PSYC 475 – Criminal Behavior
Thread: 300 Replies: 150
Bartol, C.R., & Bartol, A.M. (2017). Criminal behavior: A psychological approach. (11th ed.).
Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
Discussion Board #1:
Discuss the classical and positivist theories of crime and the 3 perspectives of human nature and
your reaction to each of these topics.
What is your reaction to each of these topics?
How do they compare/contrast with the Scriptures regarding the nature of man?
Provide your own scriptural references.
Thread:
Classical and positivist theories of crime are both pretty straight forward in their beliefs
regarding the decision of performing a crime. The three major perspectives of human nature are
the conformity perspective, the nonconformist perspective, and the learning perspective. The
conformity perspective describes humans as wanting to do the right thing but ultimately are
creatures of conformity and get swayed by the ways of society. The nonconformist perspective
sees humanity as undisciplined and with individuals lacking in self-control, needing to be
controlled by society. Lastly the learning perspective sees humanity as born neutral; their
behavior develops through interactions with others and is influenced by the changes that occur in
a person’s lifetime.
Between the classical and positivist theories, I find myself agreeing with the classical
theory. I believe people are responsible for their own actions and make their own decisions. If
the positivist theory were true, then anyone coming from a bad neighborhood or a bad family
would never be able to make anything of themselves. The fact that there are those who come
from these backgrounds proves that we each make our own decisions and are capable of
breaking away to shape our own life.
As for the three major perspectives of human nature, I find aspects of it to along the lines
of Scripture. For the conformity perspective, the influence of others does affect each of our lives
and the shape of our sin natures, but God tells us that we are all born with a sin nature.
Therefore, we will each inevitably commit a sin. Romans 3:10 states, “As it is written: ‘None is
righteous, no, not one.’”
The nonconformist perspective I do not agree with. People are completely capable of
self-control. Otherwise we would not have free will. God gave us free will so that we would
have the option to love and worship Him. Self-control is a part of that. We choose whether or
not we want to have self-control. Society has no real say in how a person behaves. If it does,
that is also the person’s choice. 2 Timothy 1:7 tells us, “for God gave us a spirit not of fear but
of power and love and self-control.”
Lastly the learning perspective has some good views. I do agree in part with this
perspective. While I do not fully agree that people are born neutral, I do believe that behavior is
learned through interactions with others. However, this does not dictate how a person will
always act. There is still a choice to make. I also agree that changes over a person’s lifetime
changes their behavior. This is a basic part of a person growing up.
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Replies:
Makenzie,
Thank you so much for your post! I enjoyed reading it and seeing what you have to say
on each topic. For the most part, I agree with what you have to say. However, there was one
thing you said that really stood out to me. When you made the comment about people who
surround themselves with “godly” people are more likely to stay out of trouble, I know from
personal experience that this is often not true. I know from personal experience that just because
someone claims to be and acts like a “godly” person does not mean that they are. I am not
saying that your statement is completely false; I just believe that it is more of a 50/50 type of
thing. But I also personally believe that everyone makes their own choices in the end, and while
environment has an influence on a person, it could also have absolutely nothing to do with how a
person turns out. Overall, I think it simply comes down to the individual and their relationship
or lack thereof with God.
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Megan,
Thank you so much for your post. I really enjoyed reading it and seeing your opinion on
the topics for this week. I do agree with much of your post. I believe people make their own
choices and their environment is not completely responsible for their decision to commit a crime.
However, I am a little confused when you say that you do not agree with the idea of free will
within the individual. You use the verse Proverbs 16:9 to reinforce your point, but throughout
the Bible we see God allowing people to make their own choices. If He was not, then there
would be no such thing as sin, and Jesus never would have had to come to Earth to die a sinner’s
death. God may know everything that has and will happen, but this does not mean He is the one
making it happen. There are times when I babysit that I know exactly what the child is about to
do, but I am not the one controlling their decision to do it.
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Discussion Board #2:
Discuss the relevance of peer rejection to ongoing anti-social behavior.
Thread:
After reading this chapter, specifically the section “Peer Rejection and Association with
Antisocial Peers,” I believe that peer acceptance at a young age is important in a lot of situations.
If a child is socially rejected by their peers at a young age, it very well could affect how they see
themselves and change how they decide to act while growing up. Peer rejected children tend to
feel like outsiders and gravitate towards each other or towards anti-social peers. Many peer
rejected adolescent teens fall in with a bad crowd because they are searching for acceptance
among their peers, and this is the only place they are able to find that acceptance. Acceptance
among one’s peers leads to healthy psychological and social development. While theoretically
other people’s opinions should not be a factor in how someone lives their life, society has
convinced everyone that other people’s opinions matter more than anything. According to the
book, the earlier peer rejection occurs, the stronger the likelihood of antisocial behavior
occurring during adolescence.
