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Introduction
Individuals’ delinquent behavior is usually based on complex psychological constructs that motivate a person to commit unlawful acts. This statement in no way absolves the perpetrator of responsibility for the actions committed but describes that the decisions taken are often motivated by the unconscious part of the personality or the presence of mental disorders. It is important to emphasize that crime, for the purposes of this response, refers to any unlawful actions and deviant behavior that violate the established legal framework. Now, there are several theoretical perspectives that explain the reasons for an individual’s criminal behavior.
The first of these perspectives is the biological view, according to which criminal behavior is inherent to humans by animal nature. If one turns to examples from real life, in nature, animals have to kill each other in order to survive. Extrapolating these same patterns to humanity leads to the encouragement of anti-moral behavior: murder, cannibalism, and animal competition. The biological theory, in this case, identifies the presence of internal constructs that prevent human-animal behavior and maintain social safety. The second theory is the psychological perspective, according to which criminal behavior becomes the cause of abnormal mental disorders. Deviants probably commit crimes unintentionally; they are not fully aware of their actions and may not be competent. The third theory, which determines a person’s criminal behavior, is indirectly related to the presence of mental disorders. Specifically, the perspective of psychological defects in personality development determines that the individual’s mental well-being was severely damaged at an early age due to complex psychological trauma. Growing up, the child may have anger toward society or individuals, resulting in criminal acts. An excellent demonstration of this theory is school bullying, which results in school shootings.
Perspectives on delinquent behavior are not limited to biological, psychological, and defective visions but present different paradigms for considering criminal activity. In particular, there is a sociological theory that identifies socioeconomic constructs that motivate individuals to commit crimes. For example, people often rob stores non-violently – the essence of this action boils down to rapid enrichment without the use of violence, which means that poverty can be seen as one of the predictors of criminal behavior. The presence of global stress affecting emotional burnout may be an essential factor. At the time of COVID-19, it is believed that the total number of crimes committed had increased markedly (Bird et al., 2021). The reason for this increase may be a universal sense of stress caused by uncertainty and severe limitations.
Another justification for deviant behavior among members of society is the educational perspective. The gist of this idea is that because of the prevalence of violent behavior patterns in an individual’s family, the growing child views violent behavior and physical abuse as normal, everyday events. For example, beating a child for poor school grades or broken toys can set the trend for a child to copy such behavior as an adult. This applies to the violent attitude already to their children and to unnecessary aggression and anger toward strangers, which can lead to fights, the humiliation of personal dignity, and other crimes.
Case studies
Several case studies and real-life case studies were chosen to provide an analytical examination of the applicability of the perspectives described. The first story is a case study involving a young African American woman, Anita, who, in self-defense, shot a man who was harassing her (French, 2022). Anita had been a member of a criminal gang since she was sixteen, and in order to earn money to support her two children, Anita engaged in prostitution. The shooting of one of her clients resulted in his injuries, and the police arrested Anita and ordered her to serve several years in prison. Several patterns of deviant behavior are evident in this case. First, Anita comes from a low-income family, and as has been said, poverty is a predictor of criminal behavior. Second, Anita’s mother physically abused and beat her daughter throughout her childhood: this led to a general bitterness and a view of crime as a natural form of the human need for survival. Finally, in an essential coming-of-age stage of adolescent identity formation, Anita became involved with a criminal organization and adopted its patterns for her life.
The second story is taken from real life and concerns a crime committed by former U.S. Air Force contractor Izaak Vincent Kemp. This case study indicates that the man was systematically taking top-secret documents out of his workplace and storing them on his work computer (CDSE, 2021). This was discovered by chance when regional police officers were inspecting Kemp’s home for illegally grown marijuana. Since this story is not described in detail and Kemp did not admit his own guilt, at first glance, it is extremely difficult to detect any predictors of deviant behavior. However, the presence of drug addiction can be considered a factor in deviant behavior. In particular, the psychological perspective suggests that mental disorders are often causes of criminal activity. In the case of the Air Force contractor, drug addiction led to the recognition that it was normal to take classified documents, meaning that it is likely that the individual was not aware of the illegality of his actions, although he had been made aware of the proper procedures for keeping classified data.
