Mindoro State College of Agriculture and

Technology- Bongabong Campus

Labasan, Bongabong, Oriental Mindoro

COLLEGE OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE EDUCATION

MODULE
IN
CRIM 001- INTRODUCTION TO CRIMINOLOGY
(Week 6-8)

Bachelor of Science in Criminology

First Year

Prepared by:

RAYMOND F. TALADTAD
Module III
CRIMINAL PSYCHOLOGY: STUDY OF CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR

Learning Outcomes:
At the end of this module, the student should be able to:
a. explain what is Psychological Criminology and sketch its basis;
b. appreciate the Freudian approach in studying criminology;
c. know the nature of normal and abnormal behavior in the context of criminal psychology;
d. identify and differentiate patterns of criminal behavior;
e. comprehend the sources of the sexual dysfunctions leading to sex crimes.

Psychological Criminology

Within the psychological- psychiatric perspective, it has been psychiatry, and primarily psychoanalysis,
that has made the most inroads into criminology. Psychiatry is an older profession, going back to the earliest
days of medicine in dealing with the problems of mental disease. Psychoanalysis emerged out of psychiatry
with the work of Sigmund Freud. Psychology, particularly that branch of it with the most relevance for
criminology, abnormal psychology, has come into its own during the twentieth century. What they all have in
common is the idea that the causes of criminal behavior originate in the personality. Personality is defined as
the complex set of emotional and behavioral attributes that tend to remain relatively constant as the individual
moves from situation to situation.

What is called the Freudian Approach?

The central concept of psychoanalysis, and the one that Freud first put forth, is the unconscious. The
concept had been around before Freud, but he was the one that made the most out of it, arguing that traumatic
experiences in early childhood left their mark on the individual despite the fact that the individual was not aware
of these experiences. The idea of the unconscious determination of behavior flew headfirst against the idea of
free will, and was quickly jumped on the positivistic criminology.

The next most important idea is conflict, and Freud postulated the existence of a three-part personality
consisting of id, ego, and super ego which operated in constant conflict with one another (primarily between the
id and superego) producing the basic problem of guilt which required the use of one or more defense
mechanisms. The idea of personality conflict as a cause of crime became quite popular among both scientist
and the general public.

Guilt is a very common problem because of all urges and drives coming from the id and all the
prohibitions and codes in the superego. There are a variety of ways an individual handles guilt, and these are
called defense mechanisms.

Of the defense mechanisms, psychoanalysts have put forward displacement as their number one
choice for explaining crime. A few criminologists have explored the others, most notably, reaction formation, but
the list remains largely unexhausted because, essentially, the ideas are untreatable.

Abnormal Psychology Approach

While Freudians continued to view criminals as id-dominated individuals, there were not those in
psychology who never accepted this nor the whole psychodynamic model that frustrations build up from
experiences in early childhood. The abnormal psychologists were one such group, preferring to replace terms
like neurosis and psychosis with various disorders, anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and conduct disorders.
Abnormal psychology is concerned with mental health, defined as the capacities to think rationally, cope
effectively, and demonstrate stability and growth. Mental disorders exist on a continuum, like blood pressure or
cholesterol level. The cutoff between health and disease is somewhat arbitrary. Many people who have
diagnosed mental illnesses are far better off than undiagnosed persons presumed to be mentally healthy.
 The current approach to classification and diagnosis of the mentally ill is multiaxial. Rather than using
a single term, such as schizophrenia, to label a person, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) prefers to
describe a person in terms of clinically important factors, or axes. The first multiaixal system was developed in
1989 as the DSM- III (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), revised in 1987 as DSM-III-R, and
revised again in 1994 as DSM-IV. It’s a multiaxial system with five axes.

DSM Axis
Axis I Any disorder or condition other than personality disorders and mental retardation
Axis II Personality disorders, mental retardation, and maladaptive defense mechanisms
Axis III Medical conditions relevant to the case
Axis IV Psychosocial and environmental problems, stressful life events, adjustment difficulties
Axis V Global assessment of functioning (GAF) on a scale from 1 to 100, a low score indicating danger to
self or others.

