Why do criminals do it?
Understanding the causes of criminal behaviour involves a variety of theories and methods. They cover a wide range, including ideas of social learning, labelling, and individual differences. To foster a wide awareness of how crime is conceptualised, it is crucial to grasp many theories. Once this is established, you may more fully comprehend the thinking and actions of criminals and others who go beyond the bounds of socially acceptable behaviour.
Learn more about criminal psychology in this course, as well as how psychology is applied to law enforcement and crime prevention.
- Find out about criminal psychology in this special course.
- Recognize the challenges your clients are having with crime and behaviour
- Recognize aggression
- Increase your awareness of people
- Study at home to save money and time.
Who should study this?
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Welfare officers
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Youth workers
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Counsellors
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Psychologists
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Support workers
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Advocates
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Legal employees
Aggression, gender, youth, and crime prevention are some related topics.
Lesson Structure
There are 10 lessons in this course:
- Introduction to Criminal Psychology
- Definitions of Crime
- Consensus View of what Crime is
- Conflict View of Crime
- Interactionist View of Crime
- Scope of Criminal Psychology
- What Criminal Psychologists do
- Case Study
- Profiling
- Courts
- Correctional System
- Psychological approaches to understanding crime
- Biological explanations of Crime
- Phrenology
- Eugenics
- XYY Chromosome Model
- Genetics
- Twin Studies
- Adoption Studies
- Nature, Nurture
- Environmental Explanations of Crime
- Family Influence
- Agency Explanations
- Rational Choice Theory
- Psychology and understanding serious crimes
- Aggression
- Types of Aggression
- Terminology
- Drive Theories
- Freudian Theories
- Social Learning Theories
- Biological and Evolutionary Theories
- Types of Aggression
- Aggression an against Outsiders
- Aggression in Species
- Aggression in Humans
- Environmental Influences on Human Aggression
- Imitation or Modelling
- Familiarity
- Reinforcement
- Aggression and Culture
- Other Factors in Aggression: Alcohol, Pain, Frustration
- Murder
- Sexual Assault
- Stalking
- Pursuit Behaviour
- False Stalking Syndrome
- Mental disorder and crime 1 …Learning disabilities and crime
- Meaning of Learning Disabilities
- IQ Testing
- Crime and Intelligence
- Modern Intelligence Testing
- Learning Disabilities and Crime
- Sex Offences and People with Learning Disabilities
- Courts
- Mental Disorder and Crime 2 (Psychopathy)
- Scope and Nature of Psychopathology
- Personality Disorder
- Psychopath
- Heartlessness
- Emotionless
- How do People become Psychopaths
- Treatment
- Gender and Crime
- Scope and Nature of Gender and Crime studies
- Rates of Crime
- Murder and Violence
- Prostitution
- Case Study … Women Offenders
- Victims
- Murder
- Domestic Violence
- Sexual Abuse
- Youth and Crime
- Age of Criminal Responsibility
- Risk Factors
- Mental Health Risk
- Conduct Disorders
- ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)
- Cumulative Affect of Risk Factors
- Prevalence and Offending
- Case Studies
- Young People as Victims
- Psychology and the Police
- Social Construction of Reported Crime
- Eyewitness Testimony
- Early Research
- Schemas and EWT
- Police Line Ups
- Every day Uses of Psychology by Police
- Psychology in the Courtroom
- Social Cognition
- Behaviour
- Appearance
- Expectations
- The Primacy Effect
- Attribution
- Schemas and Social Perception
- Central Traits
- Stereotypes
- Social Inference and Decision Making
- Psychology and the Law
- Guilt Bias
- Media Effect
- Defendant Attributes
- Attorney Attributes
- Psychology and Crime Prevention
- Punishment
- Types of Punishment
- History of Punishment
- Reasons for Punishment
- Deterrents
- Punishment and Impartiality
Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school’s tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.
Aims
- Define criminal psychology and crime.
- Explore many theories and methods of psychology used to study crime.
- Describe major crimes and explain how psychology is involved.
- Talk about the connection between committing a crime and having a learning handicap.
- Discuss psychological theories that pertain to psychopathy while defining it.
- Discuss the ways that gender affects crime.
- Talk about the theories in psychology that deal with teenage crime.
- Describe the police’s use of psychology.
- Describe the courtroom’s use of psychology.
- Describe how psychology is used to prevent crime.
What Are Your Thoughts on Crime?
There are three ideas that are the most popular methods of defining crime in psychology. Although there are additional methods, we will focus on these because they are the most generally used.
The Popular Opinion
This perspective derives from J. Shepherd’s sociological views (1981). According to this school of thinking, society operates as a cohesive organisation whose stability depends on member consent or agreement so that the laws, values, and conventions are upheld by all. When intolerable behaviour is not supported by the majority, the legal system of a society reflects what is and is not acceptable behaviour within that particular culture.
A crime must first be committed in order to be considered to have occurred. Hence, there cannot be a crime without an action.
The Vision of Conflict
The Consensus View is directly opposed by the Conflict View.
Interactionist Perspective
Between the Conflict View and the Consensus View lies the Interactionist Perspective. It started out as a school of sociological thinking called symbolic interactionism.
In this course, you can learn more about these theories and many others.
Instructor Quotation: “Why are there psychopaths? Why do criminals do it? How can we define “crime” when it varies over time and among societies? This course offers a fascinating look into the thoughts of criminals and how those who work with them think.” Tracey Jones has a B.S. in psychology with honours, an M.Soc.Sc. in social work, a DipSW in social work, a PGCE in education, a PGD in learning disabilities, and she is an ACS tutor.
WHY TAKE CRIME PSYCHOLOGY CLASSES?
Numerous occupations, including the following, can benefit from an understanding of the criminal mind.
- Security Professions
- Law enforcement
- Crime Prevention
- Social Workers, Rehabilitation Officers
- Prison Guards
- Legal professions
Dealing with criminals or those affected by crime may or may not require formal training in criminal psychology, although it will almost likely be easier and more effective if you have.
