Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Human Behavior Handouts PRELIM FINALS Juvz
Human Behavior Handouts PRELIM FINALS Juvz
SCHOOL OF CRIMINOLOGY
PRELIM COVERAGE
HUMAN BEHAVIOR
Anything an individual does that involves self-initiated action and/or reaction
to a given situation.
the sum total of man's reaction to his environment or the way human beings
act
It is the way in which a person behaves. It refers to the reaction to facts of
relationship between the individual and his environment. Human behavior is
the study of human conduct; the way a person behaves or acts; includes the
study of human activities in an attempt to discover recurrent patterns and to
formulate rules about man’s social behavior.
Human Beings
Human beings are intelligent social animals with the mental capacity to
comprehend, infer and think in rational ways.
Definition of Terms:
ASPECTS OF BEHAVIORS:
TYPES OF BEHAVIOR:
Normal Behavior – the standard behavior, the socially accepted behavior because
they follow the standard norms of society.
Abnormal behavior – behaviors that are deviant from social expectations because
they go against the norms or standard behavior of society.
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
= is the process of enlarging people’s freedoms and opportunities and improving their
well-being.
= Human development is about the real freedom ordinary people have to decide who to
be, what to do, and how to live.
Human Senses:
Visual – sight
Olfactory – smell
Cutaneous – touch
Auditory – hearing
Gustatory – taste
HEREDITY – it is the passing of traits to offspring (from its parent or ancestors). This is
the process by which an offspring cell or organism acquires or becomes predisposed to
the characteristics of its parent cell or organism.
Types of Environment
1. PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT- refers to those things that affect man directly and
stimulates the sense organs. These are social environment that are physical
influences steaming from the outside contract with other people.
2. INTERNAL ENVIRONMENT- refers to the immediate environment within
which the genes exits or functions; the biological condition of the body.
This term is taken from the latine words “per” and sonare” which literally means “
to sound through”. This means that an actor’s mask through which the sound of
his voice was projected.
It is defined as the sum total of all the traits and characteristics of a person that
distinguishes him or her from one another.
PHYSICAL- Body built, height, weight, texture of the skin, shape of the lips,
shape of the face, etc.
MENTAL- range of ideas, mental alertness, ability to reason, to conceptualize,
etc.
EMOTIONAL- one’s temperament, moods, prejudices, bias, emotional response
such as aggressiveness and calmness etc.
SOCIAL- relations with other people
MORAL- his positive or negative adherence to the dos an don’ts of his society
SPIRITUAL- faith, beliefs, philosophy of life, etc.
RESIDUAL TRAITS
Overdeveloped super ego leads to stinginess, possessiveness, punctuality,
perfectionist, orderliness and sadistic.
Underdeveloped super ego to a psychopathic personality (anti-social
personality)
OEDIPUS COMPLEX – Stage when young boys experience rivalry with their
father for their mother’s attention and affection. The father is viewed as a sex
rival. This conflict is resolved by the boys’ repression of his feelings for his
mother.
ELECTRA COMPLEX – The stage when a girl sees her mother as a rival for her
father’s attention but for fear for her mother is less.
Note: Both attachment to the mother and father, the Electra complex is gradually
replaced by a strengthened identification with the mother.
RESIDUAL TRAITS
- Homosexualitty, affect relationship towards mena and women, expectation of
wives and husbands, sexual crisis as an adult.
ALBERT BANDURA- he urges that personality is shaped not only by the environment
influences on the person, but also by the person’s ability to influence the environment.
Social learning- states that thinking is an important determinant of behavior
LEARNING THEORIES
Drives are aroused state that results from some biological needs. The aroused
condition motivates the person to remedy the need.
Needs are the triggering factor that drives or moves a person to act. It is a
psychological state of tissue deprivation.
Motivation on the other hand refers to the causes and “why’s” of behavior as
required by a need.
Drive and motivation covers all of psychology, they energizes behavior and give
its direction to man’s action. For example, a motivated individual is engaged in a
more active, more vigorous, and more effective that unmotivated one, thus a
hungry person directs him to look for food.
1) food – hunger: the body needs adequate supply of nutrients to function efficiently.
“An empty stomach sometimes drives a person to steal.”