The area that has receive the most criminological attention is Axis II, the personality disorders,
specifically, the antisocial personality disorder. It has been associated with criminal behaviour as far back as the
Freudians who believed that three childhood behaviors were associated with it: a) bedwetting; b) fascination
with fire; and c) cruelty to animals. As such, it’s the one disorder that can be detected early in childhood.
However, the APA does not recommend labelling anyone antisocial until they have reached the age of 18, and
to not use any behaviors committed before the age of 15 (chronic conduct disorders before the age of the 15
are considered under Axis I). From the standpoint is not so much matter of recording behaviors as it is a deeply
ingrained pattern of life. They always seem to be using other people as game pieces, and they seldom show
anxiety or feel guilty.

CRIMINAL PSYCHOLOGY

In general, psychology is the science of behaviour and mental processes. This means that
psychologists used the methods of science to investigate all kinds of behavior and mental processes, from the
activity of a single nerve cell to the social conflict in a complex society (Bernstein, et al, 1991). In particular,
Criminal Psychology is a sub-field of general psychology where criminal behaviour is only, in part by which
phenomenon psychologist choose to study. It may be defined as the study of criminal behaviour, the study of
criminal conduct and activities in an attempt to discover recurrent patterns and to formulate rules about his
behavior.

A major description of criminal psychology is the word behaviour. Behavior refers to actions or
activities (Kahayon, 1985). To the criminologist, behavior is the observable actions because he is more
interested in actions and reactions that can be seen and verified that in concepts, which cannot be directly
verified.

Classification of Behavior

Normal Behavior

They are known as adaptive or adjusted behavior; they are standard behaviors- the totality accepted
behavior because they follow the standard norms of society. Atkinson (1993) presented that understanding
criminal behaviour includes the idea of knowing what characterized a normal person from an abnormal one. A
normal person is characterized by having an efficient perception of reality, self-knowledge, and ability to
exercise voluntary control over his behavior, self-esteem and acceptance, productivity, and the ability to form
affectionate relationship with others.

Abnormal Behavior

A group of behaviors that are also known as maladaptive or maladjusted- they are deviant from social
expectations because they go against the norms or standard behavior of society. A maladaptive (abnormal)
person may be understood by the following definitions:
 a) According to the deviation of statistical norms based on statistical frequency

Many characteristics such as weight, height, an intelligence cover a range of values when measured over a
population. For instance, a person who is extremely intelligent or extremely happy would be classified as
abnormal.

a) According to deviation from social norms.

A behavior that derives from the accepted norms of society is considered abnormal. However, it is primarily
dependent on the existing norm of such society.

b) Behavior as maladaptive

Maladaptive behavior is the effect of a well-being of the individual and or the social group. That some kind
of deviant behavior interferes with the welfare of the individual such as a man who fears crowd, cannot ride a
bus, etc. This means that a person cannot adapt himself to the situation wherein it is beneficial to him.

c) Abnormal behavior due to personal distress

This is abnormally in terms of the individual subjective feelings of distress rather than the individual
behaviour. This includes mental illness, feeling of miserably, depression, and loss of appetite or interest,
suffering from insomnia and numerous aches and pains.

ABNORMAL BEHAVIOR AND THE LAW

Abnormal behavior in its legal points of view declares that a person is insane largely on the basis of his
inability to judge between right or wrong or to exert control over his behavior (Bartol, 1995). The term insanity
may be used to signify that a person is not responsible for criminal conduct if, at the time of the offense, as a
result of a severe mental disease or defect, he was unable to appreciate the nature and quality or the
wrongfulness of his acts. This reasoning is, because wilful intent is an essential part of most offense, a person
who is insane is not capable of forming such intent.

