Chapter 7

Psychological and
Psychiatric
Foundations of
Criminal Behaviour
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 Early Perspectives
Psychological Perspective
 Behavioural conditioning
 Personality disturbances
 Psychopathology

Psychiatric Perspective
 Biological + psychological urges mediated
through consciousness.
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 Criminal Behaviour as
Maladaptive
► The Psychoanalytic Perspective
► Personality Types and Crime
► The Link Between Frustration and
Aggression
► The Psychotic Offender
► The Psychopath
► Antisocial Personality Disorder

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 The Psychoanalytic
Perspective

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 Personality Types and Crime
Psychoticism
 Most likely to be criminal.

Extroverts

Neuroticism

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 The Link Between Frustration
and Aggression

Frustration        Aggression

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 The Psychotic Offender
► Suffering from a psychosis.
► Out of touch with reality.
► Hallucinations
► Delusions

► Schizophrenic
► Paranoid schizophrenic

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 The Psychopath
► Psychopathy Checklist – Revised

► Behavioural
manifestations vary with age,
gender and socio-economic status.

► Abnormal EEG

► Psychopath  Criminal
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Antisocial Personality Disorder

Antisocial Personality Disorder  Psychopathy

Diagnosed using the Diagnostic and

Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

Focus on behavioural patterns exemplified

by persistent violations of social norms.
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 Crime as Adaptive Behaviour

Crime fulfills the need to be punished.

Crime is an adaptation to life’s stresses.

 Alloplastic adaptation
 Autoplastic adaptation

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 Social Learning Theory
Albert Bandura

► Modelling theory

► People learn by observing others.

► Aggression seen as a means to an end.

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 Behaviour Theory
B. F. Skinner

► Stimulus-response approach to behaviour.

► Positive
and negative rewards and
punishments.

► Focus is on environment.
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 Mental Illness and the Law
► The McNaughten Rule

► Fitness to Stand Trial

► Not
Criminally Responsible by Reason of
Mental Disorder

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 The McNaughten Rule
Persons cannot be held criminally
responsible for actions if at the time of
the offence:
1. They did not know what they were
doing, or
2. They did not know that what they
doing was wrong.

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 Fitness to Stand Trial
► Mental state at time of trial.

► Reviewed annually.

► Brought before court every 2 years.

► Individual stands trial when deemed fit to

stand trial.
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 Not Criminally Responsible by
Reason of Mental Disorder
(NCRMD)
► Mental state at time of offence.

► Dispositionhearing determines threat to

public or himself.

► Capping

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 Social Policy and Forensic
Psychology
Selective incapacitation

Dangerous offender legislation

 Crown applies after conviction.
 Indeterminate sentence.
 Lengthened period of parole ineligibility.

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Criminal Psychological Profiling
Assists criminal investigators.

Behaviour is symptomatic of personality.

Violent Crime Linkage Analysis System

(ViCLAS)

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