SOCI 344 Sociology of Deviant Behaviour Session Six The Psychological theories

Transcription

1 SOCI 344 Sociology of Deviant Behaviour Session Six The Psychological theories Lecturer: Prof. Chris Abotchie, Department of Sociology Contact Information:

2 Session Overview Introduction In the last session the main focus of the discussion was on the biological determinism of criminality. The studies reviewed were more interested in establishing the correlation between the human body and criminality than a correlation between the human mind and criminality. In this session the focus will be to examine the sense in which all crimes could be said to be psychological. Given the legal definition of crime as an intentional act, it can be suggested deductively that crime is psychological. This is because an appropriate urge or intention must first arise in the mind of the criminal before he commits an offence. In what sense is this true?

3 Session review cotd Firstly, the temptation (the urge) to commit a crime; secondly, the appraisal of the crime; and thirdly the planning of how to bring it about all invariably take place in the mind of the potential criminal. This does not mean however that all crimes can be attributed solely to psychological abnormality because psychological responses may often be a product of a highly abnormal environment. There are, broadly, three different approaches to the psychological explanation of criminal behavior. These include psychological abnormalities and crime, the role of temperament and the importance of early training.

4 Session outline The main topics to be covered in this session are as follows: - Topic One: Psychotic abnormality and crime Topic Two: Neurotic Abnormality and crime Topic Three: Temperament, early childhood training and crime

5 Objectives/expected outcomes for the session On the completion of this session, you should be able to Explain the correlation between psychotic abnormality and crime Explain neurosis as a predisposing factor for criminality Describe and explain the impact of temperament and early training on criminality

6 Topic One Psychotic abnormality and crime Psychoses Psychoses refer to mental deviations or diseases which produce a radical general personality change. Whereas the neurotic is still the same person who can consider more or less objectively, his impaired personality functions the real psychotic is a different person from what he was before the disease began, Among the psychoses, reference can be made to schizophrenia which is a term applicable to a group of diseases which have several common symptoms for example the inability to interact socially (autism);profound changes in the emotions; and an apparent incoherence of the intellectual process.

7 Schizophrenia Investigations of the criminological importance of schizophrenia have produced widely divergent results which can be attributed to the wide variations in the definition of the disease. European studies have however produced very low figures for the occurrence of schizophrenia among criminals. Numerically, crimes of violence such as murder and rape and crimes against property such as theft and arson are associated with schizophrenics, but the number of these crimes committed by them is a very small part of the total number of crimes - although, there is an increased incidence among the schizophrenic group as compared to the rest of the population.

8 Manic depressive psychoses Other type of psychoses include manic depressive psychoses marked by morbid changes of the mind downwards towards a depressive or melancholic extremes, during which the patient suffers from hypochondria, an indefinite melancholy, decreased self confidence and a pessimistic attitude towards life, and is restrained in thought and movement. Suicide is the greatest danger in the melancholic state The opposite state is a change of mood upwards, towards a manic extreme marked by a euphoric mood, producing increased self confidence, raving fantasies and restless activity. In such a high spirited mood often marked by a lack of self control, there is an increased risk of committing libel and offences against public order. Sexual crime sometimes of a very perverse nature and exhibitionism also occur.

9 Senile and psychogenic spychoses Further, there is Senile Psychoses experienced as a result of the atrophy of the brain in advanced age. This may be characterized by character changes such as crossness, irritability, moroseness, suspicion, and - especially in men, a certain sexual reawakening often occurring after a period during which the sexual impulse had disappeared. This often leads to less serious forms of indecency especially towards small girls. Psychogenic or reactive psychoses are mental changes which occur also as a result of psychic trauma - often, but not necessarily in people with a predisposition towards a mental disease. The main predisposing factors are family conflicts, sexual conflicts, death of dear ones, catastrophic events, social crises or imprisonment.

10 Psychogenic psychoses family murder Of special criminological interest are the psychogenic disorders which may lead, in extreme cases, to a family murder of the extended suicide type, and in murder cases and to a less criminal behavior such as theft or arson.

11 Topic Two Neurotic Abnormality and Crime Introduction Neuroses are mental diseases which may take a chronic form. Character neuroses are to be distinguished from psychoses in the sense that they do not produce any radical general personality change. The real psychotic as was identified in the previous discussion, is a different person from what he was before the disease began, whereas the neurotic is still the same person who can consider more or less objectively, his impaired personality functions. What is the correlation of this mental condition as well to criminality?

