3 Theories of Crime and Social Causes Free Online FlashCards

What do individual explanations of crime examine?

They focus on personal differences, such as development, behavior, self-regulation, and impulse control.

What processes do psychological explanations of crime examine?

They examine learned expectations, emotional responses, decision-making, and interpretations of social situations.

What is the central claim of social learning theory?

People learn behaviors, attitudes, and justifications through interaction; others may model or reward offending, or reinforce lawful behavior.

How does social control theory explain conformity?

Strong bonds to family, school, work, and shared norms discourage crime; weakened bonds may reduce the social costs of offending.

How can unequal opportunity produce strain?

Unequal access to legitimate means of reaching valued goals, such as financial success, can lead some people to pursue those goals illegally.

What does labeling theory explain about social reactions?

Public identification as deviant or criminal can disrupt relationships and opportunities, potentially reinforcing an identity associated with offending.

What community conditions does social disorganization theory emphasize?

It links higher community crime to weakened local relationships and limited capacity for informal social control.

What do conflict perspectives emphasize in explaining crime?

They examine unequal power and resources, including how social interests shape laws and their enforcement.

How do individual, social, and structural explanations differ in level?

Individual and psychological theories focus on personal traits and processes; social theories focus on relationships, learning, and bonds; structural theories focus on communities, institutions, and inequality.

Do criminological risk factors determine that a person will offend?

They can raise the risk of offending, but they do not make crime inevitable or predict that everyone exposed to them will offend.

What does a biopsychosocial perspective connect?

They link biological and psychological processes with interpersonal and environmental conditions.

How can stressful experiences contribute to crime in strain approaches?

Loss, rejection, or abuse may create anger or distress that some people respond to through crime.