'Psychosocial Theories in Criminal Justice\r'

'PSYCHOSOCIAL THEORIES in the APPLICATION of CRIMINAL judge Mark P. Robertson Deviant bearing Instructor Tomasina build EMPIRE STATE COLLEGE July 30, 2012 on that point be just about(prenominal) Psychosocial Theories pertaining to human behavior. The relation of some of these theories flock be directly applied to the Criminal evaluator field. Theories concentre on why some behavior develops, when and where the increment contracts, who is affected by it and whitethorn be oddly much susceptible, what signs or behaviors to look for, and what may be done to prevent it.\r\nPsychologist Terrie Mof diet proposed her Developmental Theory identifying devil learningal ‘paths’ or ‘ recitations’ in which an individual may exhibit. Moffitt claims that distressing behavior can mainly be classified into one of these categories. Moffitt states that the ‘Life-Course-Persistent (LCP) offender’ continues their antisocial ways and behavior acro ss or throughout each(prenominal) kinds of conditions and situations, and throughout the life course (or life span).\r\nThis is a developmental path in which the offender envisions miscellaneous psychological and antisocial difficulty, and defiance on a consistent basis at an early age, on through spring chicken and adolescence, and further into due date and beyond. It appears as though once LCP’s become snarly in a deviant and offensive life style they continue and increase their offending as they twist older. Young infantren as LCP’s a good deal show evidence of this developmental ‘path’ in ways much(prenominal) as wild temper tantrums and sensory system swings, to biting and hitting.\r\nAs juveniles, LCP’s show signs such as truancy, shoplifting and substance abuse. This may front like rather common or slenderly ‘normal’ behavior for many jr. individuals, and in many cases it is. However, when the young soulfulness o r adolescent does non ‘grow-out’ of this phase or behavioral ‘pattern’, it can progress into adulthood. The adult LCP may lots develop such behavior as robbery, rape, child abuse, even murder. Adult LCP’s show proud levels of antisocial behavior, and are almost exclusively virile in gender.\r\nYou can read also Justice System Position Paper\r\nThe offending great power even escalate, with the offenses and behavior becoming to a greater extent tough in nature, more than erratic, and unpredictable. As stated earlier, some criminal behavior may be seen or viewed as relatively ‘normal’ behavior for younger individuals, especially males. In fact, most young individuals do ‘grow-up and out’ of this, and choose (whether voluntarily or involuntarily) some other developmental pathway. They may offend or pageant some type of criminal or ‘ pestilential’ behavior as children, adolescents, or young adults, mer ely usually stop in their late-teens to early twenties.\r\nTerrie Moffitt states that these ‘ offsprings’ are ‘Adolescent-Limited (AL) offenders’, and these individuals usually do not take a leak or display the early developmental, persistent antisocial, or enigma behavioral histories as their LCP counterparts. However the case may be, there is an occasional commonality between LCP and AL youth. Often times, the frequency and severity of offending among LCP and AL youth, is ‘mirrored’. The patterns of offending between them can be almost identical, but with the onset of young adulthood looming near, these patterns then abruptly change.\r\nFor many reasons, the AL youth realizes that continued offending will not contribute to any sort of positive outcome, and he or she then stops. Ultimately, when applied in a criminal justice setting, Moffitt’s developmental surmise of the LCP person and the AL person shows that the AL ‘crimina ls’ or ‘delinquents’ have the ability, or at the very least, are more likely to regain control of their lives. They desist in their malevolent and/or devious behavior when they perplex to mature and evolve into a more social, conventional, realistic, and ‘ satisfying’ person.\r\nThe LCP ‘criminal’ or ‘delinquent’ maintains their malevolent behavior, mayhap and usually escalating into a more antisocial, unpredictable and mordacious person. LCP’s generally have long histories work with aggressive and violent plagues, with genuine ‘disregard’ for legality, present as a ‘threat’ to everyone. Psychologist Erik Erikson proposed another theory of Psychosocial Development, which focuses on ‘Stages’. He states that each correspond plays a major role in the development of temper and psychological ‘skills’.\r\nErikson says there are a serial of eight stages, coinciding with infancy to late adulthood, in which a person experiences different ‘challenges’. Each stage requires the successful completion of the prior stage to prevail onto the next, otherwise incomplete stages may reappear in the future and pose potential problems. However, absolute apotheosis or mastery of a stage is not necessary. Erikson’s developmental stages are as follows: 1. Hopes: religion vs. Mistrust (Oral-Sensory, Birth †2 yrs) 2. Will: shore leave vs. Shame & Doubt (Muscular-Anal, 2 -4 yrs) 3. occasion: Initiative vs. Guilt (Locomotor-Genital, Preschool, 4 -5 yrs) 4.\r\nCompetence: pains vs. Inferiority (Latency, 5 †12 yrs) 5. Fidelity: individuality vs. Role Confusion (Adolescence, 13 †19 yrs) 6. contend: Intimacy vs. Isolation (Young Adulthood, 20 †24, or 20 †40 yrs) 7. Care: Generativist vs. Stagnation (Middle Adulthood, 25 †64, or 40 †64 yrs) 8. Wisdom: Ego equity vs. Despair (Late Adulthood, 65 †de ath) In regards to Erik Erikson’s developmental theory of the ‘Stages’, there is particular importance in relation to the criminal justice field. Stage 5, (Fidelity: individuation vs. Role Confusion) plays a key role in psychosocial ability and behavior. ‘Identity’ is unique to every individual.