Despite the fact that I know it does not matter what others think of me, I still find myself
hiding certain facts about myself or altering how I phrase something based on what I think my
peers may think. I am twenty-two years old, and I still struggle with wanting to be accepted by
my peers. If I am still struggling with this at my age, then just imagine how a young elementary-
aged child must feel. I do not remember deliberately thinking about it at that age like I do now
but looking back I can see that I was clearly still worrying about peer acceptance even then.
People are so worried about accepting everyone for the color of their skin. They should be more
worried about teaching self-love. I think it is important to be teaching our children to love
themselves for who they are; as well as teach them to love and accept others for who they are. If
a person cannot accept themselves for who they really are, then they cannot truly accept other
people for who they are either.
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Replies:
Hey Amy,
Thank you so much for your post! I really enjoyed reading it. I love your second
paragraph where you looked at the fact that children have not developed the skills to deal with
the emotions. Especially with emotions that come from the rejection of their peers.
Unfortunately, this can cause them to become delayed in how they handle emotions in general.
They can become bitter and angry at an early age, affecting how they view life. Your use of
Proverbs 22:6 was very accurate for this topic. I believe it is important for children to have
social interaction with other children from an early age, especially only children, who do not
have siblings to interact with as they grow up. I also think it is important for children to have
more than just one peer group to interact with. Getting them involved with activities and events
outside of the school setting can give them a better chance of find and establishing good
friendships.
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Hey Beth,
Thank you so much for you post! I really enjoyed reading it. I appreciated that you
included that even an adult tends to value the opinion of others. Even when someone swears that
the opinions of their peers mean nothing to them, there is still a part of them that get hurt by a
rejection. I found your assessment of why anti-social people are drawn to other anti-social
people to make a lot of sense. You demonstrated well thought out points that I honestly agree
with very much. Early peer rejection can lead to children not developing a proper sense of self
esteem and leave them wanting any attention they can get. This is often why many adolescents
act out. They did not get the attention they craved at a young age, so they lash out and do
whatever they feel is necessary to get any attention at all.
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Discussion Board #3
Read the story of Cain and Abel in Genesis, as well as "frustration-induced criminality" and
"differential association-reinforcement theory" from your textbook.
Do these 2 theories apply to Cain and Abel?
Discuss how the theories apply or do not apply.
Provide your own examples of the 2 concepts.
Thread:
After refreshing myself on the story of Cain and Abel and going over both frustration-
induced criminality and the differential association-reinforcement theory, I believe that the
former of these two can apply to Cain and Abel’s story. Cain became angry when God would not
accept his offering of fruits and vegetables. He wanted to present his own offering to God in his
own way. When God would not accept this, he became angry at Abel, who was following the
rules of God and receiving the blessings because of his obedience. Because of Cain’s anger and
resentment, he killed his brother. Therefore, I believe that the frustration-induced criminality
theory applies to the story of Cain and Abel. Specifically, Cain presents himself as an individual
offender. He became increasingly frustrated when he felt that God was choosing Abel over him.
An example to, in some ways, over simplify this theory would be when a young child decides to
lash out after not getting their own way. While this theory is generally used to assess much
bigger and more serious crimes, it is essentially still the same basic idea.
I believe that the latter of these two does not apply to the story of Cain and Abel. Cain
did not learn to react to his frustration in this way from anyone. This was the first murder in the
history of the world. Therefore, it is basically impossible for the differential association-
reinforcement theory to apply to Cain. This theory would imply that there was someone in
Cain’s life who displayed a similar type of attitude and reactions to anger. There has never been
evidence of this presented to us in the Bible. Of course, there was already sin in the world by
this time, but God made no mention of this type of sin as of yet. An example of this theory
would be, when I child witnesses a one parent being abusive to the other, there are studies that
show that many times that child will grow up and be abusive to their significant other as well.
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Replies:
Hi Amy,
Thank you so much for your post. I really enjoyed reading it. You did a great job with your
example situations about the two different theories. I had trouble thinking of good example
situations, but yours were perfect in displaying how the two different theories apply to people’s
lives. I agree with your assessment that the frustration-induced criminality theory is perfectly
applicable to the story of Cain and Abel, but the differential association-reinforcement theory
does not apply to their story. I love that you used Genesis 4:7. I did not take that verse into
account the way I should have in my post. It is a good expansion point. It is easy to forget that
God was trying to teach Cain a lesson in the rejection of his offering. He was not display
particular favor for Abel over Cain like Cain believed he was. Overall you really did a great job
with your post.
