Literature Review



Literature Review

Introduction

Crime and Modern theories of criminal have emphasized on examining the contextual factors that lead to the formation of aggressive behavioral responses. Human behavior gets influenced greatly by the stimulus present in the external environment. Experiences in life, upbringing during childhood, family environment, and role of others have deterministic impact on one's life and shaping of behavior. Aggression and criminal behavior are the effect of these factors. This paper emphasize on examining the influence of contexts on violent crimes.

The Power of context presents a dimensional approach to understand the impact of aggression, negative experiences in life, destructive context that shape the behavior and personality of a person (Miller, 2007). It is necessary to understand the impact of context on deriving stimulated responses in a person, which in most instances is shown in the form of negative behavioral actions that get characterized as violent and aggressive behavior. Psychologists believe that small differences and experiences in life, which may seem to be insignificant, can cause significant changes in the action and approach of a person to view the world (Miller, 2007). This gets expressed in terms of strengthening aggressive and destructive behavioral responses towards society. Behavioral influences can only be suppressed by a person to the extent it is not reinforced by the stimulated factors present in the external environment of a person (Marx, 2004). Similar concept got presented by Malcolm Gladwell in his text “The Power of Context”. To assess the influence of context on violent crimes and triggering of violent behavior in a person, it is necessary to determine the causes and situations, which led to initiate such behavioral responses in a person (Flora, 2004).

Bernhard Goetz, a character that derives the plot of The Power of Context, also diverts the attention of people towards understanding the impact of the external environment in controlling the actions and stimulating inherent responses in him (Hawkins, 2003). Normally, people do not critically evaluate the impact of negative, destructive, and bad experiences of life to the extent it creates significant changes in them (Bruijnn, 2003). Aggressive and violent behavior that gets displayed by Goetz are in fact, a sequential response to stimulus external to his control. However, it triggers stimulated responses in a person which make him stringent to view the world positively (Marx, 2004).

Contextual Approach to Violent Crimes

There is no clear presentation to assess the contexts that lead to initiating violent behavior in a person. However, Cognitive-Behavioral approach towards assessing the context expands the principle boundaries of analyzing the violent and aggressive behavior with a framework. This includes the moment-to-moment interactions, real-life experiences, interaction with external groups such as peers and community groups, and inherent family environment and action of family members towards person (Miethe, 1994). It also takes into account the personal characteristics of individual, influences of the physical and interpersonal environment, and his dyadic interactions (Miethe, 1994). Gladwell has highlighted the factors similar to above stated dimension that resulted in changing the personality and stimulating negative actions in ...