2) air – need of oxygen
3) water - thirst
4) rest – weary bodies needs this.
5) sex – a powerful motivator but unlike food and water, sex is not vital for survival
but essential to the survival of the species.
6) avoidance of pain – the need to avoid tissue damage is essential to the survival of
the organism. Pain will activate behavior to reduce discomfort.
7) stimulus seeking curiosity – most people and animal is motivated to explore the
environment even when the activity satisfies no bodily needs.
PERSONALITY DISORDERS
1. PARANOID PERSONALITY
This is characterized by suspiciousness, hypersensitivity, rigidity, envy,
excessive self-importance, and argumentativeness plus a tendency to
blame others for one's own mistakes and failures and to ascribe evil
motives to others.
2. SCHIZOID PERSONALITY
Individuals with this personality disorder neither deserve nor enjoy close
relationship. They live a solitary life with little interest in developing
friendships. They exhibit emotional coldness, detachment, or a constricted
affect.
characterized by a lack of interest in social relationships, a tendency
towards a solitary lifestyle, secretiveness, and emotional coldness.
3. SCHIZOTYPAL PERSONALITY
Individuals with this type of personality disorder exhibit odd behaviors based
on a belief in magic or superstition and may report unusual perceptual
experiences.
4. HISTRIONIC PERSONALITY
this is characterized by attempt to be the center of attention through the use of
theatrical and self-dramatizing behavior. Sexual adjustment is poor and
interpersonal relationships are stormy.
Characterized by excessive emotionality and attention-seeking, including an
excessive need for approval and inappropriate seductiveness, usually
beginning in early adulthood.
5. NARCISSISTIC PERSONALITY
Individuals with this type of personality have a pervasive sense of self-
importance.
A disorder and its derivatives can be caused by excessive praise and criticism
in childhood, particularly that from parental figures.
6. ANTISOCIAL PERSONALITY
This is characterized by a lifelong history of inability to conform to social
norms. They are irritable and aggressive" and may have repeated physical
fights. These individuals also have a high prevalence of morbid substance
abuse disorders.
7. BORDERLINE PERSONALITY
this is characterized by instability, reflected in drastic mood shifts and
behavior problems. Individuals with this type of personality are acutely
sensitive to real or imagined abandonment and have a pattern of repeated
unstable but intense interpersonal relationships that alternate between
extreme idealization and devaluation. Such individuals may abuse
substances or food, or be sexually promiscuous.
8. AVOIDANT PERSONALITY
Individuals with this personality are fearful of becoming involved with
people because of excessive fears of criticism or rejection.
9. DEPENDENT PERSONALITY
This is characterized by inability to make even daily decisions without
excessive advice and reassurance from others and needs others to assume
responsibility for most major areas of his or her life.
10. COMPULSIVE PERSONALITY
This is characterized by excessive concern with rules, order efficiency,
and work coupled with insistence that everyone do things their way and
an inability to express warm feelings.
11. PASSIVE-AGGRESSIVE PERSONALITY
The individual with personality disorder is usually found to have
overindulged in many things during the early years to the extent that the
person comes to anticipate that his needs will always be met and gratified.
=========================end of prelim============================
MIDTERM COVERAGE
PSYCHOSOMATIC DISORDER
A disorder in which the physical illness is considered to be highly associated with
emotional factors. The individual may not perceive that his emotional state is
contributing to his physical illness
NEUROSIS
Neurosis is a class of functional mental disorders involving distress but neither
delusions nor hallucinations, whereby behavior is not outside socially acceptable norms.
The distinguishing feature of neurosis is a sustained characteristic of showing anxiety,
fear, endless troubles that carries significant aspects of the individual’s life.
- Further, neurosis embraces a wide range of behaviors that are considered the core of
most maladaptive life style. Basic to this neurotic lifestyle are:
“NEUROTIC NUCLEUS” – the faulty evaluation of reality and the tendency to avoid
rather than to cope with stress. It is characterized by anxiety, avoidance instead of coping,
and blocked personal growth. 2. Neurotic Paradox – the tendency to maintain the life
style despite its maladaptive nature. It is characterized by unhappiness and
dissatisfactions.
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”.
