SOC 2760 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Cognitive Psychology, Cesare Lombroso, Margo Wilson
31 Jan 2017
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The theories that explain homicide today are rooted in what is called positivism. Explanations may cross multiple levels/units of analysis, and may vary across homicide sub-types. The oldest explanations for homicide are supernatural in their origins and focused on demonic possession or inherent evilness. With the rise of positivism in the 18th century, biological and psychological explanations for crime and violence became popular and continue to vie with sociological explanations. The first brookman reading covers: cesare lombroso, one of the founding fathers of criminology, twin and adoption studies, neuro-behavioural research that focuses on the role of hormones, brain abnormalities and stress, criticisms of these explanations. The most common among the general public (the perpetrator is crazy , mentally ill , Sick , etc. : the state of the homicide perpetrator"s mind and how that state led to the killing. Psychological explanations focus on individuals" psyche, personality structure, personality type, etc. How and why people react differently to different cues or environments.
