Crim J review

Akers' Social Learning Theory

Explains how people learn criminal behavior using the psychological principles of operant conditioning.

Agnew

Made general strain theory

Anomie

a social condition in which there is a disintegration or disappearance of the norms and values that were previously common to the society

Neuropsychology

is the study and characterization of the behavioral modifications that follow a neurological trauma or condition.

Labeling

is the view of deviance according to which being labeled as a "deviant" leads a person to engage in deviant behavior.

Nature versus Nurture

nurture refers to personal experiences. Nature is your genes. The physical and personality traits determined by your genes stay the same irrespective of where you were born and raised. Nurture refers to your childhood, or how you were brought up.

Mass murder

The killing of several people at ONE location within minutes or hours

Spree murder

The killing of several people at different locations over several days

Differential Association Theory

Criminal behavior is learned through association with others who communicate their values and attitudes

Sutherland

American criminologist, best known for his development of the differential association theory of crime.

Thornberry- Interaction model (1987)

Combined social control and social learning models claims that the process of both social control and learning theory affect others in a type of feedback process.

Sampson and Laub

Created a theory of age-graded informal social control

Imcompentent parenting leads to low self control

Parents must care for their child, Has to have time for the child, Recognizes appropriate and inappropriate behavior, Having the ability to discipline the kid.

Social Disorganization Theory

Poverty concentrates people of different cultural backgrounds and generates cultural conflict

Serial Murder

The killing of 3 or more people over an extended period of time

Causal mechanism

The processes or pathways through which an outcome is brought into being.

Terrorism

The unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social goals.

Cloward and Ohlin's Differential Opportunity Theory

believed that Merton's strain theory could explain the drive to commit crime. ... Hence, differential opportunity theory integrates the idea of differential opportunities for learning criminal behavior from Chicago School theorists

Cohen's Status Frustration

in his status frustration theory, contends that middle-class goals and benchmarks of success are universal goals and pervasive throughout society. ... Through reaction formation lower-class boys turn to delinquent behavior as a means of resolving the conflict presented by status frustration

Sykes and Matza's Neutralization Theory

offenders engage in crime because they adhere to an oppositional subcultural rule set that values law breaking and violence, they rejected this perspective.

General Strain Theory

refers to the notion that some people react to the various stressors they experience in life via unhealthy coping mechanisms, such as turning to crime.

The chicago school

utilized a macro-sociological theory called "social disorganization" to understand why crime and delinquency rates are higher in some neighborhoods than others. (shaw and Mckay) 1942