- Anxiety disorders are blanket terms covering several different forms of abnormal
and pathological fear and anxiety. People experience excessive levels of the kind
of negative emotions that we identify as being nervous, tense, worried, scared,
and anxious. These terms all refer to anxiety.
- They are considered as the central feature of all neurotic patterns. They are
characterized by:
Examples of compulsion
Arithomania – the impulse to count anything.
Dipsomania – the impulse to drink liquor.
Homicidal mania – the impulse to kill.
Kleptomania – the impulse to steal.
Megalomania – the impulse for fame or power.
Pyromania – the impulse to set fire.
Suicidal mania – the impulse to take one’s life.
b. Asthenic Disorders (Neurasthenia) – An anxiety disorder characterized by
chronic mental and physical fatigue and various aches and pains.
c. Phobic Disorders – the persistent fear on some objects or situation that present
no actual danger to the person.
PHOBIAS- this is an intense, unrealistic fear. In this case, anxiety is
focused so intensely on some objects or situations that the individual is acutely
uncomfortable around it and will often go to great pain to avoid it.
TYPES OF PHOBIAS
Acrophobia - high places
Agoraphobia - open spaces and market places
Malgophobia - pain
Astraphobia - storms, thunder, and lightning
Gynophobia – fear of dogs
Claustrophobia - closed places
Hematophobia - blood
Mysophobia - contamination or germs
Monophobia - being alone
Nyctophobia - darkness
Ochlophobia - crowds
Hydrophobia - water
Pathophobia - disease
Pyrophobia - fire
Syphilophobia - syphilis
Zoophobia - animals or some particular animals
1. Somatization Disorder
- This is an intensely and chronically uncomfortable condition that indirectly
creates a high risk of medical complications. It takes the form of chronic and
recurrent aches, pains, fever, tiredness and other symptoms to bodily illness.
Individuals frequently experience memory difficulties, problems with walking,
numbness, block-out spells, nausea, menstrual problems and a lack of pleasure
from sex.
2. Conversion Disorders and Somatoform Pain Disorders
- Conversion disorders – are somatoform disorders in which individuals experience
serious somatic symptoms such as functional blindness, deafness, paralysis,
fainting, seizures, inability to speak or other serious impairments in the absence
of any physical cause.
3. Somatoform pain disorders
- are somatoform disorders in which the individual experiences a relatively specific
and chronic pain that has a psychological rather than physical cause. It is very
similar to conversion disorders except that the primary symptom is pain that has
no physical cause.
1. Organic Mental Disorders - this occurs when the normal brain has been damage
resulted from any interference of the functioning of the brain.
3. Disorders Involving Head Injury - Injury to the head as a result of falls, blows, and
accidents causing sensory and motor disorders; and mental disorder such as:
a. Retrograde Amnesia – the inability to recall events preceding immediately the
injury.
b. Intra-cerebral Hemorrhage – gross bleeding at the site of damage.
c. Petechial Hemorrhage – small spots of bleeding at the site of damage.
- These injuries may also impair language and other related sensory motor functions and
may result to brain damage such as:
1) Auditory Asphasia – loss of ability to understand spoken words.
2) Expressive Asphasia – loss of ability to speak required words.
3) Nominal Asphasia – loss of ability to recall names of objects.
4) Alexia – loss of ability to read.
5) Agraphia – loss of ability to express thoughts in writing
6) Apraxia – loss of ability to perform simple voluntary acts.
Types of Schizophrenia
PARANOIA
- Paranoia refers to cases showing delusions and impaired contact with reality but
without the severe personality disorganization characteristic of schizophrenia.
Sexual Deviations
the impairment of either the desire to sexual gratification or in the ability to
achieve it
common causation of sex crimes, as:
1. AS TO SEXUAL REVERSALS
a. Homosexuality – directed towards same sex; “lesbianism/tribadism” for
female
b. Transvestism – dressing as a member of the opposite sex
c. Fetishism – by looking at some body parts, underwear or other objects of
the opposite sex
3. AS TO SEXUAL URGE
a. Satyriasis – excessive desire of men to have sexual intercourse
b. Nymphomania – strong sexual feeling of women with an excessive sexual
urge
6. AS TO VISUAL STIMULUS
a. Voyeurism – “the peeping Tom”, through clandestine peeping and
frequently masturbate during the peeping
b. Scoptophilia – intentional act of watching people undress or during sexual
intimacies
COPING MECHANISM
- It is defined as the way people react to frustration. People differ in the way they
react to frustration. This could be attributed to individual differences and the way
people prepared in the developmental task they faced during the early stages of
their life.
