HUMAN VALUES

Human values are relevant in understanding human

behavior. It is the standard which people uses to
cognize, express, and evaluates behavior as right or
wrong, just or unjust, appropriate or inappropriate.
What is normal behavior?
Understanding criminal behavior includes the idea of knowing who is a normal from
an abnormal one. A normal person is characterized by his efficient perception of reality,
self-knowledge, ability to exercise voluntary control over his behavior, self-esteem and
acceptance, productivity and his ability to form affectionate relationship with others.
Understanding criminal behavior includes the idea of knowing what characterized a
normal person from an abnormal one.
Who are abnormal?
When a person fails to meet the criteria enumerated above, he is deemed to be an
abnormal person
Abnormal Behavior Defined:

1.Deviation from the average (from the statistical form). To determine

abnormality, we simple observe what behaviors are rare or infrequent in a
given society or culture and label these deviations from the norm as
abnormal. Ex: eight, height, and intelligence cover a range of values when
measured over a population.
2.Deviation from the ideal (from social norms). One that measures
behavior against the standards toward which most people are striving - the
ideal.
3.Abnormality as a sense of subjective discomfort (personal distress). It
focuses on the psychological consequences of the behavior of the individual.
In this approach, behavior is considered abnormal if it produces a sense of
distress, anxiety, or guilt in an individual - or if it is harmful to others.

4.Abnormality as the inability to function effectively (maladaptive

behavior). This views abnormality when people who are unable to function
effectively and adapt the demands of society are considered abnormal like an
unemployed, homeless woman living on the street might be considered
unable to function effectively.

Vagrancy-is decriminalized
• Legal definition of abnormality

• According to the law, the distinction

between normal and abnormal behavior
rests on the definition of insanity (one
which cannot understand the difference
between right and wrong or inability to
exert control over his behavior at the
time he or she commits a criminal act),
which is a legal, but not psychological,
term.
 Causes of Abnormal Behavior
• Anxiety (psychological perspective). Stressful
situations that if become extreme, it may result
to maladaptive behavior.
• Faulty Learning (behavior perspective). The
failure to learn the necessary adaptive behavior
because of wrongful development. This usually
results to delinquent behavior based on the
failure to learn the necessary social values and
norms.
• Blocked or distorted personal growth (humanistic perspective).
Presumably, human nature tends towards cooperation and
construction activities, however, if we show aggression, cruelty or
other maladaptive behavior, the result may be an unfavorable
environment
• Unsatisfactory interpersonal relationship. Self-concept in
early childhood by over critical parents or by rigid socialization
measures usually cause deviant behaviors among individuals
because they are not contented and even unhappy on the kind
of social dealings they are facing.
• Pathological social condition. Poverty, social
discrimination and destructive violence always result to
deviant behavior.
• When a person is frustrated in his attempts to adjust himself to difficult
situations over a long period of time, he may try to escape from these
conflicts by doing one of several things:
• He may compromise with reality by developing imaginary ailments,
phobias, obsessions, or compulsions. This is known as neurosis.
• He may withdraw from the real world into the world of fantasy and make-
believe where his hidden or unexpressed desires can be fulfilled. In this stage
of mind, the person becomes psychotic.
• Instead of compromising with reality or withdrawing into his well-being,
the person may go to the other extreme and may become very aggressive
and cruel in his behavior towards others. He is then known as an anti-social
personality or a psychopath or sociopath, and when his anti-social behavior
becomes in conflict with the law, he becomes a criminal.
PATTERNS OF ABNORMAL BEHAVIORS

1. NEUROTIC BEHAVIORS - group of mild functional personality disorders in

which there is no gross personality disorganization and the individual is not
required for hospitalization.
People with neurotic behaviors are sometimes called psychoneurotic. These
are persons who are in the twilight zone between normality and abnormality.
They are not insane, but neither are they normal. They are always tense,
restless and anxious. Frequently, they have obsessions, compulsions, phobias
and in some cases, amnesia. Anxiety is the dominant characteristics.
Examples of obsession signs and symptoms include: Fear of
being contaminated by touching objects others have
touched. Doubts that you've locked the door or turned off
the stove. Intense stress when objects aren't orderly or
facing a certain way.
Neurotic Behaviors are composed of
the following disorders:
• 1. Anxiety disorders - These are commonly known as “neurotic fear ”.
When it is occasional but intense, it is called “panic”. When it is mild but
continuous, it is called “worry”. They are considered as the central
feature of all neurotic patterns.

