Essay Biological Explanations of Criminal Behaviour

Crime theories are still in a development stage; it is an evolutionary process that continues to this day. Crime is still a complex and misunderstood phenomenon with no concrete evidence when it comes to human behavior. Throughout time there have been endless amounts of crime theories, few of which revolve around biological explanations. We have Cesare Lombroso and the Positive School who thought that criminals were genetically different from the rest of the general population, that they were biologically aggressive, had criminal traits and/or born as criminals. There is also William Sheldon’s theory of body types, called the somatotype theory, that argued the mesomorph body type to be the most prone to commit crime or deviant behavior.†¦show more content†¦Sheldon created the idea of the three different body types and concluded mesomorphs, the more muscular and athletic body type, is more prone to commit crime and deviant behavior. Although he did not take into cons ideration that many prisoners lift weights while in prison and that the more muscular individuals usually win the fight (Cartwright, 2012). The twin adoption studies were used by behavioral geneticists to identify genetic and environmental influences underlying human behavioral and physical variations. Although there were many detractors of the twin adoption studies themselves and their results. There were troubles finding subjects which lead to a reduced power of result and inconsistency of the methods used for the operation. In contemporary biological explanations there are still works appearing and being developed, such as, the role of DNA, nutrition, body chemistry and ecological factors in human behavior (Gado, 2004). Most of these are either still being developed, like DNA, or were discredited along with the works of Lombroso, like nutrition. Although biological explanations may not have made a momentous improvement since the 18th century, arguments within biological explanati ons have expanded. There are many theories that argue if human behavior is predetermined at birth, or learned by influences. Nature versus nurture,Show MoreRelatedThe Causes Of Deviant Behavior, Psychological Approach And Sociological Approach1676 Words   |  7 PagesDeviance is a kind of behaviour which is contrary to the dominant norms and values of society. In reality, there are many different theories to explain the causes of deviant behaviour, including biological approach, psychological approach and sociological approach. This essay will be using two criminological perspectives which are the biological and sociological explanations to analyse the causes of crime in depth, and evaluate the two perspectives and the related criminological evidence. 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