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CRIMINOLOGY 22 MIDTERM TOPIC

BEHAVIORAL ADJUSTMENT Types of Coping and Defense Mechanism

- It is a treatment approach, based on the principles of operant conditioning that 1. Acting Out – means literally acting out the desires of that are forbidden by the
replaces undesirable behaviors with more desirable ones through positive or Superego and yet desired by the Id. A person who is acting out desires may do it
negative reinforcement.
in spite of his/her conscience or may do it with relatively little thought.
- To apply the adjustment concept, let’s try to view a police officer using adjustment
2. Aggression – refers to any response made with the intent of harming some person
process in a situation wherein he has been assigned to a duty where he has little or
or objects. The intentional infliction may be physical or psychological harm
no knowledge at all.
- Patrolman Filomeno Bragading passed the NAPOLCOM examinations and 3. Aim Inhibition – in aim inhibition, we lower our sights, reducing our goals to
entered the PNP, his college degree was accounting, and however, he was something that we believe is actually more possible or realistic.
assigned at the PNP crime lab as a technician. 4. Altruism – avoid your own pains by concentrating on the pain of others.
Types of Adjustment Process 5. Attack – when a person feels stressed in some way, he/she may lash out at whoever
1. Direct Attack is in the way, whether the other person is a real cause or not. He/she may also attack
a. Study the equipment used in the crime laboratory inanimate objects.
b. Take forensic classes for his theoretical advancement 6. Avoidance – finding ways to avoid uncomfortable situations, things, or activities.
c. Improve public relation especially with fellow police officers and study how 7. Compartmentalization – it is a ‘divide and conquer’ process for separating
they perform their jobs. thoughts that will conflict with one another. This may happen when there are
d. Take into practice the basic concepts and processes in the crime laboratory. different beliefs or even when there are conflicting values.
2. Substitute Acts of Positive Value 8. Compensation – where a person has weakness in one area, they may compensate
a. Seek transfer to another police division such as traffic management. by accentuating or building up strengths in another area.
b. Seek employment elsewhere such as teaching mathematic subject or pass the
9. Conversion – it occurs when cognitive tensions manifest themselves in physical
government regulated examinati9on for accountant.
symptoms. The symptom may well be symbolic and dramatic and it often acts as a
c. Compensate for dissatisfaction through a hobby.
communication about the situation.
3. Substitute Acts of Negative Value
a. Criticize the job, the boss and fellow workers as a whole. 10. Denial/Denial of Reality – simply refusing to acknowledge that an event has
b. Feign illness. occurred.
c. Feel inferior in the job and avoid thoughts of the work as much as possible. 11. Displacement – refers to the shifting of actions from a desired target to a substitute
4. Advance Stages of Negative Value target when there are some reasons why the first target is not permitted or not
a. Immerse in some mystical cult – pseudo science. available.
b. Isolate himself and make no attempts of change. 12. Dissociation – involves separating a set of thoughts or activities from the main
c. Long for death and release from life – problem. area of conscious mind, in order to avoid the conflict that this would cause.
Difference of Coping Mechanism and Defense Mechanism 13. Emotionality – when we become stressed or tension is caused, a number of
negative emotions may start to build, including anger, frustration, fear, jealousy,
Coping Mechanism Defense Mechanism/Ego – Defense
and so on. When we display these emotions, they can affect others around us,
Mechanism
arousing similar or polar feelings.
The sum total of ways in which people Refers to an individual’s way of reacting
deal with minor to major stress trauma. frustration. 14. Fantasy or Daydreaming – when we cannot achieve or do something that we
These are processes which are These are unconscious techniques used to want, we channel the energy created by the desire into fantastic imaginings. It also
unconscious, learned or skills that prevent a person’s self-image from being provides temporary relief from the general stresses of everyday living.
individuals consciously master in order to damaged. 15. Fight-or-Flight Reaction – when we perceive a significant threat to us, then our
reduce stress or other intense emotions bodies get ready either for a fight to the death or a desperate flight from certain
like depression. defeat by a clearly superior adversary.
16. Help-rejecting Complaining – a person becomes upset or otherwise elicits
supporting actions from other people. When helpful suggestions or other comfort
is offered, however, he/she reject this and return to his/her complaint.
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CRIMINOLOGY 22 MIDTERM TOPIC
17. Idealization – the over-estimation of the desirable qualities and underestimation
of the limitations of a desired thing.
18. Identification – occurs when a person changes apparent facts of his/her personality
such that he/she appears to be more like other people.
19. Intellectualization – refers to a “flight into reason”, where the person avoids
uncomfortable emotions by focusing on facts and logic.
