CC100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, The Selfish Gene, Cesare Lombroso
Document Summary
Criminality is explained by individual differences: both biological and psychological, may be genetic, neurological, or chemical. Used to explain why people respond differently to similar situations: e. g. , why some become chronic offenders. Raffaele garofalo (1852-1934: criminals have higher pain threshold (e. g. , tattooing) Richard dugdale (1841-1883: studied 150-year history of degenerate families , claimed that criminality is inherited. Tendency to criminality is determined by body type: ectomorph. Edmund o. wilson"s sociology (1975: selfish gene controls all human destiny, even altruism is explained by expectation of reciprocity. Accounts for racism, sexism, nepotism, double standard of sexuality. Focus on interaction between biological predispositions and environmental triggers . Basic tenet: people are born with different genetic traits (we are not all born equal, differs from sociological criminologists who believe in equipotentiality. Emphasis is on brain functioning, mental processes, and learning. Instincts: inherited and non-learned dispositions that activate behaviour patterns, used to describe drives or needs that lead to crime.