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Hey Robert,
Thank you so much for your post. I really enjoyed reading your assessment of the two theories
and their relation to the story of Cain and Abel. I like that you included a little of the background
of the differential association-reinforcement theory in your discussion board. I really appreciated
your third paragraph. I liked seeing you address more than just these two theories. I often feel
that people forget that there is not always a theory that applies to every crime. Some people are
just bad people who, like you said, enjoy seeing others suffer. Some people and some instances
cannot be explained with a theory. Just like the differential association-reinforcement theory
cannot be used to explain the story of Cain and Abel. Every person is different and unique in
their own way. Not everyone can be fit into a neat little box where all of their actions and
decisions can be explained or rationalized.
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Discussion Board #4:
In C. S. Lewis’s The Screwtape Letters,* the conversations indicate how Christians are lulled and
desensitized.
Discuss this concept and how you see the role the media has played in public perception
of mental disorders and violence.
Include information on the history and prevalence of mental disorders and violence and
scriptural references for your opinion.
Thread:
In some ways, I feel that social media has become the cause of many people have mental
disorders such as depression and anxiety. These are only two of the possible mental disorders
that social media has been known to cause. Most people only tend to post about all the good and
exciting things they do causing others going through a hard time to feel isolated and alone.
However, in many other ways, social media has created a greater awareness of mental illnesses.
In just the last few years, the importance of speaking up and asking for help has been emphasized
to those suffering from mental illnesses that may influence a person to commit self harm. It has
also helped those facing abuse know that they are not alone in the world. That there are others
out there going through similar situations. This would be one of the best things social media has
done. It has allowed people to not no longer feel quite as alone in their suffering. Everything
has a good and bad side. Social media is no different.
In previous years, before medicine became as advanced as it now is, mental illnesses
were thought of as possession by demons. In a sense this idea is not too far off from the truth. A
verse I found in 1 Peter reminded me that mental illness is something the devil uses to make us
doubt God and ourselves. 1 Peter 5:8 (ESV) says, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your
adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” I feel like
this verse sums up how mental illness effects people very well. The devil will use whatever he
can to make us doubt. He uses our insecurities to get into our head and mess around with us.
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Replies:
Hey Erica,
Thank you so much for you post; I really enjoyed reading your discussion board. You did a great
job incorporating support from the textbook for your opinion regarding violence related to
playing video games. I also appreciated your comparison about the effect witnessing violence
has on children versus adults. In a lot of ways, I think the media has glorified violence in a
sense. The media is constantly portraying different forms of violence to the impressionable
youth. This causes adolescents to want to either try these things or try to impress their friends. I
feel that the media has a huge influence on today’s adolescents, particularly during their
development. I think children having access to technology such as iPhones at such a young age
is also a contributor to this problem. This gives them unlimited access to the media even when
their parents are not around to supervise. Overall, you did a great job on your post. Thanks
again.
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Hello Jacqueline,
Thank you so much for your post. You did a great job, and I enjoyed reading it. I completely
agree with you that the media contributes most of the stigma we see associated with people
afflicted with mental illness. The media tend to choose only bad situations to portray regarding
people with mental illness. We also see movies and tv shows used to further stigmatize mental
illnesses. I agree with you that the media has a tendency to paint those with a mental illness in
either a comical light or a criminal light. I appreciated that you mentioned the research that
shows that those with mental illness are at no greater risk to commit a crime than anyone else.
Just because someone is different does not mean that they are more prone towards violence. You
did a great job integrating both the text book and the Bible in your thread. Thanks again for your
post. You did a great job.
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Discussion Board #5:
What is the availability heuristic? How might it account for our perception of violence?
Thread:
The availability heuristic is essentially the cause of the decisions everyone makes. The
availability heuristic is the examples or scenarios that immediately come to mind when
considering a situation. Scenarios such as a past experience, similar situation we read about, or
even something we have watched in a movie or tv show. These scenarios are an automatic
response, and they tend to happen before we even really realize they have. This could easily
account for instances of violence. I feel that the adolescent age range in particular would be
susceptible to this. I believe this because, in today’s society, watching different movies and tv
shows that are essentially glorifying or romanticizing violence. This might influence some
people to think that something is not so bad or may even just be fun to try; however, people
choose for themselves how they let the availability heuristic affect them and their perceptions on
violence and right from wrong.
The availability heuristic can be linked to the vast majority of decisions people have made.
However, an individual’s perspective can make all the difference in how a person proceeds after
they have considered the availability heuristic. For example: children of an abusive parent will
not automatically become abusive to their future children, even though that is most likely the
availability heuristic that comes to mind when they envision themselves as parents one day.