Direct approach - can be seen among people who handle their problems
in a very objective way. They identify first the problem, look for the most
practical and handy way to solve it, and proceeded with the constructive
manner of utilizing the solution which will produce the best results.
Detour - when an individual realizes that in finding for the right solution
of the problem, he always end up with a negative outcome or result. Thus,
he tries to make a detour or change direction first and find out if the
solution or remedy is there.
Substitution - most of time are resulted to in handling frustration when an
original plan intended to solve the problem did not produce the intended
result, thus the most practical way to face the problem, is to look for most
possible or alternative means.
Withdrawal or retreat - is corresponding to running away from the
problem or flight which to some is the safest way.
Developing feeling of inferiority - comes when a person is unable to hold
on to any solution which gives a positive result. Being discourage to go
on working for a way to handle a frustration could result to diminishing
self-confidence, until the time when inferiority complex sets in.
Aggression - is a negative outcome of a person's inability to handle
frustration rightly. Manifestation in physical behavior can be observed in
one's negative attitudes towards life both in the personal and professional
aspect.
Use of Defense Mechanism – is the most tolerated way of handling
frustration. It is a man’s last result when a person attempts to overcome
fear from an anticipated situation or event.
Defense Mechanism – is an unconscious psychological process that
serves as safety valve that provides relief from emotional conflict and
anxiety.
Overview
Many human behaviors can follow what is known as the normal curve.
Looking at this bell-shaped curve, many individuals are clustered around the
highest point of the curve, which is known as the average. People who fall
very far at either end of the normal curve might be considered "abnormal."
When you think about abnormal psychology, rather than focus on the
distinction between what is normal and what is abnormal, focus instead on
the level of distress or disruption that a troubling behavior might cause. If a
behavior is causing problems in a person's life or is disruptive to other
people, then this would be an "abnormal" behavior that may require some
type of mental health intervention.
Perspectives
There are several different perspectives used in abnormal psychology. While
some psychologists or psychiatrists may focus on a single viewpoint, many mental health
professionals use elements from multiple areas in order to better understand and treat
psychological disorders. These perspectives include:
Psychoanalytic Approach
This perspective has its roots in the theories of Sigmund Freud. 1 The
psychoanalytic approach suggests that many abnormal behaviors stem from
unconscious thoughts, desires, and memories.
While these feelings are outside of awareness, they are still believed to
influence conscious actions.
Therapists who take this approach believe that by analyzing memories,
behaviors, thoughts, and even dreams, people can uncover and deal with
some of the feelings that have been leading to maladaptive behaviors and
distress.
Behavioral Approach
This approach to abnormal psychology focuses on observable behaviors. 2 In
behavioral therapy, the focus is on reinforcing positive behaviors and not
reinforcing maladaptive behaviors.
The behavioral approach targets only the behavior itself, not the underlying
causes. When dealing with abnormal behavior, a behavioral therapist might
utilize strategies such as classical conditioning and operant conditioning to
help eliminate unwanted behaviors and teach new behaviors.
Medical Approach
This approach to abnormal psychology focuses on the biological causes of
mental illness, emphasizing understanding the underlying cause of disorders,
which might include genetic inheritance, related physical illnesses,
infections, and chemical imbalances. Medical treatments are often
pharmacological in nature, although medication is often used in conjunction
with some type of psychotherapy.
Cognitive Approach
Biological treatments also may help people with disorders in some cases.
For example, in one of the largest and most rigorous studies ever conducted
on the treatment of clinical depression, researchers in the late 1980s found
that antidepressant medication helped manage the symptoms of severe
depression (which I would define as involving significant suicidal thinking,
that often recurs, or that is chronic) more than other treatment options, at
least during the time span in which individuals were taking the medicine.
