Psychology and Crime Psychoanalytic TheoryPsychoanalysis Cognitive Psychology Principles

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 1950 s

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) ▪ Stage 1 ▪ 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) ▪ Stage 4 ▪ 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 nonpsychopath 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.