Defining Criminal Behaviour (OCR GCSE Psychology): Revision Note

Defining crime

• Criminal behaviour refers to any act that breaks the law

  • Crimes can range from minor offences, such as motoring violations, to serious crimes, such as murder

• Psychologists are particularly interested in serious crimes, as offenders often differ from law-abiding individuals in personality, cognition, and social background

• Understanding what causes criminal behaviour helps psychologists and criminologists develop strategies to reduce crime and rehabilitate offenders

Types of crime

• Serious crimes can be grouped into the categories below:

  • Violent crime: crimes involving physical harm or the threat of violence

    • E.g. murder, assault, domestic violence

  • Drug-related crime: crimes involving the possession, use, or distribution of illegal drugs

    • E.g. supplying cocaine, possession of cannabis

  • Acquisitive crime: crimes where the offender gains material benefit or financial reward

    • E.g. burglary, theft, fraud

  • Sexual crime: crimes involving sexual activity without consent or with minors

    • E.g. rape, sexual assault, use of child pornography

  • Anti-social crime: behaviour that causes harassment, alarm, or distress to others

    • E.g. vandalism, graffiti, drunk and disorderly behaviour

• All of these types of crime cause harm or disruption to individuals, property, or society

• Preventing and understanding such behaviour is a key focus in psychology and law enforcement

Crime as a social construct

• Some psychologists believe that criminal behaviour is biological

  • E.g., people may inherit a gene predisposing them to criminality

• Others argue that criminal behaviour is a social construct

  • I.e. what is considered a crime depends on what is seen as socially acceptable at a particular time and place

• There is no single, universal list of criminal acts as laws differ between cultures and change over time, e.g.

  • Euthanasia is illegal in the UK but legal in countries such as the Netherlands

  • Bigamy is a criminal offence in the UK but is accepted in some Middle Eastern cultures

• These differences make it difficult to identify universal causes of criminal behaviour

Deviation from norms

• Societies define crimes based on their social norms

• When someone goes against these norms, it can be seen as deviant or even criminal

  • E.g. walking naked in public breaks social norms and is classed as indecent exposure, a criminal offence

• Norms are shaped by majority expectations, but can change over time

  • E.g. homosexuality was illegal for men in the UK until 1967, but changing social attitudes led to its decriminalisation for private acts between consenting adults

The role of culture in defining crime

• Culture refers to the shared values, beliefs, and practices of a group of people

• Because cultures differ, behaviour that is criminal in one country may be acceptable or even valued in another

• As societies evolve, their laws adapt to reflect technological, moral, and social changes

  • E.g. smoking bans, cybercrime laws, and online harassment legislation have emerged in response to modern lifestyles

• This shows that what counts as a crime is not fixed but shaped by culture, context, and time