According to the most recent data released by the National Center for
Health Statistics, approximately 11 percent of all Americans aged 12
and older are taking an antidepressant medication for some reason.
Approximately 25 percent of American women aged 40 to 59 are
taking an antidepressant. More than 60 percent of individuals taking
an antidepressant have done so for over 2 years, and approximately 14
percent have been taking them for over 10 years.
The best treatment option for many people who struggle with disorders is
psychotherapy. Several forms of psychotherapy — cognitive therapy,
behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy, and psychodynamic
therapy — have been found to successfully treat many disorders, including
disorders with severe symptoms. Furthermore, compared with the effects of
medication, psychotherapy often seems to provide better treatment in the
long-term. Perhaps one of the reasons why psychotherapy is so helpful in
many cases is that it gets at the “root” causes of people’s problems.
Furthermore, although psychotherapy seems unrelated to biology, research
shows that biological changes happen through this treatment just like it does
when medication is helpful.
There also are other activities that might help people with disorders. Some of
these might be encouraged by a therapist, and include working through self-
help materials (see David Burns’ books “Feeling Good” and “When Panic
Attacks” for books shown to work in comparative research), regular aerobic
exercise, keeping an emotions journal in which one writes about difficult
emotions, keeping a gratitude journal in which one records what one is most
thankful for, engaging in pleasurable activities, talking with a trusted friend
about one’s problems, performing random acts of kindness, getting lost in
nature, and managing stress through effective coping techniques. Although
these kinds of activities haven’t really been established as successful
treatments in themselves, they are linked with mood in various ways. In fact,
I wouldn’t be surprised if many of these lifestyle-based approaches someday
are shown to perform at least as well as — if not better than — conventional
treatments available today.
In conclusion, people struggling with a mental illness should know that there
is hope. Almost all conditions can be managed effectively through the right
combination of treatment options. Many disorders can be overcome long-
term without the use of medicine. Probably the most difficult step in
treatment is acknowledging that you have a problem and taking the first step
to seek help. However, with this humility and courage, people can
experience relief and improvement.
The best treatment option for many people who struggle with
disorders is psychotherapy. Several forms of psychotherapy
— cognitive therapy, behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy,
and psychodynamic therapy — have been found to successfully treat
many disorders, including disorders with severe symptoms.
Psychotherapy
refers to a range of treatments that can help with mental health
problems, emotional challenges, and some psychiatric disorders. It
aims to enable patients, or clients, to understand their feelings, and
what makes them feel positive, anxious, or depressed.
Psychotherapy is a type of therapy used to treat emotional problems
and mental health conditions.
It involves talking to a trained therapist, either one-to-one, in a group or with
your wife, husband or partner. It allows you to look deeper into your
problems and worries, and deal with troublesome habits and a wide range of
mental disorders, such as depression and schizophrenia.
Psychotherapy can help you discuss feelings you have about yourself and
other people, particularly family and those close to you. In some cases,
couples or families are offered joint therapy sessions together.
You will meet your therapist regularly, usually once a week, for several
months, or sometimes even years. Individual sessions last about 50 minutes,
but group sessions are often a bit longer.
Psychotherapists
Psychotherapists are mental health professionals who are trained to listen to
a person's problems to try to find out what is causing them and help
them find a solution.
Some therapists teach specific skills to help you tolerate painful emotions,
manage relationships more effectively, or improve behaviour. You may also
be encouraged to develop your own solutions. In group therapy, the
members support each other with advice and encouragement.
A therapist will treat sessions as confidential. This means you can trust them
with information that may be personal or embarrassing.
depression
anxiety disorders
borderline personality disorder (BPD)
obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
long-term illnesses
eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia and binge eating
drug misuse
People with significant emotional problems may also benefit from
psychotherapy, including people dealing with stress, bereavement, divorce,
redundancy, or relationship problems.
Types of psychotherapy
Several different types of psychotherapy are available. These include:
PIONEERS IN VICTIMOLOGY
• Jan Van Dijk (1999) proposed that there are two types of victimology:
1. General victimology
– Studies victimity in the broadest sense, including those that have been
harmed by accidents, natural disasters, war, etc.
