Definition and Overview of Biological Positivism in Criminology
Biological positivism theory in criminology which is also termed as positivism theory in criminology is the physical approach for studying criminology (Hodwitz, 2022). The biological positivism tends to define those crimes are committed by an individual are not being committed by the social factors of that particular person. Rather crimes are being committed due to genetics of the person. Offending can be defined as the outcome of an anti-problem behaviour observed in an individual which results in criminal offense committed by the person (Kuin et al., 2019). Offending behaviour in an individual is indicated by aggressive behaviour which resulted different hormonal imbalance that takes place in the person. One of the important hormones that might contribute to offending behaviour in an individual is the testosterone hormone (Geniole et al., 2020).
The main goal of the assignment is to discuss about two aspect of criminology that are observed in an individual. The assignment is sub sectioned containing a detailed description about biological positivism and related topics along with the role of testosterone which contributes to offending behaviour. The assignment concludes with a summary of the main points addressed in the article.
Biological positivism theory in criminology states that the crimes committed by an individual are not triggered by some social factors rather they are post due to some physical, biological or some psychological problem of the individual (Wood, 2019). Unlike classical theory of the criminology, the positivism theory views the criminal behaviour of an individual as the irrational behaviour observed in the individual which are triggered by some biological factors. According to Cesare Lombroso, a psychiatrist and one of the significantly influential figures in the biological positivism theory stated that “ criminals were born not made, and they are not rational in producing thoughts similar to that of inferior humanity”. According to the biological positivism theory in criminology, it takes the characteristics and behaviour of an individual which make up the genetic disposition of the person is the reason that causes them to become criminals. Therefore, the theory states that an individual is born as a criminal although “some are not” (Heidt & Wheeldon, 2021).
Medicine became an interested topic in problem of criminology that introduced the study of physiognomy and signs of phrenology that link characteristics of mind to shape the brain of an individual that is revealed true skull. The theories became popular as they absolved the society and failure of the administration of accountability for the criminal behaviour (Koufioti, 2021). The problem stays in propensities of an individual offender as they were distinguishable biologically from the citizens who abided the law. The theory was amplified by Italian school by the writings of the psychiatrist and anthropological criminologist Cesare Lombroso. He identified some physical characteristics that are associated with the degeneracy which demonstrates that the criminals were the ancestral throwbacks to the initial evolutionary form (Hodwitz, 2022). Charles Goring could not corroborate the features of the criminals but identified them as shorter, lighter and less intelligent (Blevins, 2018). He identified the criminality characteristics as normal and not pathological. William Sheldon found three basic somatotypes or body beach includes endomorphs, mesomorphs and ectomorphs. He introduced the scale for measuring where the individuals are placed. He came to a conclusion that the delinquents tended to the mesomorph. The modern research on criminology might link the physical size and the athleticism as well as aggression as the physically strong people are capable for using violence and have lower chance of getting hurt in case of any retaliation. Therefore, the initial research is not valid anymore (Sahni & Krishnakumar, 2021). The growth of genetics has introduced some potential inheritance which causes criminality behaviour in an individual. The chromosome and some other genetic factors are identified as the significance for selecting heredity relatively than the environment as the reason for criminal behaviour in an individual. Some evidences from the family, twin and the adoption studies indicated no empirical evidence for preferring either of the cause (Schulz, 2021).
The History and Evolution of Biological Positivism in Criminology
A number of significant studies demonstrated the link between a lower intelligence level and criminality behaviour of an individual. However, evidences are equivocal since the studies among the population of the prison usually tests the criminals who were actually caught to commit criminal offense. This is because those individuals failed to significantly plan the entire crime effectively or since they do not have the capability for resisting the interrogation technique and therefore, admitted their act of crime (Rodas et al., 2020). If the intelligence level of the criminals is observed to be poor they were less likely to be frightened. The emotional intelligence of an individual was reported to be closely associated with aggression and criminal behaviour in an individual. The person having reduced emotional intelligence are the people who face difficulty while managing the emotions and therefore, are more likely to act and perpetrate the criminal behaviour (Burke, 2018).
