WHAT IS CRIMINAL PSYCHOLOGY? - ECONOMÍA - 2025

The criminal psychology is dedicated to studying the behavior, thought and belief system of criminals and to investigate why crimes are committed.

In recent years there has been a growth of popular interest that has emerged from the success of series such as Criminal Minds or CSI.

This phenomenon has a name within the scientific community: the CSI effect, whereby people tend to skew their conceptions of criminal psychology, specifically, and forensic work, in general, based on television series of this type.

In Spain, however, the work of a criminal psychologist is far from that performed by the same professional in America, where he has more prominence in, for example, the courts of law or in advising the judge. In Spain, a criminal psychologist frequently corresponds to the figure of the forensic psychologist, although with differences.

Despite having similar roles, a forensic psychologist can deal with issues that flow through civil law (for example, making a person who has suffered an accident disabled for work), while a criminal psychologist will work only with criminal cases in which at least one crime has taken place.

Criminal behavior

We have just explained what the work of the criminal psychologist is, as well as the differences between a professional in criminal psychology and another in forensic psychology. However, it is worth asking now what the behavior of a criminal is like and analyze what makes it different from that of a person who meets the criteria of normality.

An offender does not have to be an individual with a disorder, whether of personality or not, but if we look at it from the cognitive-behavioral point of view, there may be antecedent stimuli (behaviors and cognitions) that lead him to commit a criminal act or crime.

Let's take the example of a person with no history of mental disorders, with a normal IQ, and a non-pathological personality who is fired from work and evicted from home. It does not mean that stealing is justified in these circumstances, but this case is the exemplification of a psychologically normal person without resources who is "forced" to survive committing criminal acts.

However, there are real cases of criminals who commit major crimes (murders, homicides, sexual assaults) that are outside all criteria of normality and which we will talk about in the following paragraphs.

Factors that affect criminal behavior

First of all, it must be clarified that no factor or set of them inexorably leads a person to commit a crime. However, and as is logical to think, a group of risk factors increase the probability (or predispose more) that someone has a tendency to crime.

Traditionally, and especially in Social Sciences, two types of variables are taken into account when explaining behavior: on the one hand, genetics or biology; on the other, environmental factors.

Today, in addition to genetic background (temperamental traits, predisposition to certain diseases, etc.) and environmental (early stimulation, nurturing environment, education and development, etc.), social behavior or interactions are taken into account as an isolated variable. social.

This social factor becomes even more relevant when resorting to modern explanations of criminal behavior. For example, the theory of E. Sutherland promulgates that the criminal acts as such because he chooses to surround himself with a group of equals who encourages criminal or violent acts.

Let's now go on to list what questions, both genetic and environmental / social, favor the predisposition to the criminal act:

Genetic variables

• Aggressive temperament
• History of mental illnesses in the family, such as schizophrenia. However, one must be cautious in this regard because studies show contradictory results regarding the percentage of heritability of psychotic disorders, for example. However, it is known that the genetic component is present, to a greater or lesser extent, in the presence of mental illness.

Environmental and social factors

• Low socioeconomic status.
• Financial problems, such as debt.
• Lack of support from Institutions or Social Services.
• Having grown up in a family whose parents or siblings have a criminal record.
• Be friends with groups that promote aggressive or criminal behavior and the use of violence to achieve ends.
• Non-existent or reduced job opportunities.
• Lack of emotional support.
• Family hierarchies of a predominantly patriarchal character.

As we have already hinted, there is no quintessential predictor of criminal behavior, although what we have just listed make up precursors or "triggers" that can trigger criminal acts.

Today, both psychologists and criminologists agree that the mechanism that leads a person to commit a crime is too complex to be predicted and controlled with 100% reliability, although of course we can take steps to evaluate it and, later, prevent it.

Explanations to criminal behavior

Next we are going to review the currents of thought and the various points of view that throughout history have had something to say about the genesis of crime. How do all the factors we have cited combine for someone to commit a crime?

To control and prevent crime, examining and exploring why people commit actions like this is very relevant, and it is precisely one of the most influential theories in criminal psychology that we are going to talk about now.

César Lombroso's theory

This Italian physician César Lombroso, father of Criminology, was the forerunner of the systematization and scientific Positivism of Criminal Psychology, making a whole classification of the types of criminals and reaching its peak with his work "L'uomo delinquente" (1896).

This theory came to say that a criminal is not made, he is born. Lombroso ended up admitting that social factors have their weight in the crime equation, but originally for him the most important thing was the genetic and biological load, going so far as to say that the physiognomy and anatomy were directly related to the tendency to commit a crime. person.

The physical features that most "predispose" someone to the criminal act were, for Lombroso, a prominent forehead, a strongly marked chin and a hunched back.

