Behavioural Theories in Crimes - Case Study Example

Running head: Behavioural Theories as an Explanation of Criminal Behaviour (Case Study Analysis) Student’s Name: Instructor’s Name: Coarse Code and Name: Institution: Date the Assignment is due: Behavioural Theories as an Explanation of Criminal Behaviour (Case Study Analysis) Behavioural theories are a contrast of trait and psychodynamic approaches in explaining criminal behaviour. Behavioural theories interest underlies in, personality dimensions or in reasoning why individuals engage in criminal acts. Rather, the theories focus on observable behaviour and environment relationships (Ajzen, 1980). Crime applies as a learned behaviour as the case with other behaviours. All behaviours according to these theories are subject to the reinforcement principles including punishments and rewards. In addition, the theory postulates that commitment of crime by individuals is because of learning that the specific behaviour delivers benefits for instance money, sexual gratification and other incentives. The more the person receives the rewards for committing such crimes the highly the possibilities of repeating the same habits and develop patterns becoming entrenched in the individual’s life (Ajzen, 1985). This essay looks into a Bert’s case study. It evaluates the causes of his behaviour and reasons fro his involvement in the criminal acts. It takes the behavioural theory as the approach applied perfectly in explaining Bert’s acts. The essay purposes to answer questions including, what is the relationship between behaviour and environment relationships in Bert’s case study? What do the reinforcement principles have to do in Bert’s case study that promotes his involvement in criminal acts? How does the concept of more rewards more crimes apply in Bert’s case? What is the relationship between behaviour and environment relationships in Bert’s case study? Classical Conditioning Theory is part of the behaviour theories, Ajzen (1991) that explains Bert’s situation. It is the fact that he grows in a family where he gets minimal acceptance and support therefore turning to the outside world that is ruthless and unforgiving. Bert grew in an unstable family. He grew up having a criminal as the father and a helpless mother who does not have any support in bringing up morally upright children. The environment itself is alarming for Bert. He does not have many options because he and his brothers follow the footsteps of the father. They are provoked by the surrounding environment to engage in criminal acts just to earn a living and get away from the unstable family situations (Ajzen, 1992). Being the third born, Bert looks up to his brothers to guide him the right way but the situation leads him to forceful and criminal acts starting from home and right into the public domain. The environment that Bert is in enhances learning of criminal acts. This is what behavioural theories postulate in explaining criminal acts. Bert in the first place did not want to commit another criminal act. His aim when going to a bar was to drink and go home to his family. All over a sudden, friends pop in and they are old friends from a previous prison. He is convinced and joins these friends yet he knows that he is not really doing exactly right. The fact is that he cannot go against the fellows who they have been together for long and shared a lot in their lives. The environment in this case, provokes Bert to engage in a criminal act yet he is not willing to do it. Most of Bert’s life has been in unpleasant places and surroundings. He has been in and out of juvenile institutions while young and the same has developed at his adulthood. The environments in such institutions provoke bad behaviour rather than instilling good morals (Albrecht, 1996). It is as if he does not even care being sent back to prison because of a committed crime and that inward built do not care attitude is a major contributor to crime commitment. Behaviour theories and the environment apply in Bert’s situation directly. His environment is unfair for his survival and he has to retaliate to bring sanity in his life. Some of the crimes that Bert commits are out of the desperate situation. He does most of his crimes when in need of some money for survival. In his case, Bert has little education. The society is the environment that Bert has to deal with everyday. There is high competition in all avenues and struggle remains for the fit and the well able (Thompson, 1995). The society has divisions into classes where there are the rich who do not have to strain and the poor who strain everyday for a living. Oppression is high and the poor are neglected. Then they are left to make ends meet on their own. In turn, this shapes the poor to engage in violent and criminal acts in pursuit of justice and daily survival. He cannot get a job for himself that pays well and some of the jobs he gets do not sustain him. In his situation, he also fails to stick to a job because of finding it not interesting compared to the money he gets from stealing. This is a situation responsible for Bert’s criminal acts. The environment does not support him and his poor education therefore provoking criminal behaviours in him to survive in the same demanding environment (Fliegel, 1993). It is evident from the case study that Bert has a wife. Together they had two children aged four and one year respectively. They live in tented houses together with the family. At times, the wife has threatened to quit because of Bert’s behaviour. Assuming that Bert was the only provider of daily bread in the family, he is in a fix and has to make ends meet. The one-year-old needs a lot in terms of resources while the four years old, is just about the age when he should start schooling. Daily bread is necessary to sustain the family and in reality, he cannot make it to provide from the casual jobs he does in seasons. Once he gets back home, the family is in dire need of daily bread and all eyes are on him to fix the suffering situation. Situations such as these are a factor in influencing back Bert’s behaviour of crime. He finds it as a solace to make ends meet for his family though temporarily. In the process, he gets back to jail. At no time will the environment around him support a better idea of sustaining the family. This is why he runs into trouble no matter how soon he gets back home from a previous sentence. The environment is suitable to Bert in every situation to commit crime even when it comes to the police and law enforces. Normally, a criminal would be worried and fearing the law if it is the first times he encounters it (Gorddard, 1993). For Bert, this is not a strange thing and he does not fear being caught or sentenced. He also does not fear the police because he has been with them for several encounters. The ignorant behaviour develops from such and environment is that he commits a crime after another without having to mind the police or any law against stealing. It is clear from the case study that the police knew Bert equally well because they had caught him severally and therefore they immediately suspected him as a suspect. To the police, it is as if Bert can never reform from stealing. This kind of environment is so obvious to the criminals that they do not reform (Charng, 1988). They stick to their behaviours because they know no one can believe them even if they change their ways. It is as if they are an outcast of the society and no one wants them around. Thus, they retaliate by committing more crimes to feel equal to the offended who never accept them in the society. It is so surprising that Bert gets involved in a criminal act some weeks after being released from prison. He knows quit well that he is not doing the right thing and needs to reform but the environment around him does not