Testosterone and adrenalines are the hormones found in human body. These hormones have been reported to be associated with aggression behaviour and violence in an individual (Kuin et al., 2019). These hormones were associated with arousal and the excited state of mind of an individual which court leads to severe violence and aggression behaviour. Excessive consumption of drugs and alcohol results in reducing blood sugar level which might trigger aggressiveness and violent behaviour. Consumption of chemicals mixed with foods and drinks are also associated with the hyperactivity and criminal behaviour leading to a crime by an individual (Chatzittofis et al., 2020).
Offending is defined as the act for committing a particular crime by an individual. Behaviour of a human being is complex. An individual act against several factors which includes socio economic status, personality, peer group, neighbourhood and several biological factors. Determining a single course for such offending behaviour is difficult as several factors might combine that result in criminal offense performed by an individual (Mazlan et al., 2020). Testosterone is primary sex hormone and the anabolic steroid produced in males. This hormone is responsible for promoting secondary characteristics and behavioural pattern of an individual. Several studies have reported a connection between criminality behaviour and testosterone hormone (Smid, 2022). Few studies have demonstrated the association of testosterone with the personality trait or the behaviour which are linked with the criminality expression observed in an individual which includes alcoholism and antisocial behaviour. Several studies have demonstrated relation between aggressive behaviour and feeling along with increased level of testosterone hormone. From these studies researchers have concluded that testosterone facilitates aggressive behaviour in an individual bimodal eating the vasopressin receptor present in hypothalamus of the brain.
Offending behaviours observed in an individual results from aggressive behaviour that might be triggered by the testosterone hormone. Aggressive behaviour initiates in the centres of the brain which triggers the metabolic arousal of neuro endocrine system. This results in expression of aggressive behaviour show mobilization of body muscles. This aggressive behaviour could in turn result in offending behaviours in the individual. The neurons present in prefrontal area, hypothalamus and the amygdala that are concerned with aggressive behaviour expresses significant amount of oestradiol receptor and androgen (Rodas et al., 2020). In addition to these, expression of some enzymes is important that are necessary for steroidogenesis of the hormones. The production of the testosterone in the neuroendocrine neurons presents a factor into interpretation of interplay of the hormones with the aggressive manifestations of the offending behaviour. The testosterone and the oestradiol coupling along with receptors might receive variety of diminishing or enhancing influences (Koufioti, 2021). These can modulate the effect on the offending behaviour in greater aspect than those testosterones that are produced by Leydig cells that is stimulated by the luteinising hormone. That is tested on which modulates the offending behaviour in an individual are produced locally which contributes to the action on brain act as a stimulus for triggering aggressiveness resulting in offending behaviour in most of the cases.
Physical Characteristics and Criminal Behavior in Biological Positivism Theory
Two theories have been identified or role of the testosterone triggering aggressive behaviour and offending action in an individual. These two theories are the challenge hypothesis and the evolutionary neuro androgenic theory of male aggression (Hodwitz, 2022). The challenge hypothesis states that the tests run would be increased during the puberty which facilitates reproductive as well as competitive behaviour that could lead to aggression and offending behaviour in an individual. It is the challenge of the competition which facilitates aggression and violins which could result in offending action. Several studies have established direct relation between the dominates characteristics and testosterone specially among violent criminals in the prison whose testosterone levels were recorded to be much higher bang the normal one. The tests run along with author androgens were evolved for masculinising the brain for being competitive and aggressive even to that point of causing harm to another person. The increase in the testosterone level during offending behaviour predicted aggression among the males play than that of the females. Testosterone level mediates the attraction towards cruelty and violent cues by promoting prolonged inspecting of the violent stimulus (Blevins, 2018). The testosterone specific characteristics of the structural brain helps to predict the prevalence of aggressive behaviour and offending action in an individual. Rapid fluctuation of the testosterone level in an individual provokes reactive offending action in response to the stimulus. Several studies have demonstrated that fluctuation of the testosterone for a short time have been associated with the elicitation of offending behaviour. Therefore, it can be said that testosterone play an important role triggering offending behaviour and aggressiveness among the criminals which result in criminal action among them (Heidt & Wheeldon, 2021).