Under the Philippine law, insanity and imbecility are considered exempting circumstances under Article
12 of the Revised Penal Code. Exempting Circumstances are those which excuses a person of his or her
criminal liability by virtue of any of the exempting circumstances defined by law. Insanity exists when there is
complete deprivation of intelligence. A mere abnormality of the mental faculties will not exclude imputability.
Imbecility exists when a person of advanced age has the mental development comparable to that of a child
between two and seven years of age. An insane person is not exempt if it can be shown that he acted during a
lucid interval. But an imbecile is exempt in all cases from criminal liability.

Imbeciles are people with moderate to severe mental retardation, as well as a type of criminal. The
term arises from the Latin word imbecillus, meaning weak, or weak-minded. It included people with an
Intelligence Quotient (IQ) of 26-50, between “moron” (IQ of 51-70) and “idiot” (IQ of 0-25). The term imbecile,
moron, and idiot go along with the term feeble-mindedness which encompasses all degrees of mental
deficiency. But in recent times, these terms are viewed to be derogatory, hence, they are now called
“intellectual disability”.

STANDARDS OF INSANITY DEFENSE

A person accused of a crime can acknowledge that he committed the crime, but argue that he is not
responsible for it because of mental illness. This constitutes a legal insanity defense.

The following are standards of insanity defense:

1. The M’Naghten Rule- not knowing right from wrong- A defense on the ground of insanity to be
established, it must be clearly proved that, at the time of the committing of the act, the party accused
 was labouring under such a defect of reason, from disease of the mind, as not to know the nature and
quality of the act he was doing; or if he did know it, that he did not know he was doing what was
wrong. (The Daniel M’Naghten’s Case, 1843)

2. The Irresistible Impulse Test- It provides an accused cannot be guilty by reason of insanity because
the mind of the accused was in a diseased and unsound state, that the disease existed to a high
degree which overwhelmed the reason, conscience, and judgement of the person who acted from an
irresistible and uncontrollable impulse. Thus consequently, the act was not the act of a voluntary
agent, but the involuntary act of the body, without the concurrence of a mind directing it.
(Commonwealth v. Rodgers, 1844)

3. The Durham Rule- The rule states that an accused is not criminally responsible if his unlawful act was
the product of mental disease or mental defect. (Monte Durham Case, 1953)

4. The Brawner Rule- It provides that “A person is not responsible for criminal conduct if at the time of
such conduct if at the time of such conduct as a result of mental disease or defect he lacks substantial
capacity either to appreciate the criminality (wrongfulness) of his conduct or to conform his conduct ot
he requirements of law”. (American Law Institute, 1985, Sec. 4.01)

Views on Normal and Abnormal Behavior

The view that normal and abnormal behavior is different in kind simply does not exist. There are not
“normal” people on the one hand and “abnormal” people on the other. Rather, adjustment seems to follow what
is called Normal Distribution- most people are moderately well adjusted, with minor maladaptive patterns, a few
at one other extreme enters mental clinics and a few at the other extreme lead satisfying and effective lives.
(Coleman, 1980)

Another consideration in understanding normal and abnormal behaviors is that, they depend relatively
on the existing social practice or culture of people in the society, since an acceptable behavior to one society
may not be accepted or allowed to other societies or individuals.

KINDS OF BEHAVIOR

As mentioned earlier, the important element in the definition of psychology is behavior. As cited by
Alicia Kahayon, behaviour may be:

Overt or Covert Behavior- Behavior that is outwardly manisfested or those that are directly observable
are overt behaviors. On the other hand, covert behavior is behavior that is hidden- not visible to the naked eye.

Conscious or Unconscious Behavior- Behavior is conscious when acts are within the level of
awareness. It is unconscious when acts are embedded in one’s subconscious- unaware.

Simple or Complex Behavior- These are acts categorized according to the number of neurons involved
in the process of behaving. Simple behaviour involves a less number of neurons while complex behaviour
involved a greater number of neurons- a combination of simple behaviors.

Rational or Irrational Behavior- There is rational behaviour when a person acted with sanity or reason
and there is irrational behavior when the person acted with no apparent reason or explanation- as when a man
loses his sanity and laugh out loud at nobody or nothing in particular.