12 Neurosis - inadequate adjustment to societal prohibitions Genesis of Neurosis Most psychiatrists believe that neurosis occurs as a result of inadequate adjustment to either a momentary or a long lasting conflict situation. The modern theory of neurosis which is strongly influenced by Freud, suggests that when individuals are unable to satisfy their instinctual urges which may include love, affection, sympathy and a death instinct, because of a legal restraint imposed by society or by their internal moral inhibitions, they react by insecurity, anxiety or guilt feeling.

13 Freud children born with selfish violent desires These states which may be painful can be avoided by repression that is, through the suppression of a particular desire by substituting another a process known as sublimation. The neurosis is a sign that integration has not been completely successful. In his attempt to explain the process of repression Freud suggested that when an infant is born he has many selfish, violent and antisocial wishes of an instinctual character. In the course of his development, he learns that these wishes cannot be realized in a civilized human society. He learns these lessons in the course of his relationship with his parents. Difficulties arise -

14 Unattainable needs and Sublimation Where parents are very censorious. In other words, when the child s vital emotional needs are frustrated without any hope of compensation, the child may well react by becoming aggressive and hostile; When the unacceptable wishes of the child are described as dangerous, the child may internalize the need to play safe and tend to dissociate himself from the dangerous wishes often times to the extent of denying their existence and blotting out all memory of these unacceptable wishes from his mind. These frustrated wishes and dangerous ideas are then sublimated or repressed; and although the individual is no longer aware of their existence, they fester on, disturbing his adjustment in all sorts of ways.

15 Neurosis- correlation with crime suicide, rape Apart from the rare kleptomania of compulsive neurotic origin, neuroses are of criminological interest for two reasons Increased anxiety sometimes leads to a crisis point in which there may be a risk of dangerous criminal acts such as suicide, rape, assault or homicide. Another criminological element of neurotic origin is the unconscious guilt complex, which is presumed to be associated with an unconscious need for punishment-particularly when a prohibition internalized during socialization has been broken.

16 Deliberate crimes visitors card If an unconscious guilt feeling (such as the erotic and aggressive drives) cannot be relieved by some acts of self punishment, the neurotic may resort to criminal acts deliberatey carried out in such a way that it could lead to his being detected and punishment. The perpetrator in these cases often leaves behind some kind of a visitor s card at the scene of the crime. In the event of being arrested and punished, the neurotic experiences what psychologists term as cathartic ventilation kind of a relief or freedom from the guilty conscience from which he/she may have suffered over the years.

17 Guilt complex - origins How does the individual develop a guilt conscience? When, an individual is unable to find an acceptable means of securing substitute satisfactions, he/she may seek to compensate himself (for his affective deprivations) by some deviant behavior of one type or the other For example example, when an adolescent girl disobeys a parental injunction to stay away from boys, gets into a relationship and becomes pregnant, she becomes very apprehensive and commits an abortion and tells no one about it. More pregnancies may be aborted or other violations may occur in secret. Fear, insecurity and anxiety may set in, leading to guilt feeling.

18 Self abnegation and shame This is the origin of neurosis. In other words, it is the result of inadequate adjustment to either a momentary or a long lasting conflict situation. The inability to adjust may lead to self pity, pessimism, lack of confidence, self abnegation and shame which eventually result in the chronic psychological disorder known as neurosis. Alternatively the individual may rebel and become intentionally deviant in order to experience a catharsis.

19 Topic Three Temperament, early childhood training and crime Introduction Some psychologists believe that people take to crime because they find it difficult in competing according to the rules. Hence any kind of physical or mental handicap or disease which interferes with social adjustment may be expected to predispose the handicapped to delinquency. Further, not all the emotional difficulties are the result of abnormal innate endowment. The importance of early training has been emphasized as a framework for explaining certain modes of deviation and delinquency.

20 Temperament Temperament Cyril Burt The argument is that some people, because of their particular temperaments may have more difficulty in running their lives on an even keel than the average person. The British Psychologist Sir Cyril Burt s theory of general emotionality (1981) is illustrative. Explaining that the impulses with which individuals are endowed at birth vary in strength from person to person, Burt contends that many offences may be traced to either an excess or a deficiency of a particular instinctive drive.

