Criminology

Criminology

Introduction

Human mind is the most complex as well as unpredictable entity in the universe, and despite all the developments and researches, the social scientists and psychologists are unable to form a valid and clear link between the happenings and their impact on the minds of individuals. However, the advances in fields of study have assisted the psychologists and other social scientists in formulating certain theories that assist them in making certain calculated and intellectual guesses about the reasons and possible outcomes of certain situations. The scenario selected for this assignment deals with the situation of a construction worker, who is living with his mother and apparently, is not doing anything wrong, however, James has been burglarizing secretly and his mother comes to know about it only when he is caught red handed. James blames whole of the situation to his childhood experiences, and the following paragraphs would highlight the various theories and ideas that deal with the scenario and would also highlight the effect of the same situation on the upcoming days:

Discussion

Psychological theory applied on the situation

The studies and researches in criminology and psychology have led to the development of a number of theories of crime causation, with all of them providing explanation and details of the reasons why people resort to crime and also highlighting the steps that might be taken to avoid the situation (Cassel and Bernstein, 2007). However Freud's psycho analytic theory provides the details explanation of the same situation and explains how the events in past can induce criminal thinking in an individual. Basically, Freud emphasized the importance and significance of childhood experiences in defining the current behavior of adults and in the same scenario; he also focused on the influence of criminal childhood experiences on the development of criminal thinking in children when they grow up.

Explanation of the theory and the situation

In the given situation, although James' father tried to protect his son from his own criminal and abusive behavior, but he was unable to hide the information from James and thus he also grew up learning the same values. On one hand, James adopted the criminal behavior and on the other hand, he also learned the ways in which the same can be concealed and hidden from the eyes of law. It was due to the same reason that James' criminal activities remain hidden from the eyes of law as well as his mother for a long time, till he was caught red handed. In the end, James blamed his childhood experiences to for his current situation and his condition can be clearly understood using Freud's psycho analytic theory.

Sociological theory applied on the situation

Apart from the psychological theory described above, the Strain Theory of sociology can also be described to clarify and highlight the same situation. The theory implies that the social structures, that are present within the society, can work as pressure that finally causes the individual to get indulged in criminal behavior (Einstadter and Henry, ...