– Focuses on the treatment, prevention, and alleviation of the
consequences of being victimized, regardless of the cause
2. Interactionist (or penal) victimology
– Combines issues concerning the causation of crimes with those relating
to the victim’s role in the criminal proceedings, where victims are only those
who become such as a result of crime
– Focuses on advocacy for victims
• Jerin and Moriarty (1998) contend that there are three distinct historical
eras defining the victims’ role within systems of justice:
1. The Golden Age
– Existed prior to written laws and established governments, tribal law
prevailed
– Victims played a direct role in determining punishments for the unlawful
actions that others committed against them or their property
– Retribution was the resolution for criminal matters
2. The Dark Age
– Resulted from the emergence of structured local governments and the
development of legal statutes
– Offenses were viewed as perpetrated against the laws of the king or state,
not just against the victim or the victim’s family
– Focus shifted towards offender punishments and rights, as opposed to
victim rights and restoration
3. The Reemergence of the victim
– Realization that victims were being overlooked as a source of
information about crime and criminal
– Studying victims led to the birth of traditional victimology as a discrete
scientific endeavor
KEY FIGURES
The origins of scientific victimology can be attributed to the following key
figures in criminology:
BENJAMIN MENDELSOHN
• First used victimology in 1947 to describe the scientific study of crime
victims
• He is known as the ‘father of victimology’.
• Developed the term victim precipitation
• He became interested to the relationship between the victim and the
criminals
• Developed a typology that categorizes the extent to which a victim is
capable of his or her own demise (focusing on situational factors)
• Completely innocent victims
• Victim with minor guilt
• Voluntary victim
• Victim more guilty than the offender
• Most guilty victim
• Simulating or imaginary victim
STEPHEN SCHAFER
• Published the first textbook on the subject of victimology
• Interviewed criminals and aimed to build upon the previous typologies,
focusing on victim culpability
• Proposed seven types of victim responsibility
• Unrelated victims
• Provocative victims
• Precipitative victims
• Biologically weak victims
• Socially week victims
• Self-victimizing
• Political victims
MARVIN E. WOLFGANG
• First presented empirical research findings as support for his theories of
victimology
• Presented his study of police homicide records, which concluded that
over a quarter of the homicides in the city of Philadelphia between 1948-
1952 involved an element of victim contribution and participation
DEFINITION OF TERMS:
VICTIMOLOGY
• Victimology as an academic term contains two elements: (1) One is the
Latin word “Victima” which translates into “victim”. (2) The other is the
Greek word “logos” which means a system of knowledge
• In a narrower sense, victimology is the empirical, factual study of
victims of crime and as such is closely related to criminology, and thus may
be regarded as a part of the general problem of crime.
• In a broader sense, victimology is the entire body of knowledge
regarding victims, victimization and 'the efforts of society to preserve the
rights of the victim.
• The criminal-victim relationship is called "victimology" and it is
considered as an integral part of criminology.
• Victimology is a branch of criminology that scientifically studies the
relationship between an injured party and an offender by examining the
causes and the nature of the consequent suffering.
The aims of victimology are intricately related to the meaning and issues of
victimology. Therefore, the study of victimization is the study of crime
giving importance to the role and responsibility of the victim and his
offender.
Aims of Victimology:
to analyze the magnitude of the victim's problems;
to explain causes of victimization; and
to develop a system of measures to reduce victimization.
VICTIM
• are individual who have suffered harm, including physical or mental
injury and emotional suffering through acts or omissions that are in violation
of criminal laws.
• one of the most neglected subjects in the study of crime.
CRIME VICTIM
• is a person who has been physically, financially or emotionally injured
and/or had their property taken or damaged by someone committing a crime.
Classification of Victims
For Mendelsohn (1976) victims are classified primarily in conformity with
the degree of contribution to the crime. Hence Mendelsohn categorized the
victims as follows:
1. The "completely innocent victim." The victim can be a child or a person
who is unconscious.
2. The "victim with minor guilt" and the "ignorant victim." The victim can
be a woman who agrees for a mis-carriage and as a result pays with her life.
3. The voluntary victim and the "victim as guilty as the offender." The
victim can be a person who commits suicide or asks for euthanasia.
4. The "victim more guilty than the offender." The victim can be a person
who provokes or induces someone to commit a crime.