21 The submissive instinct An excess of the submissive instinct is thus postulated to account for the tendency for many criminals to be weak-willed and easily led particularly in response to pressure exerted by peers. The theory of social control suggests that peer pressure to commit crime can be resisted by the youth under pressure based on the strength of their attachment to their parents as well as their commitment to and involvement in productive work. But, if the youth under temptation is weak-willed he will need a greater level of loyalty to his parents to be able to resist. In the absence of a high level of attachment the weak-willed person will easily submit to pressure.

22 The impulse of fear The impulse of fear is seen as the root cause of stealth and cunning lying and absconding (escaping legal process). Because of fear, almost all criminals are unable to stand their ground when they are boldly accosted or when they become aware that the police are after them. Further, when apprehended, their immediate reaction is to tell lies (because of fear) with the hope of getting out of trouble; and frightened criminals would escape arrest in order to escape punishment. The callous type of offender is said to be deficient in the emotion of love. These are the heartless criminals who may not only rob their victims but may wish to rape or harm them in other ways if they can. An excess of grief is said to be the cause of suicide.

23 The impact of early family training Early Training There is evidence of a clinical and observational character which suggests that many of the emotional difficulties identified by Burt arise as a result of unwise handling of individuals in early childhood. In a study of delinquency using a small sample of 14 cases, Bowlby (1979) suggested that heredity accounted for emotional deprivation in 3 cases, while the remaining 11 delinquents were emotionally deprived because of defective early family experience. Bowlby asserted that the earlier a child is deprived of his mother s care, the more serious will be his maladjustment and predisposition to delinquency.

24 Not too much or too little love According to Aichhorn, if the child is not taught to give up or modify his instinctual ( selfish, violent, anti-social) demands, he will become a criminal; but he will be prepared to make the necessary sacrifice if he feels that his parents love him. A parent may be at fault in giving too little love or he may also give too much love (as in pampering) or give love too easily so that the child does not feel he has to earn it by renouncing his more primitive desires. Alternatively, parental attitude may be inconsistent; i.e. both parents may not agree on how to discipline their child as for example in demanding the renunciation of bad habits.

25 Parents must agree on how to discipline As a result, the child is enabled to play off one parent against the other, getting from one the love which the other is withholding and therefore, needing to make no adjustment on his part. The result is the development of delinquency or criminal tendencies in later age, in response to lingering of un-renounced primitive desires.

26 Summary Psychoses refer to mental deviations or diseases which produce a radical general personality change. The real psychotic is a different person from what he was before the disease began, whereas the neurotic is still the same person who can consider more or less objectively, his impaired personality functions. The neurotic may resort to criminal acts carried out in such a way that it could lead to his/her being detected and punished. Among the psychoses, reference can be made to schizophrenia which is a term applicable to a group of diseases which have several common symptoms for example, the inability to interact socially (autism); profound changes in the emotions; and an apparent incoherence of the intellectual process.

27 . There are also manic depressive psychoses marked by morbid changes of the mind downwards towards depressive or melancholic extremes, and upwards towards a manic extreme marked by a euphoric mood. Further, there is Senile Psychoses experienced as a result of the atrophy of the brain in advanced age. Finally, there is Psychogenic or reactive psychoses which are mental changes which occur as a result of psychic trauma., All of these manifestations of psychoses have correlations with different types of crime

28 Studies have suggested that there are parallels between the behavior of criminals and that of infants who has not yet been socialized. The Vietnamese psycho analyst Aichhorn contented that the most important causes of crime must be faulty methods of children training. According to him, if a child is not taught to give up or modify his instinctual demands, he will become a criminal; but he will be prepared to make the necessary sacrifice if he feels that his parents love him.

29 Given the psychological genesis of most crimes, how best must crime prevention be approached in order to greatly enhance deterrence? Discuss with illustrative examples.

30 Assignment Given the psychological origin of most crimes, how best must the approach to crime prevention be initiated i to greatly enhance deterrence? Discuss with illustrative examples.

31 References Abotchie, Chris, (2016) Sociology of Deviant Behaviour, Accra, Olive Tree Printing and Publishing Abotchie, Chris, (2010) Sociology of Deviant Behaviour, Accra, ICDE Adler, F. Mueller, G.O.W And Laufer, S. (1998)Criminology, Boston: McGraw-Hill.