The third case study example was also taken from actual practice: its action took place in the United States in 2014. Army Specialist Ivan A. Lopez was heavily in debt, systematically not promoted, and, in addition, had almost simultaneously lost his mother and grandfather. Denial of leave to make funeral arrangements led Lopez to walk into the administrative office of a local Army unit with a gun, shoot several soldiers, and later shoot himself (CDSE, 2014). Several predictors of criminal behavior on the man’s part are well apparent in this story. First, he was deeply stressed by the loss of loved ones and a growing debt obligation. Second, the Army experience appears to have led to the development of post-traumatic stress disorder, which influenced the individual to have suicidal thoughts. These two perspectives reflect the possible motivation that led to the development of the individual’s criminal moods amid severe stress and personality crisis.
The fourth case study is represented by a journal article examining the case of sexual abuser Bill. Bill had been physically abused since childhood and was placed in social care (Greenall & Millington, 2021). Even as a teenager, Bill showed a propensity to use drugs and sexually molest his sisters and girlfriends. Growing up, Bill continued to harass female colleagues, sending them lewd messages and tracking down their locations for rapes. Several patterns are evident in this case study that may have shaped Bill’s criminal behavior. First, from a psychological perspective, Bill had a mental disorder caused by systematic drug use. Second, because of problems in the family, the boy was often seen to be self-harming. Perhaps the presence of physical abuse as a child led to a sexual disorder that resulted in Bill not feeling attractive; instead, he forcibly tried to obtain sexual relations with women.
Conclusion
However, not all criminal theories can be applied to a particular case study. Although the number of such perspectives is significant, typically, each case study of an illegal act is limited to only a few predictors. Among these, evolutionary, biological, and psychological rationales are the most widely applicable concepts. With respect to each of the previously discussed case studies, it is appropriate to evaluate the applicability of each theory critically.
In Anita’s case, for example, a significant part of the motivation for her criminal activity is psychological. Anita experienced severe pressure from her mother as a child and was physically and mentally abused. This is what determined the development of psychological abnormalities in her that led to the encouragement of immoral activities. Thus, psychological constructs influenced her to engage in prostitution for money instead of seeking socially encouraged activities.
In the second case study of Kemp, a drug addict who kept classified government data on his personal computer, the psychological perspective also determined the bulk of the motivation. The man did not need to fight for survival and, in fact, seems to have had no motive for the crime. However, the presence of real-life disorders associated with systematic marijuana use led to the development of mental disorders and problems with the thought process, as a result of which Kemp’s critical thinking was impaired.
In the third case study related to the suicide of Army Specialist Lopez, the critical cause of his criminal activity was determined from a psychological perspective. Nor did Lopez need a biological struggle for survival or an evolutionary justification for brutality, and his actions were justified only by personal mental problems. It was discussed that the main predictors of his actions consisted of deep personal stress caused by problems at work and the loss of two close relatives at once. The fact that Lopez not only committed the shooting of the soldiers but also committed suicide afterward suggests that he was fully aware of the responsibility for his actions. Furthermore, the fact that Lopez committed suicide also shows that the man had suicidal tendencies, apparently motivated by post-traumatic stress disorder.
Finally, in the last thematic case of the sex maniac, the young man’s actions are justified by a combination of psychological and evolutionary perspectives. Bill did not need a biological struggle for survival but wanted sex through antisocial actions. From a psychological perspective, this could be due to the presence of severe mental disturbances due to patterns of physical and psychological pressure from adults in the early years. From an evolutionary point of view, men used ancestral patterns from patriarchal tribal communities when men had the unconditional right to copulate with women without their consent. These patterns were probably deposited in Bill’s mind, and the guy decided that he had the right to do the same. Thus, in this case study, both perspectives were applicable at once to explain the man’s criminal actions.
References
Bird, M., Gill, O., Lacoe, J., Pickard, M., & Raphael, S. (2021). Crime in California during the COVID-19 pandemic [PDF document]. Web.
CDSE. (2021). Case study [PDF document]. Web.
CDSE. (2014). Awareness in action: Case study [PDF document]. Web.
French, K. (2022). Anita Jackson case study. Laulima. Web.
Greenall, P. V., & Millington, J. (2021). A sexual murder prevented? A case study of evidence-based practice. The Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology, 1-17.
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