Voluntary or Involuntary Behavior- Voluntary behaviour is an act done with full volition or will such as
when we discriminate, decide or choose while involuntary behaviors refers the bodily processes that goes on
even when we are awake or asleep like respiration, circulation and digestion.
ASPECT OF BEHAVIOR

a. Intellectual Aspect- this aspect of behaviour pertains to our way of thinking, reasoning, solving
problem, processing information and coping with the environment.

b. Emotional Aspect- this pertains to our feelings, moods, temper, and strong motivational force.

c. Social Aspect- this pertains to how we interact or relate with other people.

d. Moral Aspect- this refers to our conscience and concept of what is good or bad.

e. Psychosexual Aspect- this pertains to our being a man or a woman and the expression of love.

f. Political Aspect- this pertains to our ideology towards society/government.

g. Value/Attitude- this pertains to our interest towards something, our likes and dislikes.

THE CRIMINAL FORMULA

In explaining the birth of criminal behavior, we must consider three factors: criminal tendency (T), the
total situation (S), and the person’s mental and emotional resistance to temptation (R). These factors then can
be put into a formula as:

C= T + S
R

Where:

C- Crime/ Criminal Behavior (the act)

T- Criminal Tendency (Desire/Intent)
S- Total Situation (Opportunity)
R- Resistance to Temptation (Control)

The formula shows that a person’s criminal tendency and his resistance to them may either result in
criminal act depending upon, wich of them is stronger. This means that a crime or criminal behavior exists when
the person’s resistance is insufficient to withstand the pressure of his desire or intent and the opportunity
(Tradio, 1983).
In understanding this, the environmental factors such as stress and strains are considered because
they contribute in mobilizing a person’s criminal tendency and the individual’s psychological state while
resistance to temptation arises from the emotional, intellectual and social upbringing and is either manifestation
of a strong or weak character.
In another way of understanding how crime exists in general, there are three elements or ingredients
INSTRUMENTALITIES
that must be present at the same time and place for crime to a happen. These are the Motive, the
OPPORTUNITIES
Instrumentality and the Opportunity.

CRIME

MOTIVES
 These three elements compose the Anatomy of Crime.

The Motive refers to the reason or cause why a person or group of person will perpetrate a crime.
Examples are economic gain, jealousy, revenge, insanity, thrill, intoxication, drug addiction and many others.

The Instrumentality is the means or implement used in the commission of the crime. Examples are
firearms, a knife, poisonous substance, crow bar, motor vehicle and many others. Both motive and
instrumentality belong to and harbored and wielded respectively by the criminal.

The Opportunity consists of the acts of omission and/or commission by a person (the victim), which
enables another person or group of persons (the criminal/s) to perpetrate the crime. Illustrative examples
include leaving one’s home unattended for a long period of time, walking alone in a well-known crime prone
alley, wearing expensive jewelries in crowded areas and other similar scenarios. Whether a crime incident
would happen or not, it will depend on the presence and merging of Motive, Instrumentality and Opportunity at
the same time and the same place. The absence of any of the ingredients will not suffice for a crime to exist.

DETERMINANT OF BEHAVIOR

The questions why do people become heterosexual and others homosexuals, some are alcoholics,
some are law abiding and others are criminals, some are well adjusted and others mentally ill? What will anable
us to understand these extremes of behavior?

The answer to these questions requires the study and understanding of the influences of heredity and
environment. As cited by Tuason:

Hereditary (Biological Factors)

This refers to the genetic influences, those that are explained by heredity, the characteristic of a
person acquired from birth transferred from one generation to another. It explains that certain emotional
aggression, our intelligence, ability and potentials and our physical appearance are inherited.

It influences all aspects of behavior, including intellectual capabilities, reactions, tendencies and stress
tolerance. This will also explain the conditions that genes, diseases, malnutrition, injuries and other conditions
that interferes with normal development are potential causes of abnormal/criminal behavior.

