminal Personality: The Psychopath ▪ A distinct “criminal personality” ▪ One of the oldest concepts in criminology “MORAL INSANITY”

Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD) from DSM-IV 1. Disregard for the rights of others. At least three of the following: behaves in a way that is grounds for arrest, deceitful and manipulative, impulsive, aggressive, irresponsible, lack of remorse 2. Age 18 or older 3. A history of child conduct disorder 4. Antisocial behavior not a product of schizophrenic episode

“Psychopath” is narrower concept Hervey Cleckley’s (1957) The Mask of Sanity Key features: Manipulative, Superficial charm, Above-average intelligence, Absence of psychotic symptoms, Absence of anxiety, Lack of remorse, Failure to learn from experience, Egocentric, Lack of emotional depth Other Characteristics: Trivial Sex life, Unreliable, Failure to follow a life plan, Untruthful, Suicide attempts rarely genuine, Impulsive, Antisocial behavior

HARE PCL The Psychopathy Checklist Interview Measures different aspects of psychopathy (each scored on a 0-2 scale) Has produced very interesting studies (difference between psychopath and non-psychopath inmates)

Policy Implications of Personality Theory ▪ Personality traits consistently predict delinquency and crime. ▪ Criticisms: Personality traits are often portrayed as impossible to change (See, Psychopathy) What causes personality traits?

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?

A Brief History of Intelligence Testing ▪ Binet started out like his peers: Measuring people’s skull size Not much difference—worried about bias in the tests Developed a “hodgepodge” of tests measure identify learning disabled children Not meant to be a measuring device for intelligence in “normal” students Translated to English, used to identify “morons” and “low grade defectives” as part of eugenics

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. But, it does consistently predict

IQ and Crime ▪ Travis Hirschi and Michael Hindelang ▪ The Bell Curve ▪Direct effect ▪ Most criminologists find evidence of indirect effects IQ  School, Peers, etc.  Crime

Conclusion ▪ Psychological theories  the individual ▪ Modern Theory LEARNING COGNITION and IQ PERSONALITY ▪ Many psychological theories translate well into treatment programs.