Application of Contemporary Trait Theory to Mass Killing Case

According to Meninger (2014), a crime is the conduct of a human being that violates the criminal law of a federal government, a local jurisdiction or state which has the power of making and violating law. Criminology involves the study of crime. It is the process of breaking laws, making of the laws and reacting to the broken laws. This makes criminology an interdisciplinary profession founded on a crime and criminal behavior’s scientific study and includes their control, legal aspects, causes and manifestations. Many theories have been developed by criminologist to understand and explain crime. According to our crime case, Contemporary Trait Theory will be used. This theory asserts that criminal behaviors are a resultant of abnormal biological or physical traits. 

How could three young men Edward, Henry and Mark be involved in a mass murder unless they are suffering from mental collapse or mental instability? After the crime aftermath, all the three young men seemed to be psychologically stressed but no one had predicted their violent actions. Criminals bear mental and physical traits that are making them abnormal or different from the society. According to Cengage Learning (2011), criminologists suggest that psychological and biological traits have the ability of influencing an individual’s behavior. A person may develop mental or physical traits during birth or soon after, which may affect their social functioning during their life course and influences their behavior choices. 

As Cengage Learning (2011) explains in their report, only a small percentage of all the criminals proceed to become persistent repeaters. This makes logic that the settings of these chronic criminals apart from the average wrongdoers is an abnormal biochemical make-up, genetic constitution, brain structure or other personal traits. Every individual has a unique personality structure and physical make-up which influences if faced with a certain situation, the individual may turn to a chronic offender or they may attend church or school functions and obeys the law.

According to Cengage Learning (2011) Cesare Lombroso was a physician in the Italian army (1835-1909) who studied the cadavers of executed criminals with efforts of scientifically determining if law violators are physically different from individuals of convectional behavior and values. According to Lombrose, serious offenders- those engaging in theft related activities or repeated assaults- were born criminals inheriting a set of primitive physical traits known as atavistic anomalies. According to contemporary trait theory, a single psychosocial or biological attribute does not explain all criminality thus every offender is considered unique, mentally and physically where some may be suffering from neurological problems, others are inherited criminal tendencies and others suffers from blood chemistry disorder which is heightening their antisocial activities. 

Trait theorists have put their focus on basic human drives and behaviors –impulsivity, violence, aggression, attachment-which are linked to antisocial pattern of behavior. According to this theory, criminal behavior involves both environmental factors like educational attainment, family life, neighborhood factors and economic factors- and personality traits like genetic makeup, chemical makeup, personality and intelligence. Therefore, mental or physical traits are just a portion of personal, social and environmental factors accounting to criminality. Conclusively, some individuals may have predisposition towards aggression, but the environment may either trigger or suppress the antisocial factors. 

Environment, Trait and Crime

The environmental conditions in a disadvantage area- inner city- powerfully influence the anti-social behaviors. This is because majority of individuals living in these areas experience anger, frustrations, racism, and poverty, and yet only a few of this group become criminals. Therefore, due to the fact that human beings are born with equal potential to achieve and learn (equipotentiality), the combination of environmental and physical traits produces an individual behavioral pattern. 

The actions of Edward, Henry and Mark behavior may be as a result of environment and socialization that may be linked to genetically determine mental and/or physical traits. Cengage Learning (2011) explains that a Psychologist Bernard Rimland argues that whereas childhood behavior problems are generally linked to inadequate parenting, disrupted socialization, or poor environment, they are actually rooted from an abnormal trait: a neurological damage linked to chemical contamination and diet. In his book, Dyslogic Syndrome (2008), Rimland has disputed the notion that ineffective or bad parenting is to blame for disobedient or troubled children (Cengage Learning, 2011). Using Rimland argument in this crime case, it is the biological makeup and physical traits together with social environment of the three offenders that explains their choice of behavior. The Contemporary trait theories can be categorized in to two major subdivisions: one that stresses on biological function (biosocial) and the other on the psychological function. 

Biosocial Factors

A criminal behavior should not solely be determined by birth conditions but other conditions like social, environmental and physical conditions which combines together to produce the behavior of an individual. This theory can be grouped either into the biochemical factors that affects behavior and the relationship between crime and brain function. The behaviors of the offenders in this case may be caused by biochemical conditions including those acquired from the environment and diet. These conditions may have influenced and controlled their antisocial behavior. Mass killing is not an every individual action and it mostly takes mental incapability’s in an individual. 

According to Moore (2011), the influence of damaging biological and chemical contaminates begins before birth where the diet of the mother lacks or is excessive of important nutrients (like manganese) which later causes developmental problems in an offspring. This concludes that poor diet in utero and exposure to harmful chemicals during birth and beyond affects individuals throughout their life. For example, if a mother was smoking or drinking during pregnancy, their children may have subsequent antisocial behavior in adolescence. Research also shows that extreme intake of some metals like manganese and iron are linked to neurological dysfunctions like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and intellectual impairment which are precursors of criminal and delinquent behaviors. 

