PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORIES OF CRIME 1
Psychological Theories of Crime
Daniella Britton
Liberty University
Fundamentals of Forensic Psychology/ CJUS 620
Allen Bellamy
PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORIES OF CRIME 2
Abstract
For many decades, the criminal justice system has struggled with the issue of the
increasing rate of crime. The question that bothers many psychologists, biologists, and other
experts in criminology are, "why do people commit a crime?" The current research paper aims to
analyze the psychological theories of crime to understand why people engage in criminal
behavior. The psychodynamic theory is based on the idea that exposure to various childhood
experiences can contribute to the development of criminal behavior in later stages of
development. Behavioral theories suggest that criminal behavior develops from interactions with
the social environment as people observe and learn. On the other hand, the cognitive theory rests
on the idea that difference in people's moral development and reasoning explains why some
engage in criminal behavior while others do not. The findings from the reviewed studies show
that psychological theories are useful in criminology not just because they help understand
criminal behavior, but most importantly, they can be used as the basis for various interventions to
rehabilitate and reform criminals. Christianity's view on crime agrees with these psychological
theories that sin is part of human nature. Therefore, Christians believe that the criminal justice
system should employ effective interventions to reform criminals justly to achieve a safer
society.
