SOCI 250 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Cesare Lombroso, Dream Interpretation, Twin
Document Summary
Trait focused theories imply that there is something about the person that explains their deviant behaviour. Criminals have a unique trait, this can be either a physical trait (biological explanation) or a mental trait (psychological explanation) Contemporary trait explanations agree that criminality is a product of bio / psych interaction with the environment. Physiognomy study of facial features: lavatory looked at people"s faces to determine their character, ex. eyes. Phrenology study personality / health based on proportions of the head: done by gall, head shape is actually determined by environment (sleeping position as an infant) Somatotyping the classi cation of body types: sheldon believed the mesomorph (average height / weight) is most likely to commit crime most agile, etc . Italian positivist school: attempts to eliminate the notion of free will and focus on individual biological and mental traits that may predispose people to crime, nature vs. nurture debate ips favours nature over nurture.