• They are characterized by:

• mild depressions
• fear and tensions
• mild stresses
Anxiety disorders are grouped as:

A. Obsessive-compulsive disorders
• When an individual is compelled to think about something that he
don’t want to think about or carry out some action against his will.
• The experience of persistent thoughts that we can not seem to get
out of our mind such as thoughts about haunting situations.
• This disorder may lead to committing immoral acts, etc.
B. Asthenic Disorders (Neurasthenia)
a condition marked by fatigue, weakness, insomnia, aches, and pains. The
term (from Greek neurastheneia, “nerve weakness”) originated in the 19th
century, when the symptoms were believed to be due to exhaustion,
primarily from overwork.
❖An anxiety disorder characterized by chronic mental and physical fatigue
and various aches and pains.
❖ Symptoms includes:
❖Spending too much sleep to avoid fatigue but to no avail, even feels
worsen upon awake.
❖ Headaches, indigestion
❖ Back pains and dizziness
C. Phobic Disorders – the persistent fear on some objects or situation that
present no actual danger to the person.
Example of Phobias (for complete list, see appendix)

Acrophobia - high places Agoraphobia- open places

Algophobia - pain Astraphobia - storms, thunder,
lightning
Claustrophobia - closed places Hematophobia - blood
Hydrophobia - water Mysophobia - contamination/germs
Monophobia - being alone Nyctophobia- darkness
Ochlophobia- crowds
•
D. Illusion
A False interpretation of an external stimulus. It may manifest through sight,
hearing, taste, touch and smell.A misrepresentation of a “real” sensory
stimulus—that is, an interpretation that contradicts objective
“reality” as defined by general agreement.
For example, a child who perceives tree branches at night
as if they are goblins may be said to be having an illusion.
E. Hallucination
An Erroneous perception without an external object of stimulus. an
experience that seems to originate without an external source of stimulation.
Neither experience is necessarily a sign of psychiatric disturbance, and both
are regularly and consistently reported by virtually everyone.
Some Types of Hallucination
Visual
Seeing things although not present
Auditory
 Memory Disorders

a. Dementia
A Form of mental disorder resulting from the degeneration or disorder of the
brain characterized with mental weakness, forgetfulness, loss of coherence.
Types of Dementia
1. Acute Dementia – A Form of temporary dementia occuring in young people.
2. Dementia Paralytic – Degeneration of physical, intellectual and moral power leading
to paralysis.
b. Amnesia
- Loss of memory
Kinds of Amnesia
A. Anterograde amnesia – Loss of memory of recent events.
B. Retrograde amnesia – Loss of memory of past events.
3. Content of Thought Disorders
a. Delusion
A False or erroneous belief in something which is not a fact.
A person suffering from delusion is not always insane.
 Types of Delusion

• Erotomanic Type: The person believes someone is in love with

them and might try to contact that person. Often it’s someone
important or famous. This can lead to stalking behavior.
• Grandiose ( Delusion of Grandeur): This person has an over-
inflated sense of worth, power, knowledge, or identity. They could
believe they have a great talent or made an important discovery.
• Jealous Type: A person with this type believes their spouse
or sexual partner is unfaithful.
• Persecutory Type ( Delusion of Persecution): Someone
who has this believes they (or someone close to them) are
being mistreated, or that someone is spying on them or
planning to harm them. They might make repeated
complaints to legal authorities.
•Somatic Type: They believe they have a physical
defect or medical problem.
Mixed: These people have two or more of the types
of delusions listed above.
• b. Obsession
• Thoughts and Impulses, which
continually occur in the persons,
mind despite attempts to keep them
out. It is an idea constantly
obtruding on the consciousness
despite efforts to drive it away.
• Obsession is a condition of the mind
bordering on sanity and insanity. It is
sometimes associated with some sort
of fear and usually occurs in persons
suffering from nervous exhaustion.
Trend and thought Disorders
• Mania
State of excitement accompanied by
exaltation or a feeling of well-being
which is art of harmony with the
surrounding circumstances of the
patient.

• Melancholia
An Intense feeling of depression and
misery which is unwarranted by his
physical condition and external
environment.
Emotional Disorders – Feeling
❖ Exaltation
Feeling of unwarranted well-being and happiness
❖ Depression
Feeling of miserable thought that is calamitous incident occurred
in his life.
❖ Apathy
Serious disregard for the surrounding and the environment.
2.Somatoform Disorders - Complains of bodily symptoms that
suggest the presence of physical problem but no organic basis can
be found. The individual is pre-occupied with his state of health or
diseases. Somatoform disorders are grouped as:
a. Hypochondriasis – the excessive concern about state of health or
physical condition (multiplicity about illness).A Hypochondriacally
person tend to seek medical advises, but their fears is not lessened
by their doctor’s reassurances, and they maybe disappointed when
no physical problem is found.
b. Psychogenic Pain Disorder – characterized by the report of
severe and lasting pain. Either no physical basis is apparent or the
reaction is greatly in excess of what would be expected form the
physical abnormality.
C. Conversion Disorders (Hysteria) – a neurotic pattern in which
symptoms of some physical malfunction or loss of control without
any underlying organic abnormality.

Epidemic hysteria or mass hysteria refers to apparently contagious dissociative phenomena that
take place in large groups of people or institutions under conditions of anxiety. Typically, they are
described as taking place in schools, where episodes of illness or fainting appear to spread rapidly
throughout the school.
Sensory Symptoms of Hysteria:

❖Anaesthesia – loss of sensitivity

❖Hyperesthesia – excessive sensitivity
❖Hypesthesia – partial loss of sensitivity
❖Analgesia – loss of sensitivity to pain
❖Paresthesia - exceptional sensations