It is the primary basis of the idea concerning criminal behavior, the concept that “criminals are born”. It
also considers the influences of genetic defects and faulty genes, diseases, endocrine imbalances, malnutrition
and other physical deprivations that can be carried out from one generation to another.

Environmental Factors

This refers to anything around the person that influences his action (his socio-cultural influences).
Coleman (1980) mentioned the following environmental factors:

Family Background- it is a basic consideration because it is in the family whereby an individual first
experiences how to relate and interact with others. The family is said to be “the cradle of personality
development” as a result of either a close or harmonious relationship or a pathogenic family structure: the
disturbed family, broken family, separated or maladjusted relations.

Childhood Trauma- the experiences, which affect the feeling of security of a child undergoing
developmental processes. The development processes are being blocked sometimes by parental deprivation as
a consequence of parents or lack of adequate maturing at home because of parental rejection, over protection,
restrictiveness, over permissiveness, and faulty discipline.
Pathogenic Family Structure- those families associated with a high frequency of problems such as:

a. The inadequate Family- characterized by the inability to cope with the ordinary problems of family
living. It lacks the resources, physical or psychological, for meeting the demands of family satisfaction.

b. The anti-social Family- those that espouse unacceptable values as a result of the influence of parents
to their children.

c. The discordant/disturbed Family- characterized by non-satisfaction of one or both parents from the
relationship that may express feelings of frustration. This is usually due to value differences as
common sources of conflict and dissatisfaction.

d. The disrupted Family- characterized by incompleteness whether as a result of death, divorce,

separation or some other circumstances.

Within the environment, the following are also factors that are influential to one’s behavior:

1. Institutional Influences such as peer groups, mass media, church and school, government institutions,
NGO’s, etc.

2. Socio- Cultural Factors such as war and violence, group prejudice and discrimination, economic and
employment problems and other social changes.

3. Nutrition or the quality of food that a person’s intake is also a factor that influence man to commit crime
because poverty is one of the many reasons to criminal behavior.

OTHER DETERMINANT OF BEHAVIOR

Needs and Drives- Need according to a drive reduction theory, is a biological requirement for well-
being of the individual. This need creates drives a psychological stat of arousal that prompts someone to take
action (Bernstein, et al, 1991). Drive therefore is an aroused state that results from some biological needs. The
aroused condition motivates the person to remedy the need. For example, if you have no water for some time,
the chemical balance of the body fluids is disturbed, creating a biological need for water. The psychological
consequence of this need is a drive- thirst- that motivates you to find and drink water. In other words, drives
push people to satisfy needs.

Motivation- refers to the influences that govern the initiation, direction, intensity, and persistence of
behavior (Bernstein, et al, 1991). Thus motivation refers to the causes and why’s of behavior as required by a
need. It is the hypothetical concept that stands for the underlying force impelling behavior and giving its
direction (Kahayon, 1975).

Drives are states of comfortable tension that spur activity until a goal is reached. Drive and motivation
are covered in the world of psychology, for they energize behavior and give direction to man’s action. For
example, a motivated individual is engaged in a more active, more vigorous, and more effective that
unmotivated one, thus a hungry person directs him to look for food.

Human needs can be classified as biological or psychological needs.

Biological Needs Motivational Systems

Food Hunger- the body needs an adequate supply of nutrients for function effectively.
“An empty stomach sometimes drives a person to steal.”
Water Thirst- just like food, the body needs water.
Sex A powerful motivator but unlike food and water, sex is not vital for survival but
essential to the survival of species.
Pain Avoidance The need to avoid tissue damage is essential to the survival of the organism. Pain
 will activate behavior to reduce discomfort.
Stimulus seeking Curiosity is most people and animal is motivated to explore the environment even
when the activity satisfies no bodily needs.

Psychological Needs- Psychological needs are influenced primarily by the kind of society in which the individual
is raised. Psychological motives are those related to the individual happiness and well-being, but not for the
survival, unlike the biological motives that focuses on basic needs- the primary motives, needed for survival.

