Explaining the Will to Kill

1. Explaining the Will to Kill Higgins O’Brien Spring 2012

2. The Devil Made Me Do It • Early explanations for crime were supernatural or spiritual -Demons, evil spirits, and witches • Wasn't until mid-18th century that classical school of thought came about, the idea of “free will” • Current approaches to violence come from scientific criminological theories

3. Back to the Classics • Cesare Beccaria and Jeremy Bentham laid the groundwork for “classical criminology” • States that crime is a rational choice made by the offender, who has free will to decide -Weigh the pros and cons of the situation, risk/reward • Also believed that different offenses warranted different punishments • Critics of classical criminology argue that most crime is irrational

4. Using Science to Explain Violence • “Positivism” using scientific observation and measurement to explain criminal behavior • Shifts away from rational choice towards determinism • External factors cause crime -Biological -Psychological -Sociological • It is difficult to create an all encompassing theory, explaining crime is a “soft science”.

5. Biology Then and Now • Early biological theory focused on body type, heredity, and intelligence -Physiognomy: Study of facial features -Phrenology: Study of bumps on the head • Cesare Lombroso studied Italian prisoners, and believed certain physical features linked to crime -His research was discredited, but was influential • In the 1940's and 50's more body type and physique study was done in the United States -Males with XYY chromosomes were believed to be linked with crime, later proved false

6. Biology Continued • Biological explanations for crime were considered taboo for many years • Advances in technology and brain scans have brought the topic up again in recent years • Rising rates of medication to deal with childhood disorders are bringing focus to brain development • Thrill seeking, impulsivity, and negative temperament can lead to violence • Levels of testosterone, cortisol, adrenalin

7. Psychological Causes of Violence • Early childhood could play role in antisocial behavior • Abuse or neglect can make it difficult to develop bonds with other human beings -Psychopathy -Sociopathy -Antisocial personality disorder (APD) • The field of ethology believes aggression and violence is simply part of animal nature • Instrumental Aggression- Violence as a means • Expressive Aggression- Violence for its own sake

8. Psychology Continued • Some believe aggressive behavior is a way to relieve boredom or stress • Daly and Wilson believe we are still influenced by ancient roots (dominance, infidelity) • Difficult to determine “violent personality” -Many aggressive and disadvantaged people, not everyone becomes a criminal • Some believe mental illness is correlated with violence or substance abuse

9. Psychology Continued • Paraphilia- sexual attraction to unusual or bizarre objects, oftentimes individuals have more than one • Not all are linked to murder, but some (necrophilia, pedophilia) necessitate criminal behavior • Low intelligence and its link to crime is a controversial but continuing topic • Difficult to gauge IQ through tests

10. The Social Sources of Murder • Characteristics of the neighborhood, poverty, subcultural values, learning, social bonds and their relation to crime. • Social Disorganization Theory: weak communities have higher crime rates (Broken Windows) • Income equality has further distanced the very rich from the very poor

11. Strain, Frustration, and Murder • Frustration Aggression: failure to achieve goals can lead to strain and criminal behavior • Being dumped, losing a job, and school troubles can all lead to stress, and some react with violence • Robert Agnew's “General Strain Theory” -Presence of negative stimuli (abuse, rejection) -Removal of positive stimuli (loss of a loved one, house) -Relative deprivation (peers are better off) -Failure to achieve goals (missing out on success) • Some believe the economy is linked with crime rates

12. Cultural Deviance • Subcultural Theories: believe criminals are simply obeying the norms they were taught • Have a different belief in what is right and wrong than the law's definition • The “Subculture of Violence” present in the South or in urban environments makes fighting a norm • Homicide offenders have learned a set of values that promotes the use of violence

13. Learning to Kill • Some believe offenders learn from one another • Social Learning Theory: aggressive behavior contains skills that must be learned • Role models are imitated • Differential Association Theory: criminal behavior learned in adolescence from peers, family, or friends • Data supports this for groups that reinforce violence and punish law abiding behavior

14. Self-Control, Social Control, and Murder • Control theories believe it is the controls or bonds that work to limit criminal behavior • Attachment to institutions, beliefs, activities, and groups. Individuals don't want to lose that. • Self control stems from parental love, supervision and discipline • Having “nothing to lose” can help explain why one would steal a candy bar, or even commit murder

15. A Word of Caution About Cause • Every theory has limitations • Correlation does not imply causation -Q: When ice cream sales increase, homicide rates increase. Does this mean ice cream sales affect homicide? -A: No! Homicide increases in the hot summer months. Hot summer months also increase ice cream sales. The two variables are not related. • Some theories explain only certain types of crime