Posted: March 20th, 2017

CMRJ303

respond to this 250 words 

I found this week’s assignment rather interesting. I believe that observing psychological along with certain biological traits can be highly useful in the study of criminology. However, when it comes to biological traits, we must choose wisely in what traits are studied. While the study of certain biological traits can be very beneficial claiming that superficial traits can tag someone as a being a criminal can be dangerous to society.
This argument ultimately comes down to the age-old debate of nature versus nurture. I believe that the conditions a person grows up in plays a large role in whether a person becomes a criminal. A person’s family, friends, and community play a large part in their psychological makeup. The way someone thinks is greatly affected by their experiences as they are growing up and those experiences can affect them for life. One of the studies in our reading this week compared criminals and non-criminals on personality traits of extraversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism. The traits studied under these three categories were activity, sociability, assertiveness, inferiority, unhappiness, anxiety, risk-taking, impulsiveness, irresponsibility, and the lie-scale. While these are traits linked with one’s psychology each one is affected by the environment in which one grows up and lives in. The results of the study supported the hypothesis that criminals would score higher on extraversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism (Singh & Rani, 2017). While the study supports these traits being more pronounced in criminals, I believe the way the traits are affected by society ahs a huge effect on whether someone will become a criminal. There are many successful people that possess these same traits.
When it comes to biological factors, I believe the most important thing to look at is the functioning and chemical makeup of a person’s brain. The brain is more of a factor in behavior than any other part of human biology. New technologies, such as brain scans, and techniques in measuring cognitive function have provided great insights into differences in the minds of criminals and non-criminals. One study that compared groups of adolescent offenders and non-offenders conducted a series of cognitive and IQ test, along with measuring heart rate, found that self-control is indeed a significant predictor of offending. Specifically, the element of future orientation, which may be at the heart of self-control (Cauffman, Steinberg & Piquero, 2005). One aspect of the study I do not think you can necessarily attribute to criminality is a low heart rate. Many athletes, especially long-distance runners, have low heart rates. I run long distance myself and have a resting heart rate that sits between 46 and 54. I don’t see this as being a good predictor of criminality.
While biological factors such as brain function and chemical makeup can be useful in the study of criminology the use of biological factors to determine criminality can also present some dangers. Earnest Albert Hooton, and anthropologist, believed that criminals could be defined by physical features such as skin color, height, weight, facial hair, if a person was balding, amount of body hair, and various other physical features. Hooton was a proponent of eugenics which proposes certain groups are genetically inferior to others. The Nazi party used eugenics as their justification for the Holocaust. They saw the Jews, gypsies, and those with mental and severe physical disabilities as being genetically inferior and therefore they needed to be purged. While Hooton did not agree with racism of any kind his views toward those he viewed as genetically inferior, in this case criminals, were in lock step with what the Nazis believed.
While the eugenics movement did not take the form of the Holocaust here in the United States it did have some horrible repercussions. Many people with mental and physical disabilities were placed into state hospitals due to the belief they are dangerous or inferior and therefore should be separated. These hospitals were ultimately not equipped or funded to handle the amount of people they had which led to horrible living conditions and treatment. It is because of things like this that we must be careful about attributing biological traits as meaning someone is a criminal or inferior in any way.
Cauffman, E., Steinberg, L., & Piquero, A. R. (2005). PSYCHOLOGICAL, NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL CORRELATES OF SERIOUS ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOR IN ADOLESCENCE: THE ROLE OF SELF-CONTROL*. Criminology, 43(1), 133-175. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy2.apus.edu/10.1111/j.0011-1348.2005.00005.x
Singh, D., & Rani, A. (2017). A study of psychological (personality) correlates of criminal behaviour. Indian Journal of Health and Wellbeing, 8(1), 62-66. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy2.apus.edu/docview/1890812034?accountid=8289