1. Criminology 9th edition Larry J. Siegel
Chapter 5 Trait Theory
Criminology 9th edition
Larry J. Siegel
© 2003 Wadsworth Publishing Co.

2. Question Do you think that people who commit crime
are physically or mentally abnormal?

3. Trait Theories
Trait theories are made up of biosocial and psychological theories.
The primary focus of trait theories is human behavior and drives, i.e., aggression, violence, and a tendency to act on impulse – factors that are linked to antisocial behavior (as opposed to legally defined criminal acts).

4. Biological and Psychological Traits
Both biological and psychological traits have been linked to criminal behavior, but not as causal linkages.
It is the “multiple factor” approach or the interaction of mental and physical traits with environmental and social factors that either suppress or trigger criminal behavior.
The focus is generally on persistent or chronic offenders.

5. Foundations of Biological Trait Theory
Biological explanation of criminal behavior first became popular during the middle part of the
19th Century with the introduction of positivism.
What is positivism?

6. Positivism Positivism rejects the concept of free will.
Crime can only be understood if it is studied by the scientific method.
Human behavior is a function of internal and external forces, i.e., social, biological, psychological, or economic forces.

7. Early Positivists Early positivists included:
Lombroso - belief that certain physical characteristics indicate a criminal nature, i.e., atavistic anomalies.
Garofalo - certain physical characteristics and psychological characteristics indicate criminal nature, i.e., prisoner tattooing.
Ferri – belief in biological, social and organic factors as a cause of crime and delinquency, i.e., forces outside your control.
Sheldon - belief in body types which were susceptible to certain types of delinquent behavior, i.e., somatotype school.

8. Problems With Early Positivist Theories
The research of the earliest positivists
(who were biologists)
was plagued by poor:
Methodology
Testing
Logic

9. Biosocial Trait Theories
Biochemical Conditions and Crime
Neurophysiological Conditions and Crime
Genetics and Crime
Evolutionary Views and Crime

10. Biosocial Perspectives on Criminality

11. Principles of Biosocial Trait Theories
Genetic makeup contributes significantly to human behavior.
Not all humans are born with equal potential to learn and achieve (equipotentiality).
No two people are alike (with rare exceptions, i.e., identical twins), thus the combination of genetic traits and the environment produces individual human behavior patterns.
How do these principles contrast with social theories?

12. How does a biosocial theorist
Question
How does a biosocial theorist
explain learning?

13. Biosocial Theory: Biochemical Perspective
Crime, especially
violence, is a function
of diet, vitamin intake,
hormonal imbalance,
or food allergies.
CAUSE
Explains irrational
violence. Shows how
the environment
interacts with personal
traits to influence
behavior.
STRENGTHS

14. Question Is there a link between sugar and antisocial behavior?
If so, explain.
What is the link between
hormones and antisocial behavior?
Explain.

15. Biochemical Considerations
Aggression and violence have been linked to diet. Some believe diets high
in sugar and carbohydrates are culprits.
What do studies show?

16. Biosocial Theory: Neurological Perspective
Criminals and
delinquents often suffer
brain impairment, as
measured by an EEG.
Attention deficit
disorder and minimum
brain dysfunction are
related to antisocial
behavior.
CAUSE
Explains irrational
violence. Shows how
the environment
interacts with
personal traits to
influence behavior.
STRENGTHS

17. Neurological Impairment
What is the link between brain chemistry and chronic offenders and crimes of violence?
Neurophysiology – the study of brain activity suggests that physical and brain abnormalities are acquired at the prenatal stage or through birth delivery trauma – in turn, they control behavior throughout the life span.

18. Biosocial Theory: Genetic Perspective
The major premise
is that criminal traits
and predispositions
are inherited. The
criminality of parents
can predict the
delinquency of
children.
Cause
Explains why only a
small percentage of
youth in a high-crime
area become chronic
offenders.
What do the results of
sibling and twin studies
show?
Contagion Effect?
Strengths

19. Biosocial Theory: Evolutionary Perspective
As the human race
evolved, traits and
characteristics have
become ingrained.
Some of these make
people aggressive and
predisposed to
commit crime.
Cause
Explains high
violence rates and
aggregate gender
differences in the
crime rate.
Explain why violence
is often driven by
evolutionary and
reproductive factors.
Strengths

20. Question
If there is a biological basis to violence and aggression – then how would a biosocial theorist explain white collar crime?

21. Evaluation of Biosocial Trait Theory
Response
Rather than suggest that there are born criminals and non-criminals, proponents maintain that some people carry the potential to be violent or antisocial and that environmental conditions can sometimes trigger antisocial responses.
Criticisms
If there are biological explanations for street crimes then by implication biological theory says that member of groups are biologically different, flawed or inferior. There is also a lack of adequate empirical testing.

22. Psychological Trait Theories
Psychodynamic
Behavioral
Cognitive
Social Learning
Mental Illness and crime
Personality and Crime
Intelligence and Crime

23. Psychological Perspectives on Criminality

24. Psychological Theory: Psychodynamic Perspective
Major Premise…..
The development of the unconscious personality early in childhood influences behavior for the rest of a person’s life. Criminals have weak egos and damaged personalities i.e., anger, sexuality, tendencies. Created by Sigmund Freud.
Strengths
Explains the onset of crime and why crime and drug abuse cut across class lines.
What type of mood and/or behavioral disorders may affect offenders?

25. Crime and Mental Illness
A great deal of early research efforts found that many offenders who engage in serious, violent crimes
suffer from some sort of mental disturbance.
However, empirical evidence has contradicted this.
Research shows that upon release, prisoners who had prior histories of hospitalization for mental disorders were less likely to be rearrested than those who had never been hospitalized.
Mentally disordered inmates who do recidivate upon release appear to do so for the same reasons as the mentally sound.

26. Psychological Theory: Behavioral Perspective
Strengths….
Explains the role of significant others in the crime process. Shows how family life and media can influence crime and violence.
What is social learning theory?
Major Premise…..
People commit crime when they model their behavior after others they see being rewarded for the same acts. Behavior is reinforced by rewards and extinguished by punishment, i.e., learning processes.

27. Social Learning Theory (Life Experiences)
An event
that heightens
arousal
Behavior and
values become
consistent
Factors that
help produce
violence and
aggression.
Learned
aggressive
skills
Expected
outcomes -
rewards

28. Psychological Theory: Cognitive Theory
Strengths….
Shows why criminal behavior patterns change over time as people mature and develop their moral reasoning. May explain the aging-out process.
Explain the relationship of cognitive processes, perceptions, and chronic offending.
Major Premise
Individual reasoning processes influence behavior. Reasoning is influenced by the way people perceive their environment and by their moral and intellectual development, i.e., thinking, memory, ethical values.

29. Anti-Social Personalities
Personality and Crime
Personality can be defined as the reasonably stable patterns of behavior, including thoughts and emotions that distinguish one person from another. Personality reflects a characteristic way of adapting to life’s demands and problems.
Psychopaths
Sociopaths
Anti-Social Personalities I
Abnormal Affect

30. Intelligence and Crime
What is the difference between
nature theory and nurture theory?
Do you think IQ and crime are linked?
Explain.
If so, why are there more male than female criminals? or,
Why does “aging out” occur?