support reforms. No one accepts him in the society, which is why he goes to a pub to drink, and consequently meets other colleagues forcing him to commit another crime. More to do with environment, as the major contributor or Bert’s behaviour, is the alcohol consumption. When Bert is sober, he reasons perfectly and has a chance to reform from the criminal acts. He even promises himself to stop and minds keeping his family intact. This does not last long because he easily falls into the temptations of taking alcohol. After some few drinks, he looses his stand and alcohol leads him to negative reasoning (Sarver, 1983). Alcohol in this case is the main source of his predicaments. Though he can control taking alcohol, he cannot control the situation in a public situation when friends want to buy him more alcohol. From the case study, he says that he does not know how things unravel that fast. In the first place, he is staunch in condemning any attempt of going back o the ill ways but in no time, he gets drunk, makes unwise decisions, and later finds himself in big trouble. What do the reinforcement principles have to do in Bert’s case study that promotes his involvement in criminal acts? When skimming their criminal acts, Bert and his friends always aspire for more. They spent their evening together drinking and at the time, one of the men pointed out an easy to pick factory. The aspect of easy picking and still enjoying rewards builds more zeal for the partners to steal even more. Every time they go for a catch, it is not enough and they feel they have to do it again hoping that they will have a bigger catch this time. The friend convinced Bert that this time it would be a fruitful catch. They hoped for more money from the premises and if not they could find something valuable to carry. Further more, they were used to storing goods at Bert's garage and they would sell it later. All these components of the environment are subject to determining at what rate they go for a mission (Madden, 1992). Punishments and rewards are part of what Bert’s situation is all about. His behaviour and that of his friends has always been motivated by the rewards and punishment they get. One thing about their behaviour is the concept that from their experiences in prisons and juvenile institutions they have never had true punishment to provoke them o stop the acts. In fact, they regard the benefits of stealing as better compared to the punishment they get from the authorities (Fishbein, 1975). At one times, they steal huge sums of money and hide it for future use. Once they are caught, they know it will just be a short sentence and they will come back to enjoy their savings. Though Bert fears loosing his wife, he weighs the options but rewards get better and he finds himself influenced by the environment more than he values his own values and desires. Parents have a role in children where they have to use elements of rewards and punishment in children to shape them and instil good behaviour. From Bert’s experiences, he has had quite an irresponsible family. From his father who is irresponsible and never cares about his children, barely does he contribute to the moral upbringing of the children. From Bert’s experience, either he gets excessive punishment or none after a case of wrongdoing and these is the wrong approach in shaping a child’s behaviour (Fishbein, 1975). Bert and the other siblings have no moral support and the environment they are in only provides bad statues that they follow. Their behaviour has no one to shape it and major influences come from the outside world that is misleading and evil to the youthful. At their age, they need some parental care to guide them and prevent any deviant behaviour that develops into adulthood. This lacks in the upbringing of the upbringing and bad character starts from petty crimes to hardcore crimes in the region (Sarver, 1983). How does the concept of more rewards more crimes apply in Bert’s case? Contiguity Theory, a part of behavioural theories Bagozzi (1992) can perfectly explain the situation from the case study. This is an explanation of how individuals commit criminal acts after enjoying positive outcomes from a previous trial of the same crime. Bert in this case has been in stealing and storing goods. This has always worked from him because there are times when they get a good catch and sell it off. In all his commitment of crime, they always carry whatever they find and store it for a later date and this has been a developed behaviour all along his life. When Bert and his friends steal, more they feel contented but always plot more crimes because they need more. It is an issue of curiosity rather than lack or inadequacy. Bert’s situation is behavioural oriented. He does everything because of some developed behaviour influenced by the environment. He has very little to control the behaviours because there is so much pressure from outside. The pressure compels him to accept things the way they are. To him, everything inside him comes from his experiences with the outside world that builds his character and leads him to commit crimes even if his subconscious knows it is not right. Barely does he have a say over what happens in him and why he finds himself always in trouble because the environment has taken over his life and manipulate every step he takes in life. References Ajzen, I. & Fishbein, M. (1980) Understanding Attitudes and Predicting Social Behavior, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall. Ajzen, I. (1985). ‘From intentions to actions: A theory of planned behavior’, in J. Kuhl & J. Beckmann (eds), Action-control: From cognition to behaviour. Heidelberg: Springer. pp. 11-39. Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behaviour. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, vol. 50, no. 2, pp. 179-211. Ajzen, I. & Driver, B.L. (1992). Prediction of leisure participation from behavioural, normative and control beliefs: An application of the Theory of Planned Behaviour. Leisure Sciences, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 185-204. Ajzen, I. & Fishbein, M. (1980). Understanding attitudes and predicting social behaviour. Englewood Cliffs, N.J Prentice-Hall. Albrecht, D.E. & Albrecht, S.L. (1996). Family structure among urban, rural and farm populations: Classic sociological theory revisited. Rural Sociology, vol. 61, no.3, pp. 446-463. Bagozzi, R.P. (1992). The self-regulation of attitudes, intentions, and behaviour. Social Psychology Quarterly, vol. 55, no. 2, pp. 178-204. Charng, H., Piliavin, J.A. & Callero, P.L. (1988). Role identity and reasoned action in the prediction of repeated behaviour. Social Psychology Quarterly, vol. 51, no. 4, pp. 303-317. Fishbein, M. & Ajzen, I. (1975). Belief, Attitude, Intention and Behavior – An introduction to theory and research. New York: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company. Fliegel, F. (1993). Diffusion Research in Rural Sociology. Westport: Greenwood. Gorddard, B.J. (1993). Beliefs, attitudes and conservation behaviour, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands. Retrieved: 16 March 2006, from http://auth.lis.curtin.edu.au/cgi-bin/auth ng/eres_display.cgi?url=DC60003447.pdf©right=1. Madden, T.J., Ellen, P.S. & Ajzen, I. (1992). A comparison of the Theory of Planned Behavior and the Theory of Reasoned Action. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 3-9. Sarver, V. T. (1983). Ajzen and Fishbein's "Theory of Reasoned Action": A critical assessment. Journal for the Society of Social Behaviour, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 155 163. Thompson, K.E. & Vourvachis, A. (1995). Social and attitudinal influences on the intention to drink wine. International Wine Marketing Journal, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 35-44. Read More

