How Do Psychological Theories of Criminal Behavior Differ From Biological Theories, Essay Example

Biological theories in criminology predominantly study endocrinology and the physical structure, thus they do not have any practical support. Biological theories have often been misunderstood, creating a stereotype that a criminal is born to be criminal and nothing can be changed. However, there is no sufficient evidence that physical constitution causes criminality along with other biological factors. Cesare Lombroso demonstrated the clearest example of the biological determinism in his theory, thus building it on the assumption that criminals obtain certain physiognomic abnormalities. For example, he claimed that prisoners had common facial characteristics. On the other hand, psychological theory states that potential criminal behavior is based on stable psychological trait of individual, which pushes them to commit a crime. Psychological theories imply that a person commits a crime because of inadequate socialization. Sigmund Freud and Erick Erikson were the main contributors to psychological theories’ development. Freud was talking about ego and superego, eventually resulting in criminal behavior. On the other hand, Erikson revealed the idea of unfulfilled expectations resulting in formation of a negative identity. Psychological and biological theories are both considered to be important in modern criminology development. The major difference between them is that whereas biological theories mostly imply genetic predetermination towards criminal behavior, psychological theories rely on the effect of individual’s socialization and morality.

References

Cote, S. (2002). Criminological theories: bridging the past to the future. SAGE.