In approximately 1916, Calcutta University established a Department of Experimental Psychology, marking the beginning of what is now known as the field of criminal psychology in India. Like the human mind, the psychology of criminal behaviour is complex, leading to many competing explanations.
Perhaps you’ve pondered, “What is it about criminal psychology that makes people do bad things?” Numerous explanations exist, most of which fall into one of three broad camps.
Keep reading to learn more about the complex interplay of biological, psychological, and social factors that can lead to criminal behaviour.
Notes: SL Legal Services, the best law firm in Chandigarh, has a firm grasp of the complex interplay between mental health and offending actions. Our team of highly qualified and experienced lawyers is aware of the fact that many psychological factors can contribute to criminal behaviour.
Biological Factors
Researchers in the field of criminal psychology now generally agree that a combination of genetic and environmental factors can influence an individual’s propensity towards criminal behaviour. These physiological elements are typically linked to various brain regions or brain-controlled secretions.
Prefrontal Cortex: The human brain’s prefrontal cortex is the primary locus of executive control. It is common to find criminals with damaged or underdeveloped prefrontal cortices. Teenagers’ lack of self-control may be due to the fact that this area of the brain doesn’t finish developing until the mid-20s.
Amygdala: A similar study found that aggressive and violent behaviour in men at age 26 was three times more likely in those with smaller amygdalas compared to those with larger amygdalas. This region of the brain is associated with emotions like fear and anger as well as social behaviour.
Anterior Cingulate Cortex: Inmates with lower ACC activity were found to be twice as likely to return to prison after 4 years, according to a study conducted by the American Psychological Association (APA). The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) plays a crucial role in the regulation of behaviour.
Some research suggests that elevated levels of neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin, as well as hormones like testosterone, may contribute to antisocial behaviour.
Sociological Theories
Many sociological theories speculate that a person’s social and environmental contexts may play a role in shaping their propensity towards criminal behaviour. One such theory, for instance, seeks to explain criminal behaviour by pointing to the dynamics of local neighbourhoods as a driving force. This means that people from low-income backgrounds are more likely to commit crimes because they have had a less privileged upbringing.
Most sociological theories on the psyche of criminal behaviour seem to support the idea that people who were left to fend for themselves at a young age and who experienced discrimination at the hands of society are more likely to become criminals as adults. The role of social pressure and cultural ideals is also discussed.
Psychological Theories
Most psychological explanations for criminal behaviour centre on formative experiences in early life. They claim that people who experienced trauma as children are more likely to engage in criminal behaviour as adults.
Now, we’ll examine the three most prominent psychological explanations for crime.
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Psychodynamic Theory
Many consider Sigmund Freud (1856–1939), commonly known as the “father of psychology,” to be the originator of the psychodynamic theory. The id, the ego, and the superego are the three components of the human personality upon which this theory rests. The id is in charge of satisfying unconscious needs like eating, having sex, and getting enough sleep. It operates on the principle of pleasure, prioritising short-term happiness. However, the ego exists on an unconscious level and is guided by the principle of reality.
At last, we reach the superego, the engine that powers ethical judgements. According to the psychodynamic theory of crime and criminal psychology, criminal behaviour results from an inability of the ego and superego to subdue the id.
Behavioural Theory
Human behaviour, according to behavioural theory, can be taught and is not innate. The idea that children pick up violent habits from their peers is consistent with many sociological theories of crime. The world’s most famous social theorist, Albert Bandura, claims that children learn aggressive and violent behaviours from three main sources:
Family interactions
Environmental experiences
Mass media
Cognitive Theory
The goal of cognitive theory is to describe how people’s worldviews influence their decisions and actions. Most criminals, according to Lawrence Kohlberg’s theory on criminal behaviour, are stuck in the youngest and least developed of the three stages of moral development, pre-conventional.
The Legal Implications of Criminal Psychology
Criminal profiling is a technique used by police and other law enforcement agencies to better connect the perpetrator of a crime with the circumstances surrounding the crime. As part of this process, a criminal psychologist is consulted in order to determine the top five identifying traits of a criminal.
However, criminal profiling in India frequently takes on the hue of our country’s social injustices before independence. It is unfortunate that those of lower social status and less financial means are less likely to be able to defend themselves when they are falsely accused of wrongdoing. As with the denotified tribes in our country, this type of casteist social bias can be widespread but unrecognised by the general public.
In addition, most nations’ judicial systems and the field of psychology are intertwined. This can be seen in the different gradations of treatment options available in India, which range from lenient juvenile detention to adult incarceration.
Conclusion
Individual criminal motivation is a fascinating topic that can only be partially explained by psychological theories. However, psychology is not an exact science, and many competing explanations for criminal behaviour have been proposed. SL Legal Services is the best law firm with top-tier lawyers who have a keen understanding of the complexities of criminal behaviour, allowing us to develop customised defence strategies for each client. With SL Legal on your side, you can be confident that your case will be handled with the utmost professionalism and dedication to achieving the best possible outcome. While this blog post may have given you some interesting perspective on what sets a criminal apart from the average citizen, SL Legal Services strongly recommends that anyone facing criminal charges seek the counsel of an experienced criminal lawyer.