Behaviour theories and the environment apply in Bert’s situation directly. His environment is unfair for his survival and he has to retaliate to bring sanity in his life. Some of the crimes that Bert commits are out of the desperate situation. He does most of his crimes when in need of some money for survival. In his case, Bert has little education. The society is the environment that Bert has to deal with everyday. There is high competition in all avenues and struggle remains for the fit and the well able (Thompson, 1995).

The society has divisions into classes where there are the rich who do not have to strain and the poor who strain everyday for a living. Oppression is high and the poor are neglected. Then they are left to make ends meet on their own. In turn, this shapes the poor to engage in violent and criminal acts in pursuit of justice and daily survival. He cannot get a job for himself that pays well and some of the jobs he gets do not sustain him. In his situation, he also fails to stick to a job because of finding it not interesting compared to the money he gets from stealing.

This is a situation responsible for Bert’s criminal acts. The environment does not support him and his poor education therefore provoking criminal behaviours in him to survive in the same demanding environment (Fliegel, 1993). It is evident from the case study that Bert has a wife. Together they had two children aged four and one year respectively. They live in tented houses together with the family. At times, the wife has threatened to quit because of Bert’s behaviour. Assuming that Bert was the only provider of daily bread in the family, he is in a fix and has to make ends meet.

The one-year-old needs a lot in terms of resources while the four years old, is just about the age when he should start schooling. Daily bread is necessary to sustain the family and in reality, he cannot make it to provide from the casual jobs he does in seasons. Once he gets back home, the family is in dire need of daily bread and all eyes are on him to fix the suffering situation. Situations such as these are a factor in influencing back Bert’s behaviour of crime. He finds it as a solace to make ends meet for his family though temporarily.

In the process, he gets back to jail. At no time will the environment around him support a better idea of sustaining the family. This is why he runs into trouble no matter how soon he gets back home from a previous sentence. The environment is suitable to Bert in every situation to commit crime even when it comes to the police and law enforces. Normally, a criminal would be worried and fearing the law if it is the first times he encounters it (Gorddard, 1993). For Bert, this is not a strange thing and he does not fear being caught or sentenced.

He also does not fear the police because he has been with them for several encounters. The ignorant behaviour develops from such and environment is that he commits a crime after another without having to mind the police or any law against stealing. It is clear from the case study that the police knew Bert equally well because they had caught him severally and therefore they immediately suspected him as a suspect. To the police, it is as if Bert can never reform from stealing. This kind of environment is so obvious to the criminals that they do not reform (Charng, 1988).

They stick to their behaviours because they know no one can believe them even if they change their ways. It is as if they are an outcast of the society and no one wants them around. Thus, they retaliate by committing more crimes to feel equal to the offended who never accept them in the society. It is so surprising that Bert gets involved in a criminal act some weeks after being released from prison. He knows quit well that he is not doing the right thing and needs to reform but the environment around him does not support reforms.

No one accepts him in the society, which is why he goes to a pub to drink, and consequently meets other colleagues forcing him to commit another crime.

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