Explanatory Theories of Criminal Behavior

Socioeconomic Factors and Strain Theory

Not all individuals facing adversity turn to crime, but sociology has identified clear breeding grounds.

Strain theory" postulates that society imposes goals of success; usually financial or status; but does not offer everyone the same legitimate means to achieve them. This discrepancy generates deep frustration.

Imagine an employee who, seeing his promotion blocked for lack of academic credentials unattainable for his pocketbook, decides to embezzle funds to simulate that success.

It is not the desire to commit a crime that drives him, but the anguish of not being able to meet social expectations through legal channels.

Chronic poverty and lack of decent employment are powerful catalysts, creating an environment where transgression is perceived as the only viable route to survival or recognition.

Criminal Personality Theory (Neuroticism, Extraversion, Psychoticism)

From psychology, a model has been proposed that links biological temperament with criminal predisposition.

This theory suggests that the structure of our personality is based on three pillars.

First, Extraversion: individuals with a nervous system that needs constant external stimulation, which leads them to seek strong emotions and risks, sometimes crossing the legal line.

Second, Neuroticism or emotional instability: people who overreact in an exaggerated and volatile manner to stress, which facilitates impulsive or aggressive behavior in times of tension.

Finally, Psychoticism, the trait most directly linked to crime, characterized by affective coldness, hostility and lack of empathy towards the suffering of others.

According to this approach, the combination of a high desire for risk, low frustration tolerance and emotional hardness creates the profile prone to recidivism.

Social Learning Theory and Learned Violence

Countering biological determinism, social learning theory holds that violence is an acquired, not an innate behavior. We observe and imitate.

If a child grows up seeing the authority figure at home resolve conflicts by yelling or hitting, he or she will internalize that aggression is a valid and effective tool.

Classic experiments with blow-up dolls showed that children who witnessed an adult hitting the toy tended to replicate that violence more viciously when left alone. This modeling is not limited to the home; it extends to peers and the media.

If an adolescent joins a group where stealing or cheating are celebrated as acts of cunning and survival, he or she will adopt those values as his or her own, normalizing antisocial behavior.

Summary

Sociology identifies the "strain theory," where the discrepancy between the goals of social success and the lack of legitimate means generates a deep frustration that pushes toward illegality.

From psychology, biological temperament is linked to crime through three pillars: Extraversion, Neuroticism and Psychoticism. This combination of risk-seeking, instability and emotional coldness creates a profile prone to crime.

Social learning theory holds that violence is a behavior acquired by imitation. If a minor observes that aggression resolves conflicts in his or her environment, he or she will internalize and normalize such antisocial values.