HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND VICTIMOLOGY

LESSON I

STUDY OF CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR

CRIMINAL PSYCHOLOGY

In general, psychology is the science of behavior and mental processes. This means that psychologists
use the methods of science to investigate all kinds of behavior and mental processes, from the activity of
a single nerve cell to the social conflict in a complex society (Bernstein, et al, 1991).

In particular, criminal Psychology is a sub-field of general psychology where criminal behavior is only, in
part by which phenomena psychologists choose to study. It may be defined as the study of criminal
behavior, the study of criminal conduct and activities in an attempt to discover recurrent patterns and to
formulate rules about his behavior.

A major description of criminal psychology is the word behavior.

Behavior refers to actions or activities (Kahayon, 1985).

To the criminologist, behavior is the observable actions because he is more interested in actions and
reactions that can be seen and verified than in concepts, which cannot be directly verified

Classification of Behavior

1. Normal Behavior (adaptive or adjusted behavior) – the standard behavior, the totality accepted
behavior because they follow the standard norms of society. Understanding criminal behavior
includes the idea of knowing what characterized a normal person from an abnormal one.

A normal person is characterized by: Efficient perception of reality, Self-knowledge, Ability to exercise
voluntary control over his behavior, Self-esteem and acceptance, Productivity, Ability to form
affectionate relationship with others.

2. Abnormal Behavior (maladaptive/maladjusted behavior) - A group of behaviors that are deviant from
social expectations because they go against the norms or standard behavior of society.

A maladaptive (abnormal) person may be understood by the following definitions: Abnormal behavior
according to deviation of statistical norms based in statistical frequency: Many characteristics such as
weight, height, an intelligence cover a range of values when, measured over a population. For instance,
a person who is extremely intelligent or extremely happy would be classified as abnormal.

Abnormal behavior according to deviation from social norms: A behavior that deprives from the
accepted norms of society is considered abnormal. However, it is primarily dependent on the existing
norm of such society.

Behavior as maladaptive: Maladaptive behavior is the effect of a well-being of the individual and or the
social group. That some kind of deviant behavior interferes with the welfare of the individual such as a
man who fears crowd can’t ride a bus. This means that a person cannot adopt himself with the situation
where in it is beneficial to him.
 Abnormal behavior due to personal distress: This is abnormally in terms of the individual subjective
feelings of distress rather than the individual behavior. This includes mental illness, feeling of miserably,
depression, and loss of appetite or interest, suffering from insomnia and numerous aches and pains.
Abnormality in its legal point: It declares that a person is insane largely on the basis of his inability to
judge between right and wrong or to exert control over his behavior (Bartol, 1995).

KINDS OF BEHAVIOR

1. Overt or Covert Behavior - Behaviors that are outwardly manifested or those that are directly
observable are overt behaviors. On the other hand, covert behaviors are behaviors that are hidden – not
visible to the naked eye.

2. Conscious or Unconscious Behavior - Behavior is conscious when acts are within the level of
awareness. It is unconscious when acts are embedded in one’s subconscious – unaware.

3. Simple or Complex Behavior - These are acts categorized according to the number of neurons
involved in the process of behaving. Simple behavior involves less number of neurons while complex
behavior involved more number of neurons, a combination of simple behaviors.

4. Rational or Irrational Behavior - There is rational behavior when a person acted with sanity or reason
and there is irrational behavior when the person acted with no apparent reason or explanation – as
when a man loses his sanity and laugh out loud at nobody or nothing in particular.

5. Voluntary or Involuntary Behavior - Voluntary behavior is an act done with full volition or will such as
when we discriminate, decide or choose while involuntary behaviors refers the bodily processes that
foes on even when we are awake or asleep like respiration, circulation and digestion.

ASPECTS OF BEHAVIOR

1. Intellectual Aspect – this aspect of behavior pertains to our way of thinking, reasoning, solving,
problem, processing info and coping with the environment.

2. Emotional Aspect – this pertains to our feelings, moods, temper, and strong motivational force.

3. Social Aspect – this pertains to how we interact or relate with other people

4. Moral Aspect – this refers to our conscience and concept on what is good or bad.

5. Psychosexual Aspect - this pertains to our being a man or a woman and the expression of love

6. Political Aspect – this pertains to our ideology towards society/government

7. Value/Attitude – this pertains to our interest towards something, our likes and dislikes

THE CRIMINAL FORMULA

Where:

C – Crime/Criminal Behavior (the act)

T – Criminal Tendency (Desire/Intent)

S – Total Situation (Opportunity)

The formula shows that a person’s criminal tendency and his resistance to them may either result in
criminal act depending upon, which of them is stronger. This means that a crime or criminal behaviors
exist when the person’s resistance is insufficient to withstand the pressure of his desire or intent and the
opportunity (Tradio, 1983).

In understanding this, the environment factors such as stress and strains are considered because they
contribute in mobilizing a person’s criminal tendency and the individual’s psychological state while
resistance t temptation arises from the emotional, intellectual and social upbringing and is either
manifestation of a strong or weak character.