Conclusion
From the above discussion it can be concluded that biological positivism is the theory in criminology that helps to define the crime committed by an individual. It is the approach for studying criminology which states that committing crime is triggered by some biological factor of an individual. Offending behaviour can be defined as committing crime. The testosterone hormone results in aggressive behaviour and violence in an individual which might me a reason for offending behaviour in an individual. An individual with low intelligence level is prone to commit crime. Studies have demonstrated that fluctuation of testosterone associated with aggressive behaviour and offending action.
References
Blevins, K. R. (2018). Positivism. In The Routledge Companion to Criminological Theory and Concepts (pp. 23-27). Routledge.
Burke, R. H. (2018). Biological positivism. In An Introduction to Criminological Theory (pp. 83-116). Routledge.
Chatzittofis, A., Boström, A. E., Öberg, K. G., Flanagan, J. N., Schiöth, H. B., Arver, S., & Jokinen, J. (2020). Normal testosterone but higher luteinizing hormone plasma levels in men with hypersexual disorder. Sexual medicine, 8(2), 243-250. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esxm.2020.02.005
Geniole, S. N., Bird, B. M., McVittie, J. S., Purcell, R. B., Archer, J., & Carré, J. M. (2020). Is testosterone linked to human aggression? A meta-analytic examination of the relationship between baseline, dynamic, and manipulated testosterone on human aggression. Hormones and behavior, 123, 104644. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.104644
Heidt, J., & Wheeldon, J. (2021). MAPPING CRIMINOLOGICAL THINKING. Visual Criminology: From History and Methods to Critique and Policy Translation. Visual Criminology: From History and Methods to Critique and Policy Translation – Google Books
Hodwitz, O. (Ed.). (2022). The Origins of Criminological Theory. Routledge. The Origins of Criminological Theory – Google Books
Koufioti, G. (2021). Hormones, Chromosome diseases and Crime: A correlation among neuroscience, genetics, criminology and penology. https://repository.ihu.edu.gr//xmlui/handle/11544/29896
Kuin, N. C., de Vries, J., Scherder, E. J. A., van Pelt, J., & Masthoff, E. D. M. (2019). Cool and hot executive functions in relation to aggression and testosterone/cortisol ratios in male prisoners. Annals of Behavioral Neuroscience, 2(1), 206-222. https://doi.org/10.18314/abne.v2i1.1781
Mazlan, N., Najmuddin, N. H. A., Ismail, S. Z. I., Rashid, N. A. A., Maliki, N., & Shariff, N. S. M. (2020). Human hormonal effects on criminal behaviour. International Journal of Medical Toxicology & Legal Medicine, 23(1and2), 160-164. https://dx.doi.org/10.5958/0974-4614.2020.00026.1
Rodas, A., Simpson, M., Rawlinson, P., Kramer, R., Ryan, E., Taylor, E., … & Russell, E. (2020). Crime, deviance and society: An introduction to sociological criminology. Cambridge University Press.
Sahni, S. P., & Krishnakumar, A. (2021). Theoretical Approaches to Understanding Criminal Behaviour. In Criminal Psychology and the Criminal Justice System in India and Beyond (pp. 31-49). Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-4570-9_3
Schulz, S. (2021). Sociology of Crime and Criminology: Towards a Unified Theory (Model Visualisation). https://ir.nust.na:8080/jspui/handle/10628/810
Smid, W. J. (2022). Future Directions in the Treatment of Sexual Self-Regulation Problems in People Who Have Sexually Offended. In Challenges in the Management of People Convicted of a Sexual Offence (pp. 141-156). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-80212-7_9
Wood, M. A. (2019). What is Realist about Ultra-Realist Criminology? A Critical Appraisal of the Perspective. Journal of Theoretical & Philosophical Criminology, 11. EBSCOhost | 139536741 | What is Realist about Ultra-Realist Criminology? A Critical Appraisal of the Perspective.
Order an Essay Now & Get These Features For Free:
Turnitin Report
Formatting
Title Page
Citation
Outline
