Throughout the history of civilisation the enduring problem of crime has bought with it huge social and economic problems. In order for a psychologist to understand the root causes of criminal behaviour it is necessary to investigate the definition of a crime. ... A society's legal system is based on this premise, and therefore a violation of acceptable conduct is a violation of the laws of that society. ... Information from the British National Survey suggested that rather than being larger than average, delinquents who commit serious crimes were in fact, smaller. ... An altogether ...

• Word Count: 2818
• Approx Pages: 11
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

In "Social Structure and Anomie" (1938), Merton opens the article by challenging some biologically based theories that were relatively popular at the time. These theories viewed crime as a result of biological traits, while Merton instead argued crime derives from societal conditions. ... Merton's anomie theory, eventually, drew attention and caused other theorists to draw on his theory of crime. ... Corporate crimes, falsifying IRS forms, or drug dealers would be examples of innovators. ...

• Word Count: 3988
• Approx Pages: 16
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

One of the very first influences came when the Federal Bureau of Investigations began a yearly report on all the crime or reported crime in the nation (Sutherland, 1924). ... Crimes such as these had no biological influence, but happened to be a product of their environmental status (Sutherland, 1924). These individuals made their decisions based on their values, situations, and opportunities (Sutherland, 1924). Two major additional events took place that greatly altered and influenced the way Sutherland viewed the causation of crime. ... The first is that human beings interactions are based...

• Word Count: 5291
• Approx Pages: 21
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

From the late 1980s, research on gender, crime and social issues, has hugely focused on the study of masculinity, and how there has become a correlation between masculinity and violence. ... Violent crime can be seen as a highly masculine activity. ... Whenever there is a media story in the news about a violent crime committed, we automatically assume that a male is a perpetrator. ... Crime surveys also have a role to play in the over-representation of males since statistics of crime have been collected from members of society in the British Crime Survey, as well as official policing statistic...

• Word Count: 3847
• Approx Pages: 15
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

In essence, the main focus of this paper besides proving an understanding of Howard Becker, is to describe and evaluate `labelling theory` to the study of crime and deviance, by way of an in depth discussion. ... Instead of looking at why some social groups commit more crime, labelling theory asks why some people committing some action come to be defined as deviant, while others do not. ... As well, labelling theorists note that most people commit crimes at some time in their lives but not everyone becomes defined as deviant or criminal. ... In other words, the closer a person comes to the ste...

• Word Count: 3151
• Approx Pages: 13
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

He claimed that behaviors in society were based on self-interest. ... The social world of interpersonal relations is based on the idea of social norms in society. The validity claims are based on the normative correctness of what is being debated. The subjunctive experience has its validity claims based on the sincerity and/or authenticity of the emotional experience expressed. In other words, validity is based on the symbolic interaction between people. ...

• Word Count: 3015
• Approx Pages: 12

When addressing such a wide societal issue such as criminal behavior, one needs to think outside the box, and think more theoretically about the different institutions and structures that are involved and connected to personal crimes of deviance. ...

• Word Count: 3457
• Approx Pages: 14
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Others experience problems from technological change or declining neighborhoods, others are affected directly by crime and violence in their own neighborhood, and sometimes definitions of social problems are changed by society because of changes around you. ... In both the United States and Third World countries poor young males in particular are frequently forced to choose between a life of crime and competition for low-paying jobs under bad conditions. ...

• Word Count: 2953
• Approx Pages: 12
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

According to the Oxford dictionary, a principle is "a rule or belief governing one's behavior," a, "fundamental truth," that serves as the base of, "morally correct behaviour and attitudes."1 This brings us to the question: what should be judged as morally correct? ... One might argue that pressure could also be the base of the principle that motivates a person, as it is one of the sources of morality. ... These values and laws are so fundamental for the appropriate functioning of society, that those who seek to overlook them or modify them are bound to commit a crime. ...

• Word Count: 3163
• Approx Pages: 13

Marxism can never be catogorized as just a philosophy because it is actually a combination of three developed traditions, German philosophy, French political theory, and British Economics. The philosophical side came mainly from Hegelianism. Marx takes many theories from Hegelianism such as that reality is not a state of affairs, but it is an ongoing process. Next that the key understanding reality is understanding the historical change. There are laws that cause historical change, not random mishaps. ...

• Word Count: 2521
• Approx Pages: 10

One cannot understand the problematics of gender violence solely by referring to the relationship of power or authority between man and women. Rather one needs to consider the problem by relating it to the specific social formation. In this context, the role played by the state, both its coercive and ideological apparatus, is thus to be considered as well. In order to clarify our perspective on the problem, it is also important to note that violence against women is to be considered as being essentially related to the more general problems of women's oppression. So instead of conceptually...

• Word Count: 4537
• Approx Pages: 18
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Employee theft is ten times more costly than the nation's street crime and has been blamed for 30 to 50% of all business failures (Bullard & Resnik;, 1993). ... For example, when a resource allocation decision is implemented inconsistently across employees or is based on inaccurate or biased information, and no formal avenue exists for correcting possible mistakes (i.e., no grievance process exists), an employee's sense of procedural injustice is stirred (Greenberg, 1997). ...

• Word Count: 6022
• Approx Pages: 24
• Grade Level: Undergraduate