20. Introjection – occurs when we take on attributes of other people who seem better
able to cope with the situation than we do.
21. Nomadism – on the move – a migrant, traveler or journey man who transfers from
one place to another.
22. Overcompensation – a compensatory activity which ceases to be value, for it gets
out of control.
23. Passive Aggression – a person who uses passive-aggressive method to cope with
stresses does by ‘attacking’ others through passive means.
24. Post-traumatic Growth – an individual who has suffered a traumatic experience
somehow finds ways to turn it into something good.
25. Projection – when a person has uncomfortable thoughts or feelings, he/she may
project these onto other people, assigning the thoughts or feelings that he/she need
to repress to a convenient alternative target.
26. Provocation or Free-floating – when a person feels stressed, his/her way to avoid
dealing with the real issues is to provoke others into some kind of reaction. The
attention can then be put on the other person and away from the originator’s stress.
27. Reaction Formation – occurs when a person feels an urge to do or say something
and then actually does or says something that is effectively the opposite of what
he/she really wants. It also appears as a defense against a feared social punishment.
MENTAL DISORDERS AND MENTAL DEFICIENCIES
28. Rationalization – when something happens that we find difficult to accept, then
we will make up a logical reason why it has happened.
29. Regression/Infantilism – involves taking the position of a child in some
problematic situation, rather than acting in a more adult way. This is usually in
response to stressful situations, with greater levels of stress potentially leading to
more overt regressive acts.
30. Repression – involves placing uncomfortable thoughts in relatively inaccessible
areas of the subconscious mind.
31. Scapegoating – an aggressive reaction where one tries to blame or hold responsible
others to hide and conceal and explain his failures.
32. Self-harming – the person physically deliberately hurts himself/herself in some
way or otherwise puts themselves at high risk of harm.
33. Somatization – occurs where a psychological problem turns into physical and
subconscious symptoms.
34. Sublimation – It is the transformation of unwanted impulses into something less
harmful. This can simply be a distracting release or may be a constructive and
valuable piece of work.
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35. Suppression – this is where the person consciously and deliberately pushes down
any thought that leads to feelings of anxiety. Actions that take the person into
anxiety-creating situations may also be avoided.
36. Substitution – this takes something that leads to discomfort and replace it with
something that does not lead to discomfort.
37. Suicide – a person who is unable to express anger openly turns himself for self-
destruction.
38. Symbolization – a way of handling inner conflicts by turning them into distinct
symbols.
39. Trivializing – when we are faced with a disappointment over something that is
important to us, we are faced with the problem of having our expectations and
predictions dashed.
40. Undoing – it refers to performance of an act to ‘undo’ a previous unacceptable act
or thought. Confession is a form of undoing, including that done in a church to a
priest or a secret admission to a close friend.
41. Positive Coping – there are a number of approaches that we can take to cope in a
positive way with problems, including:
a. Immediate problem-solving: Seeking to fix the problem that is the
immediate cause of our difficulty.
b. Root-cause solving: Seeking to fix the underlying cause such that the problem
will never recur.
c. Benefit-finding: Looking for the good things amongst the bad.
d. Spiritual growth: Finding ways of turning the problem into a way to grow
‘spiritually’ or emotionally.
Mental Disorder
- refers to the significant impairment in psychological functioning.
- also called a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern
that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning.
- According to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-IV, a
mental disorder is a psychological syndrome or pattern which is associated with
distress (e.g. via a painful symptom), disability (impairment in one or more
important areas of functioning), increased risk of death, or causes a significant loss
of autonomy; however it excludes normal responses such as grief from loss of
loved one, and also excludes deviant behavior for political, religious or societal
reasons not arising from a dysfunction in the individual.
- In 2013, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) redefined mental disorders
in the DSM-5 as “a syndrome characterized by clinically significant disturbance in
an individual’s cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior that reflects a
dysfunction in the psychological, biological, or developmental process underlying
mental functioning”.
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CRIMINOLOGY 22 MIDTERM TOPIC
Symptoms of Mental Disorders
1. Physical – symptoms of mental and emotional disorders include rapid changes in
pulse, temperature, respiration, nausea, vomiting, headaches, dizziness, loss of
appetite, marked changes in weight, excessive fatigue, pain, coughs, lack of motor
coordination and speech disturbance.
2. Mental – Symptoms of mental and emotional disorders include FLIGHTS OF
FANCY – imaginative but impractical idea; APHASIA – loss of understanding or
of producing language; AMNESIA – loss of memory; PHOBIAS – strong,
irrational fears; COMPULSION TO ENGAGE IN SOME FORM OF BEHAVIOR
– kleptomania, pyromania – OBSESSIONS like end of the world; FALSE
PERCEPTIONS – illusions, hallucinations, delusions and false beliefs.