Availability heuristic is also, in part, when you stop and consider possible consequences to your
actions based on a scenario that instantly comes to mind. However, as people, we tend to forget
or even ignore the bad possible outcomes and focus on the good possible outcomes. Therefore,
someone’s perception of violence can be distorted by what they think, or hope, will be a good
outcome, ignoring the actual act of violence their decision may result in.
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Replies:
Hey Abby,
Thank you so much for your post! You made some good points that I really enjoyed reading. I
like how you addressed that the availability heuristic can be both good and bad. I do completely
agree with you that the media causes the availability heuristic plays a huge role when it comes to
violence. Your point about the media and the availability heuristic created from it leading to
people becoming fearful is very interesting, and it is not something I thought about when I was
writing my discussion board. The verse you used, Joshua 1:9, is perfect for the point you made.
You are right, in that, we were never meant to live in fear. This is a product of the sin nature, and
it is something we all must learn and work to overcome. Overall, you did a great job explaining,
then giving examples of the availability heuristic, and I really did enjoy reading your post.
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Hey Lechaira,
Thank you so much for your post! I found your post very interesting and really enjoyed reading
it. You made such an interesting point, when you mention the availability heuristic causing
people to perceive more violence widespread than it truly is. This is an angle I did not and
probably never would have considered. You present a different way of thinking, different
position to consider on the subject of the availability heuristic. You did a great job backing up
your points with outside sources rather than just using the text book. I agree with you
completely about being mindful of any information we receive and to do a bit of research on our
own to determine something rather than relying on what we have been told or possibly
overheard. 1 John 4:1 was a great verse to tie into your final point, and I found it to be
encouraging in general. Thank you again for your post.
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Discussion Board #6:
The textbook asks the question: does substance or alcohol abuse lead directly to violence? Do
you agree or disagree with the authors? Why or why not?
Thread:
Yes, I agree with what Curt Bartol and Anne Bartol had to say about the connection
between substance and alcohol with violence. I definitely have to agree with them for alcohol in
particular. Alcohol does not make you do anything; it simply lowers inhibitions. As for
substances, that is a yes and no. I do not know exactly how different drugs effect people, but I
would imagine it would be along the same lines. There are plenty of people who abuse drugs
and alcohol that never commit a violent act at all. I believe that these things simply enhance
what is already there. It may not always be obvious without drugs and alcohol, but it is still
there. Different people display different personalities when they are under the influence of drugs
and alcohol. Generally, the people that commit violent acts have already done so without any
form of chemicals in their systems. This is the conclusion Bartol and Bartol came to as well.
According to different studies, there is a correlation between drugs, alcohol, and violence.
According to the American Addictions Centers, more than 75% of people in treatment for drug
abuse have also been reported to commit some act of violence. I can see and understand why
this causes people to then group one with the other after this. However, what I think they are
failing to look at is the fact these people most likely already had an inclination towards violent
behavior before the drugs came into effect. The American Addictions Centers also noted that
romantic or sexual partners facing aggression between themselves were also associated with
heavy drinking or substance abuse. Again, while I have no doubt this is true, I feel that they are
overlooking that the couple simply may not be meant for each other. Granted, the alcohol and
substances may not help the matter in any way, I do not believe that they are a deciding factor in
the reason behind the aggression.
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Staff, R. B. (n.d.). Relationship Between Drug Addiction, Alcoholism, and Violence. Retrieved
from https://americanaddictioncenters.org/rehab-guide/addiction-and-violence
Replies:
Hey Megan,
Thank you so much for your post! I really enjoyed reading it. I completely agree with
your initial statements. I also agree that people make the choice to ingest drugs and other such
substances. Therefore, I also believe they are responsible for any following actions. Regardless
of how substances of any kind affect their decision making and actions, they made the initial
decision to take the drugs; therefore, they can be held responsible for anything that comes after
that decision. I like how you included the biological effects of drugs as well. That was a point I
did not think to include in mine. I appreciated your use of 1 Corinthians 6:10; it was perfect for
the topic of this discussion board. Your incorporation of this verse and lessons from the Bible
helped make your point very well. Again, you did a really great job with this post.
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Hi Jomona,
Thank you so much for you post and thank you for the personal aspect you shared in making this
post. I know that can be hard so thank you. I agree with you that it depends on the person. You
made some excellent points while referencing the text books. I do agree that alcohol may be a
factor in violent actions that take place after ingested, but I also believe that, while a person may
not seem violent to the outside observer, there is still a predisposition for violence in the person.
I also like how you addressed the other factors relating to violent behavior we saw in our
textbook. I have a friend with a traumatic brain injury. She is not violent exactly, but there are
times she gets angry about something and reacts poorly. You did a really great job with your
post; thank you again.
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