Why Do Individuals Commit Crimes - 906 Words

Psychodynamic Theory The reason for criminal behavior has been studied for years. There is a basic question, why do individuals commit crimes? There have been many different suspicions or theories as to why crimes are committed. Some may believe in the theories while others disagree with them. Some may have strong beliefs that certain individuals choose to act a certain way, while others may believe that their actions are out of their control. There is also a theory that negative, criminal behavior is a learned one, some say it is inherited. There is one theory that stems back to the 1800s with Sigmund Freud as the father, the theory of psychological thought. Theory Defined As part of the psychological theories, the psychodynamic theory describes those views that â€Å"some people encounter problems during their early development that cause an imbalance in their personality† (Siegel Worrall, 2014, page 95). This theory falls under a guilty but insane defense. These people are mentally incompetent to defend themselves and were mentally unstable at the time of the offense. â€Å"The psychodynamic approach includes all the theories in psychology that see human functioning based upon the interaction of drives and forces within the person, particularly unconscious, and between the different structures of the personality† (McLeod, 2007). These individuals suffer from real psychotic diseases. Because these individuals are mentally and unconsciously unaware of their behavior,Show MoreRelatedWhy do individuals commit crimes?1381 Words   |  6 PagesTHEORIES OF CRIME Uka 5 THEORIES OF CRIME Uka 6 Can I Have Some Theory With That Crime? Why do individuals commit crimes? Society today is very well concerned with this matter. In todays time, there are psychologists, criminologists, biologists, and sociologists searching for an answer. In reality, the answer to this question is very hard to find out. However, for centuries, researchers of all kinds have been persistent in analyzing criminals for an answer. The scholarly attention to crime from variousRead MoreOutline Of An Overall Theory918 Words   |  4 PagesAccording to www.merriam-webster.com the term â€Å"crime† is defined as: â€Å"an illegal act for which someone can be punished by the government†. Some individuals in our society commit some type of crime every day, but why? In this assignment I will try to compile an overall theory as to why individuals commit crimes. While doing my research I came across 10 reasons/factors that can possibly explain why individuals commit crimes. These reasons include: The Prison System, drugs, depression and o ther socialRead MoreRoutine Activity And Situational Crime Prevention Theory1082 Words   |  5 PagesRoutine activity theory states that for a crime to be committed, three important factors need to be present including: a motivated offender, an accessible target, and the absence of a capable guardian against a violation. Marcus Felson and Lawrence E. Cohen introduced the routine activity theory in 1979, where they believed that an individual who has these three characteristics gives them a greater possibility of committing a crime. Moreover, situational crime prevention is known as strategies of waysRead MoreBehavioral Learning Theory Essay901 Words   |  4 Pagesenvironment as well as societys impact on how an individual acts which might be the reason for criminal behavior. This theory blames the environment as well as the individual by saying it is a learned behavior and that it also was a choice they made. 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Crime is the human conduct in violation of the criminal laws of a state, the federal government, or a local jurisdiction that has the power to make such laws, according with Schmalleger. The criminal behavior is the antisocial acts that a person commits for different reasons. This means that the person violated laws constantly for a long or short time period. There are many reasons why criminals commit crimes. Some of the criminals commit crimes for necessity, others forRead MoreAntisoc ial Personality Theory vs. Social Structure Theory Essay1366 Words   |  6 Pageswhich crime is considered as a social happening. The study of Criminology includes the ways and methods of breaking laws, making laws and social/media/cultural reactions of the society to crime. There have been many theories as to why people commit crime, no one can decide on just one theory to explain this. Two popular theories as to why people commit crime are antisocial personality theory and social structure theory. The aspects behind these theories make the most reliable sense as to why peopleRead MoreCriminal Behavior And The Criminal Acts1115 Words   |  5 PagesIt is not an easy task to try and figure out why people commit criminal acts. Criminal behavior has been studied for many years and theories have been suggested as to this very topic. Criminal behavior is when an individual commits a criminal act. A criminal act constitutes the violation of breaking the law. Criminal behavior can be l inked to many crimes like organized crime along with misdemeanors and felonies (Jones, 2005). Burglaries are no exception when it comes to criminal behavior. BurglariesRead MoreAssess the Usefulness of Functionalist Approaches in Explaining Crime. (21)964 Words   |  4 Pageswhole. They explain crime and deviance by stating that the source of deviance lies in the nature of society rather than the individual. Durkheim states that crime and deviance is inevitable and a certain level is necessary for society to exist. He also claims that it is a positive aspect of society as it shows examples of rights and wrongs within society and by punishing offenders, through ways such as public humiliation and portraying crime as wrong, raises awareness of crime and therefore detersRead MoreThe Classical School Of Criminology1216 Words   |  5 Pages Crime has always been a part in society and reacting to crimes and the severity of crimes has been and ever evolving issue on how authorities should punish in order to deter people from breaking the laws of the land. Therefore, certain people have created theories on why individuals commit crimes. The two most famous schools of that are Classical Theory and Biological/Positivist Theory. These theories contain insights to why people commit crimes and the most effective way to deal with these