Relation among Motives

Abraham Maslow (1970) has given a perspective that addresses this question. He suggested basic classes of
needs, or motives, influencing human behavior. He suggested that human needs from a hierarchy from the
most basic biological requirements to the needs for self-actualization- the highest of all human needs.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Self- Actualization

Aesthetic

Esteem

Cognitive Needs

Love/Belongingness

Safety Needs

Physiological/ Biological Needs

The pyramidal presentation shows that from the bottom to the top of the hierarchy, the levels of needs
or motives are:

1. Biological or Physiological Needs- these motives include the need for food, water, oxygen, activity, and sleep.
2. Safety Needs- these pertains to the motives of being cared for and being secured such as in income and
place to live.
3. Love/Belongingness- Belongingness is the integration into various kinds of social groups or social
organizations. Love needs means need for affection.
4. Cognitive Needs- our motivation for learning and exploration
5. Esteem Needs- our motivation for an honest, fundamental respect for a person as a useful and honourable
human being.
6. Aesthetic Needs- our motivation for beauty and order
7. Self- Actualization- pertains to human total satisfaction, when people are motivated not so much by unmet
needs, as by the desire to become all they are capable of (self-realization).

According to the Maslow’s formulation, the level that commands the person’s attention and effort is
ordinarily the lowest one on which there is an unmet need. For example, unless needs for food and safety are
reasonably well-met behavior will be dominated by these needs and higher motives are of little significance.
With their gratification, however, the individual is free to devote time and effort to meet higher level. In other
words, one level must at least be partially satisfied before those at the next level become determiners of action.
FRUSTRATION, CONFLICT AND ANXIETY

Frustration refers to the unpleasant feelings that result from the blocking of motive satisfaction. It is a
form of stress, which results in tension. It is a feeling that is experienced when something interferes with our
hopes, wishes, plans and expectations (Coleman, 1980).

Some common sources of frustration are:

a. Physical Obstacles- are physical barriers or circumstances that prevents person from doing his plan
or fulfilling his wishes.

b. Social Circumstances- are restrictions or circumstances imposed by other people and the customs
and laws of social living.

c. Personal Shortcoming- such as being handicapped by diseases, deafness, paralysis, etc. which
serves as a barrier to the things one ought to do.

d. Conflicts between motives

Conflicts refers to the simultaneous arousal of two or more incompatible motives resulting to
unpleasant emotions. It is a source of frustration because it is a threat to normal behavior (Berstein, et al, 1991).

Types of Conflicts

1. Double Approach Conflict- a person is motivated to engage in two desirable activities that cannot be pursued
simultaneously.

2. Double Avoidance Conflict- a person faces two undesirable situations in which the avoidance of one is the
exposure to the other resulting to an intense emotion.

3. Approach- Avoidance Conflict- a person faces situation having both a desirable and undesirable feature. It is
sometimes called “dilemma”, because some negative and some positive features must be accepted regardless
which course of action is chosen.

4. Multiple Approach- Avoidance Conflict- a situation in which a choice must be made between two or more
alternatives each has both positive and negative features. It is the most difficult to resolve because the features
of each portion are often difficult to compare.

Anxiety is an intangible feeling that seems to evade any effort to resolve it. It is also called neurotic
fear. It could be intense, it could be low and can be a motivating force (Coleman, 1980).

Stress is the process of adjusting to or dealing with circumstances that disrupts, or threatens to disrupt
a person’s physical or psychological functioning (Bernstein, et al, 1991).

THE EGO DEFENSE MECHANISMS

Types of Ego Defense Mechanisms

1. Denial of Reality- protection of oneself from unpleasant reality by refusing to perceive or face it. Simply by
avoiding something that is unpleasant.

2. Fantasy- the gratification of frustration desires in imaginary achievement. Paying attention not to what is
going on around him but rather to what is taking place in his thoughts.