Although in the current scientific panorama the biological explanations that take genetics in isolation to explain behavior are practically obsolete, there are still theories that take hereditary factors as their flags. An example of this is the Sociobiology of the North American criminologist Jeffery.

The psychoanalytic thesis

Criminality can also be analyzed from the perspective of Psychoanalysis. According to him, human behavior was related to the process of personality formation through interaction and development from childhood, a period during which personal conflicts are more on the boil than ever, according to Freud and his teacher Charcot.

As we can see, unlike Lombroso, psychonalitic authors emphasize the problems that can occur in childhood to explain the criminal psyche because it is in this period where the personality is configured and, of course, the "delinquent" personality is not no exception.

In this way, criminal behavior is understood as caused by unresolved psychic conflicts. Some of the unresolved psychic conflicts are feelings of guilt, failure to identify with reference figures, or the predominance of instincts over rationality.

As we already know, psychoanalytic terminology is very complex, so we are not going to stop to delve into it. It is convenient, however, to mention some of the most popular words when explaining criminal behavior according to Psycho-analysis.

From the triumph of the Id (where our most primary instincts reside), through the absence of the Superego (where social conventions and desirable behavior are housed) to the irresolution of the famous Freudian Oedipus complex.

Theories of poor socialization

For the theories of defective or deficient socialization, criminal behavior is a behavior learned through the different phases of the socialization process: family, school or companies are factors to take into account when delving into the origin of crime.

Among the most prominent contemporary authors is Sutherland, forerunner of the theory of differential contacts: in society there are groups that behave according to social norms and groups that violate them. The inclination of a person towards one of these two groups will mark the criminal future of the same.

These theories find their application especially in youth gangs and organized crime: a group of people (endogroup) that make up a relational network whose objective is criminality and who maintain similar attitudes around the idea of ​​justice and social order, as well as the promotion of violent acts and crimes.

Theories of poor socialization similar to Sutherland's are the most accepted and studied today, especially if we explore the ins and outs of crime from a sociological perspective.

Psychopathology associated with crime

Although the fact of being diagnosed with a mental disorder does not mean that a person has all the characteristics of being a criminal, it is true that statistically there are a large number of cases in which the crime has been committed by people with some disease or special condition as, for example, psychopathy or antisocial disorder.

Speaking of this, doubts arise that often lead professionals to confusion. Is a sociopath the same as a psychopath? What differentiates them? We will see the answer below.

Alluding to the great nosologies (ICD-10, of the World Health Organization, and DSM-V, of the American Psychiatric Association), these do not contemplate the distinction between sociopaths and psychopaths, but rather refer to their characteristics as conduct disorder (formerly conduct disorder) and antisocial disorder, respectively.

However, Robert Hare, an expert in criminal psychopathology, continues to use the term psychopathy when making a diagnosis. Let's see where these concepts differ.

Differences between antisocial personality disorder and conduct (dissocial) disorder and disorder

Regarding antisocial personality disorder (APD), we are talking about extraverted and emotionally unstable people characterized by hostility, rebellion and the absence of fear in the face of punishment and risky situations, as well as a low tolerance for frustration.

They tend to have long histories of violating the rights of others, without feeling guilty about it. Lying and cheating are part of their behavior.

About conduct disorder, previously called Conduct Disorder in DSM-IV-TR, it is usually diagnosed in childhood or adolescence and children with this condition often join youth gangs.

These people have a limitation in prosocial activity (altruism, for example), lack of remorse or guilt, insensitivity, lack of empathy or superficial affections. It is also very common, animal abuse at an early age.

There are also characteristics that indicate a high probability that a child will develop serious antisocial behaviors in adulthood. This is reflected in the so-called homicidal triad of R. Ressler, who devoted much of his life to shaping the criminal psyche.

According to Ressler, if a child repeatedly abused animals, suffered from late nocturnal enuresis (lack of control of the sphincter of urine in bed in late childhood) and pyromania, it is likely that the person commits a crime in the future and will present TAP.

Indeed, not all people diagnosed with PAD or all children or adolescents with conduct disorder are criminals. Some show risky behavior, frustration or, being normally very intelligent people, they can present business skills and other intellectual skills.

conclusion

By way of conclusion, we will say that there is no universal predictor to predict antisocial behavior, a crime or a criminal trajectory of a person, whether in their childhood, adolescent or adult stage.

As psychologists, we can make an estimate or an approximation to the behavioral traits that can in some way enhance the development of these unwanted behaviors and pay special attention to those that we consider most dangerous.

In summary, a risk factor in isolation does not mean the beginning of a criminal career, although for each risk factor that we identify, the probability of these behaviors will increase.

It is for them that the professionals dedicated to this field have to cushion with protective factors, that sensitize, educate and reinforce prosocial and productive behaviors for the people who have the most potential to present a TAP in the future, for example.