3. Emotional – Some symptoms of mental and emotional disorders are apathy – in
difference, accompanied by expressions of worry, crying, refusal to eat or speak;
unnatural state of happiness; behavior symptoms – psychomotor activity, crying,
laughing, constant repetition of acts and profane language.
Several Types of Mental Disorders
1. Psychosomatic Illness – implies an interrelationship of mind, body, and
desire.
2. Psychoneurosis (Neurasthenia) – a mild form of mental disorder where a
person may have no physical difficulty but experience lack of sleep and loss
of appetite and becomes emotionally unhealthy.
3. Psychoses – are serious mental and emotional disorders that are
manifestations of withdrawal from reality.
Factors that Affect Mental Disorders
1. Heredity – this is the most frequent with family histories revealing mental illness.
2. Incestuous Marriages – blood incompatibility of parents, maternal infection during
the early stages of pregnancy are some disorders associated with incestuous marriages.
3. Impaired Vitality – Mental worry, grief, physical strain, unhygienic surroundings,
infections and birth trauma may predispose a person to mental disorders.
4. Poor Moral Values Training and Breeding – Improper breeding and poor moral
values training particularly those affecting free will and self-control, undesirable
associations, etc., may result in an impaired mental state.
5. Psychic/Emotional Disturbances – such as love, hatred, passion, frustration and
disappointment.
6. Physical Factors
a. Non-Toxic – exhaustion resulting from severe physical and mental strain, illness,
cerebral hemorrhage, trauma on the skull affecting the brain.
b. Toxic – this may be produced by excessive formation or deficient elimination of
waste products; by infection, or excessive use of certain drugs.
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Some Manifestations of Mental Disorders
1. Cognition Disorder-Knowing
1.1. Perception Disorders
1.1.1. Illusion – a false interpretation of an external stimulus; it may be manifested
through sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell.
1.1.2. Hallucination – an erroneous perception without an external object of
stimulus.
• Visual – seeing things although not present.
• Auditory – hearing voices in absolute silence.
• Olfactory – false perception of smell.
• Gustatory – false perception of touch, as feeling a worm is creeping on
the skin.
• Kinesthetic – false perception of movement.
• Hypnagogic – false perception occurring midway between falling asleep
and being awake.
• Lilliputian – false perception of objects as reduced in sized.
1.2. Memory Disorders
1.2.1. Dementia – a form of mental disorder resulting from the degeneration or
disorder of the brain characterized by general mental weakness,
forgetfulness, loss of coherence, and total inability to reason but not
accompanied by delusion or uncontrollable impulse.
• Acute Dementia – a form of temporary dementia occurring in young
people and induced by conditions likely to produce that state like
malnutrition, overwork, dissipation (overindulgence in the pursuit of
physical pleasures) or too rapid growth.
• Dementia Paralytica – degeneration of physical, intellectual, and moral
power leading to paralysis.
• Dementia Praecox – (premature loss of mind); dementia of adolescence
and characterized by loss of memory.
• Senile Dementia – occurring in advance age and characterized by loss of
memory, with childish and silly behavior and physical degeneration.
• Toxic Dementia – characterized by weakness of mind or feeble cerebral
activity resulting from continuous administration or use of toxic chemicals.
1.2.2. Amnesia – Loss of memory
• Anterograde amnesia – loss of memory of recent events.
• Retrograde amnesia – loss of memory of past events and observed in
traumas of the head.
1.3. Content of Thought Disorders
1.3.1. Delusion – a false or erroneous belief in something which is not a fact. Some
types of delusions include:
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CRIMINOLOGY 22 MIDTERM TOPIC
• Delusions of Grandeur – an erroneous belief that he is in possession of 1.4.2. Melancholia - An intense feeling of depression and misery which is
great power, wealth, wisdom, physical strength, etc. unwarranted by his physical condition and external environment.
• Delusions of Persecution – a false belief that one is being persecuted. • He is absorbed by miserable thoughts.
• Delusions of Reference – one thinks that he is always the subject matter • Aural hallucination is common.
of conversation, news, speech, or action although it is not a fact. • Every patient suffering from melancholia is a potential suicidal case.
• Delusions of Self-accusation – a false belief in having committed a crime The alternative condition of mania and melancholia is known as manic -
or hurting the feelings of others. depressive psychosis hence called folie circulaire.
