Psychological and Psychiatric Foundations of Criminal Behavior

1
Psychological and Psychiatric Foundations of
Criminal Behavior
2
QUESTION

• In what way would psychological theories differ
  from sociological theories?

3
EARLY PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORIES

• Conditioned Behavior
• plus
• Psychopathology

4
Psychological Theories of Crime Causation

• Fundamental Assumptions Include
• The individual is the primary unit of analysis.
• Personality is the major motivational element
  within individuals.
• Crimes result from abnormal, dysfunctional, or
  inappropriate mental processes within the
  personality.
• Normality is generally defined by social
  consensus.

5
Psychological Theories of Crime
Causation(contd)

• Criminal behavior may be purposeful for the
  individual insofar as it addresses certain felt
  needs.
• Defective, or abnormal, mental processes may have
  a variety of causes, i.e., a diseased mind,
  inappropriate learning or improper conditioning,
  the emulation of inappropriate role models, and
  adjustment to inner conflicts.

6
QUESTION

• Does society have a responsibility to treat
  offenders diagnosed with a personality disorder,
  i.e., psychopathic or psychotic behavior?
• If so, for how long?

7
FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY orPSYCHIATRIC CRIMINOLOGY

• Forensic psychology or criminal psychology is the
  application of science and the profession of
  psychology to questions and issues relating to
  law and the legal system.
• (Psychology vs. Psychiatry)
• Forensic psychology is concerned with a complex
  set of drives and motives operating within the
  personality that ultimately determines behavior
  (both biological and psychological urges).
• Key Concepts Psychopath, sociopath, antisocial
  and asocial personality.

8
Psychopathy

• Refers to people who repeatedly
• commit criminal acts for which they
• feel little or no remorse.
• Psychopaths are characteristically
• Superficial in their interpersonal relationships.
• Lack empathy, selfish, and irresponsible.
• Blame others for their misfortunes and offer
  excuses for their behavior.
• Deceitful and manipulative yet charming and
  glib at the same time.
• Example Ted Bundy

9

• According to recent studies,
• the best predictor of violence and
• recidivism, is psychopathy.
• The concept of psychopathy has repeatedly
  demonstrated a robust relationship to the risk of
  repeat criminality and violence in offender and
  patient populations.

10
Psychopath/Sociopath

• When we seek to explain the riddle of human
  conduct in general and antisocial behavior in
  particular, the solution must be sought in the
  personality. Abrahamsen (1944).
• A psychopathic personality appears early in life,
  
• often in the teenage years.

11
ANTISOCIAL PERSONALITY DISORDER

• Antisocial (asocial) personality types who are
  basically unsocialized and whose behavior pattern
  brings them repeatedly into conflicts with
  society.
• The focus is on the type of behavior exhibited
• as opposed to the identifiable personality traits
  
• of a sociopath or psychopath.

12
Characteristics of APD

• Incapable of significant loyalty to individuals,
  groups, or social values.
• Impulsive and irresponsible.
• Blames others or offers plausible rationalization
  for their behavior.
• Selfish and callous to concerns of others.
• Unable to feel guilt or to learn from experience
  and punishment.
• Very low tolerance to frustration and a low
  threshold for discharge of aggression, including
  violence.
• Inflated self-appraisal, glib, and superficial
  charm.

13
PSYCHOANALYTIC PERSPECTIVE

• The psychoanalytic perspective was developed by
  Freud and emphasizes the role of personality in
  human behavior and which sees deviant behavior as
  the result of dysfunctional personalities.
• Significant inadequacies may result in full-blown
  mental illness, which in itself can be a direct
  cause of crime.
• Key Concepts Personality (Id, ego, and
  superego), neurosis, psychosis, sublimation,
  Thanatos, psychosis, schizophrenia.

14
Freudian Terms

• The id is based on the pleasure principle
  (primitive instincts).
• The ego is based on the reality principle.
• The superego is based on the ethical principle.
• Sublimation is the psychological process whereby
  one item of consciousness comes to be be
  symbolically substituted for another.
• Thanatos is based on the existence of a death
  instinct.
• Neurosis is a minor form of mental illness which
  may also lead to crime. Neurotic individuals are
  well in touch with reality but many find
  themselves anxious, fearful of certain
  situations, or unable to help themselves in
  others (compulsive behavior).

15
The Psychotic Offender

• Psychotic people are out of touch with reality in
  some fundamental way. They may suffer from
  hallucinations, delusions, or other breaks with
  reality.
• Psychosis is more severe than neurosis.
• Psychotics have also been classified as
  schizophrenic or paranoid schizophrenic.

16
Other Types of Psychological Perspectives

• Frustration- Aggression Theory Frustration is a
  natural consequence of living and a root cause of
  crime. Aggressive behavior is a response to
  frustration.
• Modeling Theory People learn how to behave by
  modeling themselves after others whom they have
  the opportunity to observe.
• Behavior Theory Individual behavior which is
  rewarded will increase in frequency, while that
  which is punished will decrease.
• Self-Control Theory The root cause of crime can
  be found in a persons inability to exercise
  socially appropriate controls over the self.

17
Predictive Schemes

• A primary goal of psychological assessment
• is to attempt to make predictions about
• future behavior based on some set of factors
• that are combined in some fashion
• into a predictive scheme.

18

• Prediction of future criminal conduct
• is an essential element in many of
• the decisions rendered throughout
• our criminal justice system.
• Bail
• Punishment
• Parole

19
Risk Assessment

• The process of conceptualizing various
• hazards in order to make judgments about
• their likelihood and the need for various
  preventative measures.
• The concept of risk includes
• The nature of, the likelihood of, the frequency
  of, the seriousness of,
• and the imminence of.

20
Types of Predictive Schemes

• Clinical prediction The prediction is based on
  clinical experience and judgment.
• Actuarial prediction The prediction is based on
  a statistical scheme or formula.
• Anamnestic prediction The prediction is based
  on a specific analysis of how a particular person
  has acted in the past in similar situations.

21
Questions

• In the field of criminal justice,
• what are psychiatrists, psychologists,
• and researchers trying to predict?
• How would this relate to the crimes of
• domestic violence, child abuse, suicide,
• and the sexual offender?

22
Prediction of Sexual Offending

• The task is to assess a
• sex offenders
• degree of risk to the community.
• Why?
• Most jurisdictions have laws governing sex
  offenders
• for example, if there is a likelihood of
• committing a similar offense in the future, then
  certain procedures such as registration
• with the police or community takes place.

23
Prediction of Sexual Offending

• Convicted rapist reconviction rate 22.8
  (10-36).
• Child molesters reconviction rate 20.4
  (4-38).
• Homosexual child molesters reconviction rate
  double that of heterosexual child molesters
  (18.3-35.2).
• Incest child molesters reconviction rate 8.5.
• Based on follow-up studies (Quinsey,
  Lalumiere, Rice Harris, 1995). Weighted
  averages. Measured only those offenses that were
  discovered.

24

• Despite the moderate predictive power
• that psychologists and psychiatrists display
• and despite the warnings from
• mental health professionals
• that predictions may be problematic,
• the courts
• often ignore the warnings
• and at times invite such predictions.
• (Barefoot v. Estell, 1983)

25
Criminal Profiling

• A method used by behavioral scientists
• and the police to narrow the field of criminal
  suspects who possess certain behavioral and
  personality characteristics that are revealed by
  the way a crime was committed.

26

• Criminal Investigative Analysis
• (Profiling)
• Does Not Identify a Specific Suspect,
• It Formulates an Initial Description
• Of the Most Likely Suspect.

27
QUESTION

• How might forensic psychology
• assist social policy in the future?