DETERMINANTS OF BEHAVIOR

The answer to these questions requires the study and understanding of the influences of HEREDITY and
ENVIRONMENT. As cited by Tuason:

Heredity (Biological Factors) - This refers to the genetic influences, those that are explained by heredity,
the characteristics of a person acquired from birth transferred from one generation to another. It
explains that certain emotional aggression, our intelligence, ability and potentials and our physical
appearance are inherited. It is the primary basis of the idea concerning criminal behavior, the concept
that “criminals are born”. It also considers the influences of genetic defects and faulty genes, diseases,
endocrine imbalances, malnutrition and other physical deprivations that can be carried out from one
generation to another.

Environmental Factors (Socio-Cultural Influences) Family Background – it is a basic consideration

Pathogenic Family Structure – those families associated with high frequency of problems such as:

 The inadequate family – characterized by the inability to cope with the ordinary problems of family
living. It lacks the resources, physical or psychological, for meeting the demands of family satisfaction.

 The anti-social family – those that espouses unacceptable values as a result of the influence of parents
to their children.

 The discordant/disturbed family – characterized by nonsatisfaction of one or both parent from the
relationship that may express feeling of frustration. This is usually due to value differences as common
sources of conflict and dissatisfaction.

 The disrupted family – characterized by incompleteness whether as a result of death, divorce,

Childhood Trauma – the experiences, which affect the feeling of security of a child undergoing
developmental processes. The development processes are being blocked sometimes by parental
deprivation as a consequence of parents or lack of adequate maturing at home because of parental
rejection, overprotection, restrictiveness, over permissiveness, and faulty discipline.
In the environment, the following are also factors that are influential to one’s behavior:

1. Institutional Influences such as peer groups, mass media, church and school, government institutions,
NGO’s, etc.

2. Socio-Cultural Factors such as war and violence, group prejudice and discrimination, economic and
employment problems and other social changes.

3. Nutrition or the quality of food that a person intake is also a factor that influences man to commit
crime because poverty is one of the many reasons to criminal behavior.

OTHER DETERMINANTS OF BEHAVIOR

In order to further understand and provide answers on the question that why do some people behave
criminally, it is important to study the other determinants of behavior. These are needs, drives and
motivation.

Needs and Drives - Need, according to a drive reduction theory, is a biological requirement for well-
being of the individual.

This need creates drives – a psychological state of arousal that prompts someone to take action
(Bernstein, et al, 1991).

Drive therefore is an aroused state that results from some biological needs. The aroused condition
motivates the person to remedy the need.

For example, if you have had no water for some time, the chemical balance of the body fluids is
disturbed, creating a biological need for water. The psychological consequence of this need is a drive –
thirst – that motivates you to find and drink water. In other words, drives push people to satisfy needs.

Motivation - Motivation on the other hand refers to the influences that govern the initiation, direction,
intensity, and persistence of behavior (Bernstein, et al, 1991).

Thus motivation refers to the causes and “why’s” of behavior as required by a need. Motivation is the
hypothetical concept that stands for the underlying force impelling behavior and giving its direction
(Kahayon, 1975).

Drives are states of comfortable tension that spur activity until a goal is reached. Drive and motivation
are covered in the world of psychology, for they energize behavior and give direction to man’s action.
For example, a motivated individual is engaged in a more active, more vigorous, and more effective that
unmotivated one, thus a hungry person directs him to look for food.

Biological needs

Motivational Systems

Psychological Needs - are influenced primarily by the kind of society in which the individual is
raised.
Psychological motives are those related to the individual happiness and well-being, but not for the
survival, unlike the biological motives that focuses on basic needs – the primary motives. Abraham
Maslow has suggested that human needs form a hierarchy from the most basic biological requirements
to the needs for selfactualization – the highest of all needs The pyramidal presentation shows that from
the bottom to the top of the hierarchy, the levels of needs or motive according to Maslow, are:

1. Biological or Physiological Needs – these motives include the need for food, water, oxygen, activity,
and sleep.

2. Safety Needs – these pertains to the motives of being cared for and being secured such as in income
and place to live.

3. Love/Belongingness – Belongingness is integration into various kinds of social groups or social

4. Cognitive Needs – our motivation for learning and exploration

5. Esteem Needs – our motivation for an honest, fundamental respect for a person as a useful and
honorable human being.

6. Aesthetic Needs - our motivation for beauty and order

7. Self- actualization – pertains to human total satisfaction, when people are motivated not so much by
unmet needs, as by the desire to become all they are capable of (selfrealization).

According to the Maslow”s formulation, the levels that commands the individual’s attention and effort is
ordinarily the lowest one on which there is an unmet need.

For example, unless needs for food and safety are reasonably well-met behavior will be dominated by
these needs and higher motives are of little significant. With their gratification, however, the individual
is free to devote time and effort to meet higher level.

In other words, one level must at least be partially satisfied before those at the next level become
determiners of action.