Criminal behavior pertains to the demeanor of an offender that results in law-breaking. Theft, robbery, homicide, sexual assault, and violence are some examples of crimes that a person can commit. As of today’s generation, there are still a lot of crimes that are being executed. These gruesome events are products of different things, such as anger and revenge. Some of these events are planned while others just take place as a result of poor decision-making.
A crime has always been a horrible thing that shakes out fear from people. Nobody would want someone from their lives to end up in such a terrible situation. However, in the literature and film industry, true-crime has become a good subject for entertainment. This is not because it makes someone enjoy these types of pieces but because they inform and educate the readers and viewers. Examples of true-crime novels are The Witness by Wanda Draper and Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann while examples of true-crime films are Lost Girls and Foxcatcher.
There are many factors that contribute to one’s criminal conduct. That is why we are here to discuss the contributing aspects to one’s criminal behavior, like the ones written below:
Environmental
Environmental factors refer to any living and non-living things that influences the subject. These aspects include but are not limited to abusive family members and unsafe neighborhood. A person first handedly witness one of his or her family member being beaten or he or she is the one being physically abuse can definitely adopt those things and apply it to others. The tendency is that these abused kids may see violence as normal; thus, they would begin doing the same thing that happened to their house to other people. That would be a hard thing to put an end to, especially if the people he or she is living with are permissive and laid-back.
One’s childhood can also be one of the biological factors. It is where an innocent mind learns how brutal and ugly the real world is. During this time, a child is starting to meet other people and experience pain. The most common event that would lead to the young mind’s development of criminal behavior is being punished physically or seeing violence with his or her own eyes. That said, one’s family and home environment are absolutely influential to a person’s growth, mindset, and rational thinking.
Social
Social factors refer to anything that emerges from a community, culture, society, organization, religion, and government that affects the ability of a person to think and act rationally. Concrete examples of social aspects that leads to one’s showcasing of his or her criminal characteristics are peer pressure, delinquent social environment, violence at school, abuse of substance, addiction, gambling, and more. The mentioned factors can be found in different parts of the community and can happen to anyone.
Take for example being bullied at school, this will result to an individual’s strong desire to punish his bully. He may get obsessed to the idea of getting his payback in no time. That said, violent thoughts — such as beating and, worse, killing, will come to his or her mind. If there will be no one to stop him or her, the revenge will definitely put to success.
Psychological
The psychological factor is define as the things and methods that influences a person’s state of mind. This is where we can evaluate and identify the psychology of criminal behavior. There are various aspects that result to one’s development of this type of demeanor, such as trauma, sadness, and other events that lead to the formation of a mental illness. A person that is suffering a mental condition has a tendency to develop twisted ideas and put those thoughts into actions. The said mental illnesses can include depression, schizophrenia, insanity, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and psychopathy.
For better understanding, let us take for example a person that is diagnosed with psychopathy — which is characterized by lack of remorse, extremely manipulative, and inexistence of empathy. A psychopath is also known for inferior behavioral control, irresponsibility, and behavioral problems. That said, they have a big capacity to commit a crime not only for the purpose of revenge but can also be because of pleasure. According to the study titled Behavioral Analysis Unit-2 National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime Critical Incident Response Group Federal Bureau of Investigation edited by Robert J. Morton, some psychopaths become serial killers who kill their victims without considering the value of human life. Most of these type of criminals are motivated by their sexual desires who constantly stalk, harm, and murder their targets without feeling guilty. Thus, guild does not exist in their system, which explains why they can go for a killing spree and feel nothing odd about it.
Oliver’s Twist 