\r\nThere may be a distinct correlativity between identity and why some peck stray from the ‘norms’ of society and venture off into a life of deviant or criminal activity. This is especially true when it involves young tribe. Young people/persons are quite easily influenced, and impressionable. It is a very life-sustaining and important time in one’s life, trapped somewhere between childhood and adulthood. It is a period of extreme change, extreme choices, and big decisions. wish of one’s own identity, confusion, and the need and longing to belong, or to ‘fit in’ somewhere, can and much does provoke irrational t hought.\r\nThe inability or difficulty to become accepted by one’s peers gives way to potentially ‘bad’ choices. This can be especially difficult for certain(a) cultural, ethnic, and societal groups. For example, inner-city youth (regardless of race) who grow up in areas with higher crime rates and/or criminal activity, or lower-income families (many with except one parental figure) are by default, at higher take chances of ‘exposure’ to criminal activity. They in essence, have little or almost no chance of meeting or interacting with (or being influenced by) mortal from the suburbs, or the country (rural areas), where criminal activity is lower.\r\nThese inner-city youths are more frequently exposed to crime (it is sometimes all they see and know), and without ‘positive’ influence, they are more susceptible to adopt an ‘identity’ relative and fit to what they experience on a regular basis. They bank that is the Ã¢â‚¬Ë œnorm’ and in turn, they tend to lean towards what they believe. or else than having no identity at all, and having the desire to ‘fit in’ somewhere, they naturally fall into place. Unfortunately, the choice(s) for these youths are often very limited, and this is a major problem. This may be a reason why Hans J.\r\nEysenck develop his psychosocial development theory of genius and Crime. Hans J. Eysenck’s theory is regarded as one of the most influential psychological perspectives on crime today. (Cale, 2006) Eysenck states that criminal behavior is the result of an fundamental interaction between certain environmental conditions and certain features of the unquiet system. In other words, certain types of personalities, combined with certain types of surroundings, lead to certain types of criminal activity. This equates to a holy combination of attributes which are a recipe for juvenile, delinquent, and/or criminal behavior.\r\nThis theory is unlike mos t modern theories of crime, because Eysenck heavily emphasizes that genetic predispositions are largely obligated for antisocial and criminal conduct. Theoretically, some people are just ‘born different’ from the majority of the population, and their genetics result in their inability to adapt and align to society’s rules, regulations, and expectancies. Therein lays the problem. To financial aid Eysenck in measuring different variables of, and predisposure to commit crimes and offenses, he developed several(prenominal) ‘questionnaires’. The best known questionnaire would be the British Maudsley Personality Inventory (MPI).\r\nAdditional editions would be the Eysenck Personality Inventory (EPI), the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), and the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised (EPQ-R). These questionnaires can be very helpful in providing researchers with valuable sagacity on how personality traits may coincide with unrighteousness however it is not yet ‘conclusive’ research. Although Eysenck’s theory of Personality and Crime cannot be definitively proven, it is be quiet worth looking at. Criminal justice practitioners would be wise to examine and contemplate its useful and unique suggestions.\r\nWhile there are still several theories on psychosocial development to be discussed, Gerald Patterson’s ‘compulsion Developmental Theory’ is in alignment with Terrie Moffitt’s theory. Patterson states and believes that ‘early starters are at greater risk for more serious criminal offending’. (Bartol and Bartol, p. 65) Patterson theorizes that date early starters are at greater risk, he focuses on how the parents and their roles with their children are more important, and much more instrumental. Essentially when young children experience different types of ‘traumatic’ events (e. g. ivorce, family violence, inconsistent parental discipline), they are prone to or are at greater likelihood to begin using or displaying ‘ irresponsible behavior’. supreme behavior can become the child’s way of avoiding or escaping his or her immediate (parental, social) environment. This ‘coercive’ behavior could be as minor or unassuming as lying, temper tantrums, or whining. lastly this coercive behavior becomes the child’s ‘go to’ strategy to obtain the desired result(s) he or she wants. If left unchecked, or uncorrected by parents, the problem behavior can be prolonged, well into adolescence and on to adulthood.\r\nYou can read also King v Cogdon\r\nTherefore, parents need to gain and maintain control, in a non-threatening, non-demanding, appropriate way, as early as the coercive behavior is recognized. Summarizing that society has no shortage of people with some type of developmental disability that inhibits or prohibits their behavior, it can usually be traced back or down to its source . In conclusion, the theories discussed here can assist in narrowing down the ‘root’ causes of or perhaps the reasons why some individuals seem to snub astray from societal normality.\r\nWhether the causes or reasons are psychological, developmental, or environmental in nature, criminal justice practitioners can utilize these theories to evaluate, and possibly explain the behavior of those in question. REFERENCES, NOTES, and CITATIONS 1. Criminal Behavior: A Psychosocial Approach, 8th Edition, By: Bartol and Bartol 2. Generalist Case Management: A order of Human Service Delivery, 3rd Edition, By: Woodside and McClam 3. Online question on Juvenile Delinquency and Criminal Behavior http://www. fbi. gov. juveniledelinquency. icr\r\n'