MODULE 2

“EXPLORING THE BIOLOGICAL

THEORIES OF CRIME CAUSATION”
ROCHELLE MISOLA
LESSON 1- BIOSOCIAL THEORY

• THOUGHTS and BEHAVIOR

• biological and social bases
• People are biosocial organisms whose behavior
are influenced by their physical characteristics
and environmental conditions
• Predisposition + environment= criminality
 THREE DISTINCT AREAS OF STUDY

A.BIOCHEMICAL FACTORS
 Relationship between anti-social behavior, biochemical make up
and body chemistry can govern behavior and personality
• Nutritional deficiencies
• Minimum levels of vitamins and minerals are required for normal brain
functioning
• Nutritional deficiencies at the stage of child development can result to
serious physical, mental and behavioral problems
• Improving diet quality can reduce delinquency and dramatically
improve the mental functioning and the academic performance
of adolescents
 BIOCHEMICAL CONDITIONS

• Hormonal influences/hormonal imbalances

• Exposure to androgens (testosterone) explain why males are
naturally more violent than females and why females are more
nurturing and empathetic.
• Males- Violence and androgen (testosterone) production peak
during adolescence-teenager
 aging out phenomenon-
• Females- Menstrual cycle- produce excessive amounts of female
sex hormones (estrogen and progesterone).
• PMS- pre-menstrual syndrome; PPS – post partum syndrome –
during and after birth/delivery of a child
• Allergies
• Reaction of the body to foreign substance
a. Cerebral allergies- cause a reaction in the brain
b. Neuroallergies- affect the nervous system
Both allergies have been linked to mental, emotional and
behavioral problems.
Food: milk, wheat, eggs, nuts, corn and chocolate
• Exposure to environmental contaminants
Exposure to dangerous contaminations: copper, mercury,
artificial coloring, food dyes, etc. can cause aggressive and
anti-social behavior.
Lead poisoning is one of the most significant predictors of male
delinquency and persistent adult criminality
 THREE DISTINCT AREAS OF STUDY

B. NEUROLOGICAL FACTORS
 Brain and nervous system
 Neuroendocrine System
 Controls brain chemistry
 Key to understand violence and aggression
 Anti- social behavior
 Imbalance of central nervous system chemical hormonal activity
 Neurotransmitters- are chemical compounds that influence brain
activity
 dopamine
 Serotonin-low serotonin levels are related to hyperactivity and aggression
 Monoamine oxidase- low supply of monoamine oxidase (MAO) are more
likely to engage in sensation-seeking activities – including violent behavior.
*abnormal level of some neurotransmitters are related to aggression and
violence
 DOPAMINE SEROTONIN

Play role in pleasurable moments such as Play a role in calming you, suppressing
when you are excited, motivated pain and controlling depression

Excitatory neurotransmitter Inhibitory neurotransmitter

Dopamine is responsible for our happiness, is responsible for our moods, pain
excitement, motivation, etc. suppression, sleep cycle, social behaviors,
etc.
Deficiency is linked with Parkinson disease Deficiency is linked with anxiety and
depression disorders

Low levels lead to memory loss, low sex Low levels lead to high sensitivity to pain,
drive, poor digestion, poor cognition always angry, suffering from insomnia
MINIMAL BRAIN DYSFUNCTION (MBD) – (EEG- electroencephalograph-
device)
 Brain damage cause anti-social behavior
 Hyperactivity
 Aggressiveness
 Temper tantrums
 Injurious to individual’s lifestyle and social adjustment
 Learning Disability- genetic or neurobiological factors that alter brain
functioning which affects the cognitive processes related to learning (dyslexia)
 THREE DISTINCT AREAS OF STUDY

C. GENETIC INFLUENCE
 Genes are more influential in our personality than that the rearing
environment
 Antisocial behavior has genetic basis
 Violent personality traits are inherited
1. PARENT- CHILD SIMILARITIES
• Parental criminality and deviance- powerful influence in delinquent
behavior
• Delinquent youth have criminal fathers
• Intergenerational Continuity
• Criminal fathers produces delinquent sons grows up to have
delinquent children themselves
2. SIBLING AND TWIN SIMILARITIES
• Twins behavior are more alike and share more genetic material
than non twin especially the Monozygotic twin.
3. ADOPTION STUDIES

• Adoptees share many of the behavioral and intellectual

characteristics of their biological parents despite the social and
environmental conditions found in their adoptive homes
 Lesson II- EVOLUTIONARY THEORY

• Existence of aggression and violent behavior as positive adaptive

behaviors in human evolution- reproduction
• Violence is thought to have developed as a male reproductive
strategy:
1. Eliminate or deter genetic competition
2. Serve as a method for displaying physical strength and attracting females
3. Deter females from leaving and mating with other males
• Male aggression may have frequently led to reproductive success
 CHEATER THEORY

• Men has extremely low parental involvement

• Men are sexually aggressive; cunning, deceptive and resourceful to
gain sexual conquests with many females
• Female would not choose them as mates they use stealth to gain
sexual access “cheating” and tactics as mimicking the behavior of
more stable males
 CHEATER THEORY
• Cheater type males are more attractive to younger and
less intelligent women.
• Designed to explain adultery and other criminal by passion
• Produce children who are low self- esteem, low
intelligence and aggressive behavior
• adulterous child
• Concubinage- married man
• Adultery- married woman
 R/K SELECTION THEORY

R- END (rami)
• growth rate
• reproduce rapidly
• Invest little on their offspring
• More cunning and deceptive
• Focus on “quantity” rather than quality
• Frequent sexual activity
• Male need for dominance and sexual related drives
• Connected with rape cases, women brutality and domestic violence of
male
R/K SELECTION THEORY

K- END (konti)
• Caring capacity- utmost care in raising their offspring
• Reproduce slowly and cautiously
• Produce more cooperative and sensitive offspring
• Focus on “quality” rather than quantity
• Category fit for female
 SUMMARY
LESSON 1- BIOSOCIAL THEORY
CRIMINALITY- Biological/ physiological malfunction + negative environmental conditions
3 AREAS OF STUDY
1.Biochemical factors
a. Nutrition Deficiency
b. Hormonal Influence- Hormonal imbalance- male: adolescent (testosterone);female- PMS, PPS
c. Allergies- cerebral allergy and neuroallergies
d. Environmental contamination- contaminants poisoning- lead poisoning
2.Neurological factors- brain- neurotransmitters- serotonin & monoamine oxidase- MBD-EEG-
electroencephalograph-electroencephalogram
3.Genetic Influence
a. parent
b. sibling- mz twin/ identical twin
c. adoption- biological parents
LESSON 2- EVOLUTIONARY THEORY
 SUMMARY
LESSON 2- EVOLUTIONARY THEORY
Reproduction- violence and aggression- male
a.Cheater theory
 Male- sexual drives, cheating (cunning, deceptive and resourceful)
b.R/K selection
 R-end= growth rate- quantity: male
 K- end- caring capacity- quality: female