5. The "most guilty victim" and the "victim who is guilty alone." The
victim can be the aggressive victim who kills the attacker in self-defense.
6. The "stimulating" or "imaginary victim." The victim can be a paranoid or
a hysteric or a senile person.
7. The "female" victim. The female is a symbol of weakness. The male
criminals have the benefit of greater physical strength in crimes against
women, especially in sexual assault.
8. The "young" victim. For Henting, children are physically
underdeveloped and psychologically immature. They are weak compared to
adults. So they are easy prey to kidnapping and sex
9. The "old" victim. They are physically and mentally weak. They often fall
victims of crimes.
10. The "mentally defective and mentally deranged." They are commonly
potential and actual victims of crimes. The insane, the alcoholic, the drug
addict, the psychopath and those who suffer from any other mental
abnormality can frequently be victims.
11. The "minority." Because of racial, linguistic, religious and caste
prejudice they often become victims of powerful groups.
12. The "depressed." He is a psychological victim type. He suffers from
feelings of inadequacy and hopelessness, apathy and submission. He can be
his own victim.
13. The "wanton." He is malicious. His actions are generally unjustifiable.
He acts without adequate motive or provocation. He has often no regard for
what is right. He can be sexually lawless and unrestrained and he frequently
falls victim of physically powerful criminals.
14. The "lonesome and the heartbroken." These persons can have a desire
for companionship and happiness and in this process become victims.
15. The "tormentor." He tortures others and at the end he himself become the
victim of the tormented.
VICTIMIZATION
• is an asymmetrical relationship that is abusive, parasitical, destructive,
unfair and illegal. Offenders harm their victims physically, financially and
emotionally.
• refers to an event where persons, communities and institutions are
damaged or injured in a significant way.
• the interactions between victims and the criminal justice system that is
the police and courts and corrections official
Theoretical Victimology
Largely concerned with causal explanations of victimization, theoretical
victimology focuses on data collection, analysis, and theory formulation. In
doing so, several theoretical models have been advanced to explain variation
in victimization risk, correlates of victimization, and repeat victimization.
These theoretical models focus primarily on victim demographics as well as
on victim-offender interactions and relationships.
There are two general types of theoretical models. The first focuses on
opportunity. This type of criminal victimization theories focuses on
opportunities for crime rather than on criminal motivation in their
explanation of crime and criminal events. The second type of theoretical
model focuses on the interaction between victim and offender. Victim-
offender interaction theories concentrate on the interplay between victim and
offender in their attempt to explain personal crimes.
General victimology
involves a broader focus on the study of all victims, not just victims of
crime. Some scholars refer to general victimology as victimity.
includes the study of five specific types of victimization: criminal
victimization, self-victimization, social environmental victimization,
technological victimization, and natural disaster victimization.
Critical Victimology.
The newest type of victimology to have emerged is called critical
victimology.
is concerned with the larger social environment in which crime occurs—
especially, the impact social structure and context have on criminal
victimization.
Accordingly, critical victimologists are interested in how crimes are
defined as well as in why some victims are overlooked or ignored by both
the criminal justice system and society as a whole.
Data Gathering.
An important task for victimologists is the gathering of empirical data.
Data on victims of crime are collected through victimization surveys.
Victimization surveys, such as the National Crime Victimization Survey,
allow for the analysis of patterns and trends related to victimization.
Although victimization surveys have been criticized for methodological
problems, these types of surveys have produced important data on crime
victims—information that is generally lacking from other sources of data on
crime
VICTIM VICTIM
VICTIM FACILITATION
PRECIPITATION PROVOCATION
-defined as the extent to which a - the concept of this is similar -occurs when a person does
victim is responsible for his/her to victim precipitation something that incites
own victimization. -occurs when a victim another person to commit
- the concept of victim unintentionally makes it an illegal act.
precipitation is rooted in the easier for an offender to -provocation suggests that
notion that, although some victims commit a crime. without the victim’s
are not all responsible for the behavior, the crime would
victimization and other victims. not have occurred.
- it is problematic, however, when
it is used to blame the victim while
ignoring the offender’s role.
Prepared by:
Jovelyne Remigio RCrim