Psychological and
Psychiatric Foundations
of Criminal Behavior
QUESTION
In what way would psychological theories
differ from sociological theories?
EARLY PSYCHOLOGICAL
THEORIES
Conditioned Behavior
plus
Psychopathology
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.
Psychological Theories of
Crime Causation
(cont’d)

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.
QUESTION
Does society have a responsibility to treat
offender’s diagnosed with a personality disorder,
i.e., psychopathic or psychotic behavior?
If so, for how long?
FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY or
PSYCHIATRIC 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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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
person’s inability to exercise socially appropriate controls over the
self.
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.
Prediction of future criminal conduct
is an essential element in many of
the decisions rendered throughout
our criminal justice system.
Bail
Punishment
Parole
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.
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.
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?
Prediction of Sexual Offending
The task is to assess a
sex offender’s
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.
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.
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)
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.
Criminal Investigative Analysis
(Profiling)
Does Not Identify a Specific Suspect,
It Formulates an Initial Description
Of the Most Likely Suspect.
QUESTION:
How might forensic psychology
assist social policy in the future?