There are several disciplines which have proposed the reasons for crime and criminality; these include Sociology, Criminology, and Psychology. Even within these disciplines, there are a variety of theories of crime. Whether or not an act is defined as a crime is dependent upon context and location. For example, if a man takes another man’s life during an act of warfare it is expected; however, if this is because of an altercation on the street it is a crime.
Crime is viewed as a deviation from the social norms within a society. There have been multiple proposals of why some people break the law while others do not. Factors such as age, personality, moral development, gender, attitude, adolescent, personality disorders and upbringing have all shown that they can influence a person’s behaviour.
These can be classed into three broad explanations of crime: Biological; Psychological; and Social.
Biological explanations of crime propose that there is some genetic reason for criminality. Some suggest that there are evolutionary factors that predispose some (especially males) to be violent. Other biological explanations will suggest some hormonal or brain function factors. Critics of the biological explanations of crime have argued that humans have agency and control over their actions and to reduce actions to a simple biological explanation is a very reductionist view.
Psychological explanations of crime propose that a person’s thought processes and characteristic ways of dealing with the world can better explain criminality. One area which is often drawn on to explain violent behaviour is psychopathy, personality or mental illness. However, this does not explain non-violent crime. Examining styles and characteristic ways of interacting and problem solving have proved useful in exploring reasons for deviancy.
Social theories of crime suggest that a person’s activity is shaped by experience and interactions with others. Social theories of crime highlight that our behaviour is learned through either family or peers. We copy what we see and learn a set of attitudes towards various behaviours, including crime.
Taken individually, these theories of why people commit crime cannot fully explain all types of crime and criminality. It is generally accepted that the environment, our biological makeup, and psychological factors all have a part to play in criminal behaviour.