3. Projection- placing blame for the difficulties upon others or attributing one’s own unethical desires to others in
an effort to prevent ourselves being blamed.
4. Rationalization- the use of excuses an individual to him and to others. Attempting to prove that one’s
behavior is justifiable and thus worthy of self and social approval.

5. Reaction Formation- it occurs when someone tries to prevent his submission to unacceptable impulses by
taking the opposite stand. Preventing dangerous desires from being expresses by exaggerating opposed
attitudes and types of behavior and using them as barriers.

6. Displacement- Discharging pent-up emotion on objects less dangerous that those that initially aroused the
emotion.

7. Emotional Insulation- withdrawal is passivity to protect self from hurt.

8. Isolation/ Intellectualization- series to cut off the emotions of a situation, which is normally, is full of feeling.

9. Regression- revert from a past behavior to retreating to earlier development level involving less mature
responses and usually a lower level of aspiration.

10. Sublimation- gratification of frustrated sexual desire in substitutive men sexual activities.

11. Identification- increasing feeling of worth by identifying self with person or institution. The person can
associate himself with something or someone to elevate position.

12. Introjection- incorporating external values and standards into ego structures so individual is not at their
mercy as external threats. The acceptance of other’s values even they are contrary to one’s own assumption.

13. Undoing- apologizing for wrongs, repentance, doing penance and undergoing punishment to negate a
disapproval act.

14. Sympathism- striving to gain sympathy from other. The person seeks to be praised by relating faults or
problem.

15. Acting out- reduction of the anxiety aroused by forbidden desires by permitting their expression. The
individual deals with all impulse by expressing them.

HUMAN VALUES

Human values are relevant in understanding human behavior. They are the standards which people
use to cognize, express, and evaluate behavior as right or wrong, just or unjust, appropriate or inappropriate.
Values also guide people to evaluate their behavior this giving them direction to their lives. They are the
enduring preferences for mode of conduct or state of existence.

Values acquired through the influence of the rewards and punishments meted out by our parents,
teachers and peers. For instance, at home- there is the teaching of control, cleanliness and good manners, in
school- there is competition and learning in conformity with a bigger group, morality and the teachings of the
church, the exposure to mass media and the government influences. The accumulations of these values
continue to change as we continue to face different experiences.

Feeling, aspirations, attitudes and belief are also considered values if they are chosen freely, chosen
from alternatives, prized and cherished, publicly affirmed, and acted upon repeatedly.

CAUSES OF CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR

The commission of a crime may be the result of complicated factors and causes. The following are
some of the perspectives about the causes of criminal behavior (Coleman, 1980).
1. Anxiety (Psychological Perspective)- stressful situation that when become extreme may result in maladaptive
behavior.

2. Faulty Learning (Behavioral Perspective)- stressful failure to learn the necessary adaptive behavior due to
wrongful development. This usually result of delinquent behavior based on the failure to learn the necessary
social values and norms.

3. Blocked of Distorted Personal Growth (Humanistic Perspective)- presumably, human nature tends towards
cooperation and constructive activities, however, if we show aggression, cruelty or other violent behavior, the
result will be an unfavourable environment.

4. Unsatisfactory Interpersonal relationship- self-concept in early childhood by over critical parents or by rigid
socialization measures usually causes deviant behaviors among individuals because they are not contented
and even unhappy among individuals because they are not contented and even unhappy with the kind of social
dealings they are facing.

5. Pathological social conditions- poverty, social discrimination, and destructive violence always results to
deviant behavior.

Regardless of one’s theoretical, orientation, several terms are in common usage regarding the causes
of criminal behavior, the following are used:

1. The Primary Cause- used to designate the condition without which the disorder would not have occurred. The
main reason of the existence of the disorder.

2. The Predisposing Cause- a condition that comes before and paves the way for a possible later occurrence of
disorder under certain conditions.

3. The Precipitating Cause- a condition that proves too much for the individual and triggers the disorder.

4. The Reinforcing Cause- a condition that tends to maintain maladaptive behavior that is already occurring.