Understanding Why People Commit Crimes?

Table of contents: 

• Introduction

• Social Factors 

• Brain and its involvement in crime

• Psychological Factors

• Other reasons for criminal behaviour

• References

Introduction

How often have you come across the news articles and flinched at the crime reports? How many times have you just skipped over it because it keeps happening or it is too gruesome to handle? Have you ever wondered why people commit crimes? Crimes range from a misdemeanour such as trespassing and shoplifting to serious felonies like murders and rape. Crimes occur every day around the world. Psychologically based criminologists explain criminal behaviour as the consequence of individual factors, psychological factors and environmental factors which results in criminal thinking patterns and/or incomplete cognitive development. It is important to note that no crime is monocausal (sole reason). It is often a combination of various factors that lead to criminal behaviour.

A common misconception is that people commit crime due to mental illnesses or that every criminal is mentally ill. While this is true in various cases that the person has already persisting mental illnesses (usually a combination of disorders), not all criminals are mentally ill and not any criminal/crime can be labelled ‘psychopath’ or ‘sociopath’. In this article, to understand why people commit a crime, we will look at factors that influence criminal behaviour.

• Social Factors

Researchers have examined various theories exploring social and environmental factors influencing criminal behaviour. For example, the socioeconomic status of a person is a factor that can impact their behaviour, a person with low income is often frustrated, stressed, and struggling to make ends meet. This can lead them to be easily driven to commit crimes such as theft. Such households are often deprived of proper diet and nutrition; this may be responsible for various illness, disabilities, and low overall brain functioning.

On the other hand, environmental factors, i.e. surrounding areas, household, and communities, can have a significant influence on a person. A violent home is a bad environment for any individual; hence, children who grow up in such an environment are susceptible to developing violent behaviour. In addition, an unhealthy relationship with parents, such as facing neglect or abuse, has found to be responsible for children to commit crimes later in their life. Human is a social animal, and thus people interact with their surroundings and are sometimes easily influenced by peers or their community to engage in a behaviour to feel inclusive. This can be one of the reasons for people committing crimes.

• Brain and its involvement in crime

The prefrontal cortex of the brain is responsible for reasoning and self-control. It does not fully develop until the mid-20s, which explains felonious behaviour in adolescents. People who have anti-social personality have a damaged or underdeveloped prefrontal cortex. This is why, when looking at many criminal histories, it can be observed that a lot of them are anti-social and show little to no remorse.

Another part of the brain called the amygdala, which causes intense emotions such as fear and aggression. Lesser Amygdala volume in adulthood is linked with greater aggressive and psychotic eccentricities from childhood to adulthood as well as increased risk of such behaviour in the future.

Other factors such as abnormally high levels of the hormone- testosterone, imbalances in neurotransmitter systems and low levels of serotonin are associated with impulsive, aggressive, and criminal activities.

Advanced medical instruments and techniques like computerized tomography (CT scans), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and positron emission tomography (PET) have been used by neurologists to study the link between brain activity and a tendency to commit a crime. Below are some images depicting different brain activity in criminals.

• Psychological Theories 

Three major psychological theories that explain criminal behaviour are:

• Psychodynamic theory– It is focussed on the idea that childhood experiences influences and shapes personality, and thus our decisions and unconscious mental processes are based on these experiences. Individuals are frustrated, exasperated, and they have weak egos.
• Behavioural theory– This theory suggests that human behaviour develops through learning experiences. Crime is viewed as a learned response to life situations. Hence, watching violent tv programmes, or playing excessive violent games for an extended period have shown adverse effects on people.
• Cognitive theory– Cognitive theorists focus on mental processes. How a people experiences, perceives and the individual’s perception of the world influences his or her behaviour may help predict criminal tendencies.

• Other Reasons for criminal behaviour 

Addiction is one of the causes that can lead to criminal behaviour. The desire to consume alcohol or drug and the habit of fulfilling this desire can be very tempting. Under the influence of drugs and alcohol, people have impaired judgements, thinking and inhibitions. This might cause a person to commit a crime even if it was not their intention. Some other factors that sometimes lead a person to commit a crime are peer pressure, unemployment, self-interest and political and religious differences.

Want to find out more? Read about some famous criminal cases explained by Forensic psychologists.

• https://www.online-psychology-degrees.org/list-articles/five-famous-cases-cracked-by-forensic-psychologists/
• https://thehumornation.com/crime-cases-cracked-psychologists/

 References

Ling S, Umbach R, Raine A. Biological explanations of criminal behavior. Psychol Crime Law. 2019;25(6):626-640. doi:10.1080/1068316X.2019.1572753

Wimble Don. (2016, November 19). Factors affecting criminal behaviour. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aq9jGdA2Tgk

Kati Morton. (2018, July 2). The PSYCHOLOGY of a CRIMINAL | Kati Morton. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_LOMWZfpwo