CSS Criminology Theoretical Perspectives on Crime Syllabus

Theoretical Perspectives on Crime syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Theoretical Perspectives on Crime in CSS Criminology, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Biological and Psychological Theories

   4 topics

   • Early Biological Explanations
   • Psychoanalytic Theories
   • Personality and Intelligence Theories
   • Cognitive and Behavioural Theories
2. 2

   Sociological Theories

   6 topics

   • Social Disorganization Theory
   • Strain and Anomie Theory
   • Social Control Theory
   • Social Learning and Differential Association Theory
   • Labeling Theory
   • Conflict and Critical Theories
3. 3

   Islamic and Contemporary Perspectives

   4 topics

   • Islamic Perspective on Deviance and Crime
   • Concept of Hadd, Tazir and Qisas
   • Rational Choice and Routine Activity Theory
   • Integrated and Developmental Theories

Theoretical Perspectives on Crime flashcards for CSS Criminology

22 of 51 cards from the Theoretical Perspectives on Crime deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. Which early theorist is regarded as the 'father of criminology' for his theory of atavism, and in what 1876 work did he present it?

   Cesare Lombroso, in 'L'Uomo Delinquente' (The Criminal Man, 1876). He argued criminals are atavistic 'born criminals'—evolutionary throwbacks to a primitive type.

2. What is 'atavism' in Lombroso's biological theory of crime?

   The idea that criminals are evolutionary throwbacks—biologically primitive humans whose physical 'stigmata' (e.g., sloping forehead, large jaw, asymmetrical face, long arms) mark them as born criminals.

3. What did Charles Goring's study 'The English Convict' (1913) conclude about Lombroso's atavism theory?

   Comparing 3,000 convicts with non-criminals, Goring found no distinctive physical criminal type, statistically refuting Lombroso's claim of physical stigmata (though he did report convicts were slightly shorter/lighter).

4. What was William Sheldon's somatotype theory, and which body type did he link to delinquency?

   Sheldon classified bodies into three somatotypes—endomorph (fat/sociable), ectomorph (thin/introverted), and mesomorph (muscular/athletic)—and linked the mesomorphic (muscular, aggressive) build to delinquency.

5. Name the three somatotypes in Sheldon's constitutional theory and their associated temperaments.

   Endomorph—soft, round, relaxed and sociable (viscerotonic); Mesomorph—muscular, athletic, assertive and energetic (somatotonic); Ectomorph—thin, fragile, introverted and restrained (cerebrotonic).

6. What did the Italian physician Cesare Lombroso classify criminals into besides the 'born criminal'?

   Insane criminals, criminaloids (occasional/situational offenders), and criminals of passion—alongside the born (atavistic) criminal.

7. What did studies of the XYY chromosome (the 'super-male' theory) claim about crime?

   They claimed an extra Y chromosome (XYY karyotype) predisposed men to aggression and crime; later research found XYY men over-represented in institutions but largely committed property—not violent—crimes, so the link is weak/discredited.

8. In Freud's psychoanalytic structure of personality, what are the id, ego, and superego?

   Id—primitive, pleasure-seeking unconscious drives; Ego—the rational, reality-testing mediator; Superego—the internalized moral conscience. Crime results from imbalance among the three.

9. According to psychoanalytic theory, how does a defective or weak superego produce criminal behavior?

   An underdeveloped superego (poor early socialization/conscience) fails to restrain the id's antisocial impulses, so the individual acts on aggressive/selfish drives without guilt.

10. What did Freud mean by the criminal having an 'overdeveloped superego' or sense of guilt?

    A harsh, over-active superego produces unconscious guilt; the person commits crimes seeking punishment to relieve that guilt (the 'criminal from a sense of guilt').

11. What is John Bowlby's maternal deprivation theory and its link to delinquency?

    Bowlby argued that disruption of the early mother-child attachment bond causes 'affectionless psychopathy'; his '44 Juvenile Thieves' study linked maternal deprivation to delinquency and inability to form relationships.

12. What did Bowlby's '44 Thieves' study (1944) find?

    Of 44 juvenile thieves, many of the persistent/affectionless ones had experienced prolonged early maternal separation, supporting his claim that maternal deprivation causes delinquency.

13. According to Hans Eysenck's personality theory, which two (later three) dimensions predispose individuals to criminality?

    High Extraversion (E) and high Neuroticism (N)—later adding Psychoticism (P). High-E, high-N individuals condition poorly and seek stimulation, making them harder to socialize and more crime-prone.

14. Why did Eysenck argue extraverts are more likely to become criminal?

    Extraverts have an under-aroused nervous system, seek stimulation, and condition (learn conscience through punishment) poorly, so they fail to internalize societal rules.

15. What relationship between IQ and delinquency did Hirschi and Hindelang (1977) propose?

    They argued low IQ is linked to delinquency indirectly—low IQ leads to poor school performance, which causes frustration, school failure, and delinquency (IQ acts through school experience).

16. What is Yochelson and Samenow's 'criminal personality' theory?

    In 'The Criminal Personality' they argued criminals share distinctive faulty thinking patterns ('thinking errors')—they are not victims of environment but make free choices rooted in distorted cognition.

17. What is Lawrence Kohlberg's theory of moral development and how does it explain crime?

    Kohlberg proposed three levels—preconventional, conventional, postconventional. Offenders tend to be stuck at the preconventional level (morality based on avoiding punishment/self-interest) rather than internalized social rules.

18. Name Kohlberg's three levels of moral reasoning in order.

    1) Preconventional (obedience/punishment and self-interest), 2) Conventional (good-boy conformity and law-and-order), 3) Postconventional (social contract and universal ethical principles).

19. What does behavioural (operant conditioning) theory, as applied by Skinner, say about crime?

    Behaviour is shaped by reinforcement and punishment; criminal behaviour persists when it is rewarded (reinforced) and continues if not effectively punished/extinguished.

20. What is the cognitive distortion concept of 'hostile attribution bias' in explaining aggression?

    The tendency to interpret ambiguous or neutral actions of others as hostile/threatening, which triggers aggressive or violent responses—common in violent offenders.

21. Which sociologists founded the Social Disorganization Theory and at which institution?

    Clifford Shaw and Henry McKay of the Chicago School (University of Chicago).

22. What is the core claim of Social Disorganization Theory?

    Crime is caused by the breakdown of community institutions and social controls in certain neighborhoods—not by individuals. High crime persists in disorganized zones regardless of which ethnic group lives there.

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