It is also believed that in every society segment there are amoral, aggressive and violent people whose improper mineral, vitamin and food intake is responsible for their social behavior. The behavior of theses offenders may also be caused by hormones. According to some biosocial theorists, suggests that abnormal male hormone levels (androgens) produces aggressive behavior. Hormones may cause some brain areas to be less sensitive to the environmental stimuli (Cengage Learning, 2011). 

Neurophysiological Conditions and Crime

Cengage Learning (2011) explains that physical and neurological abnormalities are acquired during prenatal and fetal stage, or by trauma during delivery and that they control an individual’s behavior throughout life. One of the offenders may have suffered from measurable neurological deficits during birth which may cause antisocial traits throughout their life. This may either be indirect association, direct association or interactive cause. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), is when a child shows a developmentally hyperactivity, impulsivity and lack of attention which causes many of the children to be taken to mental health clinics. ADHD is associated with lack of response to discipline, stubbornness, bullying, placement in special needs classes, grade retention, and poor school performance. 

The three or one of the offenders may have suffered from ADHD condition which causes mental incapability and failure. Majority of children with ADHD suffers from conduct disorder (CD) and they continually engage in antisocial and aggressive behavior during early childhood and they are highly likely to be suspended from school as well as engaging in criminal behaviors during adulthood. This type of group is also highly likely to abuse drugs which may cause them to engage in criminal acts due to their mental state. 

Psychological Function

This type of theory focuses on the associations among learning, personality, intelligence and criminal behavior. Psychological function can be explained using the aspects: psychodynamic or psychoanalytic, behaviorism or cognitive theory. According to Falk (1966), the contemporary psychodynamic theory emphasizes on conscious experience and the way it interacts with the unconscious together with the social factors role in development. This theory works in three principles; id (pleasure principle), ego (reality principle) and super ego (the conscious) which is the moral aspect of an individual. The psychodynamic theory also contains the Psychosexual Stages of Human Development which contains two instincts, Eros (birth instinct) which creates and preserves life, and thanatos (death instinct) which is expressed as aggression. Eros is expressed sexually in oral, anal and phallic stage and fixation in one stage causes behavioral problems. 

According to August Aichorn, societal stress by damaging is not the only cause of life crime, but there should be predisposition which psychologically prepare a youth or adolescent to an antisocial act (Moore, 2011). The reason why the three youths committed this crime may be because the wanted to satisfy their instinctive urges without considering what is wrong or right, they are seeking for immediate gratification (of acting impulsively), and they considers that satisfying their personal needs is more important than relating with others. The behavior of the three young men may well be illustrated using the psychodynamic model as they are depicting their aggressions and frustrations due events that might have occurred in their childhood. 

During their childhood years, they may have suffered from unhappy childhood experiences or lacked love from their families making them to develop damaged or weak ego making them unable to cope with convectional society. According to Cengage Learning (2011), damaged ego is associated with excessive dependence on others; poor social skills and immaturity make the individuals to be easily influenced drug abuse and antisocial peers. Some individuals may even commit crime as they lack understanding of the consequences of their actions. The three offenders in this study may have had growth development during their childhood. In this regard, crime is a manifestation of oppression feelings and the individuals are unable to develop proper psychological rationales and defenses to keep their feelings under control. Criminality may enable these individuals to by producing positive psychic results; assisting them to feel independent and free, giving them fulfillment excitement. 

Another cause of such a criminal act-mass killing may be due to lack of attachment while growing. This may cause an individual to be a victim of psychological problems like ADHD, lack respect and trust for others. These offenders might have had detachment problems together with antisocial behaviors like child abuse and sexual assault. Mental disorders are also a known cause of crimes like mass killing. An individual with a mental disorder may deviate from social expectation which may impair their functioning. Psychosis is the most serious form of psychological disturbance and includes severe mental disorders like maniac depression (bipolar disorder), depression and schizophrenia. This disorder is characterized by extreme impairment of the individual’s ability to think clearly, behave appropriately, understand reality, and communicate effectively and respond emotionally. 

This is the main cause of mass killing or serial killer. The criminals may view themselves as the avenging angels, agents of the devil or the recipients of messages from plants and animals. If an individual with a mental disorder abuses drugs, it increases their crime level. Also individuals who suffer child abuse are highly likely to experience mental anguish which causes them to commit violent act. Contemporary Trait Theory is thus the best theory to explain why, a person commits mass killing. This is because it searches the root cause using biological, psychological and environmental factors.

References

Cengage Learning,. (2011). Chapter 5: Trait Theories (11th ed., pp. 139-185). Narotama. Retrieved from http://ebooks.narotama.ac.id/files/Criminology%20(11th%20Edition)/CHAPTER%205%20Trait%20Theories.pdf

Falk, G. (1966). The Psychoanalytic Theories of Crime Causation. Criminology, 4(1), 1-11. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-9125.1966.tb00134.x

Meninger, K. (2014). What is Criminology? (1st ed.). Alamy. Retrieved from https://catalogue.pearsoned.ca/assets/hip/us/hip_us_pearsonhighered/samplechapter/0133140660.pdf

Moore, M. (2011). Psychological Theories of Crime and Delinquency (1st ed.). Routledge: Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. Retrieved from https://is.muni.cz/el/1423/jaro2015/SPP209/um/2_Moore_2011_Psychological_Theories_of_Crime.pd