• Delusions of Infidelity – a false belief that one’s lover is unfaithful. In between the attacks of mania and depression is a period of cessation of
• Nihilistic Delusion – a false belief that there is a bio world; that one does symptoms of psychosis known as lucid interval.
not exist, and that his body is dead. This condition may occur in Any person who commits criminal acts during lucid intervals is criminally
melancholia. liable.
• Delusions of Poverty – a false belief that one is financially ruined and that 2. Emotional Disorders – Feelings
he has no money, is starving, sick or even dead. 2.1. Exaltation – Feeling of unwarranted well-being and happiness.
• Delusions of Control – a false feeling that one is being controlled by other 2.2. Depression – Feeling of miserable thought, that a calamitous incident occurred in
persons. his life, something has gone wrong with his bodily functions and prefers to be
• Hypochondriacal Delusions – a false belief that one is suffering from an quite and in seclusion.
incurable disease, some parts of the body are not functioning, or that he is 2.3. Apathy – Serious disregard for the surrounding and the environment; lack of
not physically capable to do a thing on account of a disease. enthusiasm or energy; or emotional emptiness (inability to feel normal or
passionate human feelings or to respond emotionally).
• Delusion of Depression – patient experiences feelings of uneasiness,
2.4. Phobia – Excessive, irrational, and uncontrollable fear of a perfect natural
worthlessness futility (lack of usefulness).
situation or object. These are some types of phobias.
• Delusion of Negation – feeling that some parts of the body is missing.
2.4.1. Fear of Specific Objects
1.3.2. Obsession – thoughts and impulses which continually occur in the person’s
• Ornithophobia – Fear of birds
mind despite attempts to keep them out.
• Hematophobia – Fear of blood
• Unwanted or unpleasant sexual thoughts and feelings, including those
about sexuality or fear of acting inappropriately towards children. • Bibliophobia – Fear of books
• Intrusive violent thoughts. • Anthopobia – Fear of flowers
1.4. Trend of Thought Disorder • Androphobia – Fear of men
1.4.1. Mania - A state of excitement accompanied by exaltation or a feeling of well • Harpaophobia – Fear of robbers
- being which is out of harmony with the surrounding circumstances of the • Hierophobia – Fear of sacred things
patient. • Belophobia – Fear of sharp objects
• The mind is hyperactive, with flights of fancy which may amount to • Heliophobia – Fear of the sun
incoherence. • Dendrophobia – Fear of the trees
• Delusions may be present but are usually fleeting in character. • Triskaidekaphobia – Fear of the number 13
• The increased mental activity also finds expressions in increased muscular 2.4.2. Fear of Specific Situations
activity. • Tacophobia – Fear of childbirth
• The patient is restless and always occupied. • Gephyrophobia – Fear of crossing a bridge
• His finer instincts are blunted. • Phengophobia – Fear of daylight
• He becomes untidy even to the extent of indecency. • Dipsophobia – Fear of drinking
• He is impatient, irritable, antagonistic and violent if interfered with. • Acrophobia – Fear of heights
• He is sleepless but his physical health is not greatly affected. • Cliniphobia – Fear of going to bed
• Gamophobia – Fear of marriage
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CRIMINOLOGY 22 MIDTERM TOPIC
• Agoraphobia – Fear of open places Some Type of Impulsion – Compulsion Neuroses
• Maleusiophobia – Fear of pregnancy 1. Pyromania – An irresistible impulse to set things on fire.
• Coitophobia – Fear of sexual intercourse 2. Kleptomania – an irresistible impulse to steal articles of not much value.
2.4.3. Fear of Places 3. Mutilomania – an irresistible impulse to maim animals.
• Ecclesiophobia – Fear of churches 4. Dipsomania – an irresistible impulse to indulge in intoxication either on alcohol
• Kenophobia – Fear of empty rooms or drugs.
• Claustrophobia – Fear of enclosed rooms 5. Homicidal Impulse – an irresistible inclination or impulse to commit homicide
prompted usually by insane delusions either in self - defense or revenge, or as to
• Scholionophobia – Fear of schools
the patient being the appointed instrument of superhuman justice.
• Ochlophobia – Fear of crowds
6. Sex Impulse – this includes all irresistible acts of sexual perversion.
• Thalassophobia – Fear of seas
7. Suicidal Impulse – a strong desire to terminate one's life. this impulse may be
• Ecophobia – Fear of home surroundings
present in acute depression.
• Potamophobia – Fear of rivers
8. Intermittent Explosive Disorder – it is a lesser-known mental disorder marked
• Siderodromophobia – Fear of railways by episodes of unwarranted anger. It is commonly described as "flying into a rage
2.4.4. Fear of Illness or Death for no reason." In an individual with intermittent explosive disorder, the behavioral
• Thanatophobia – Fear of death outbursts are out of proportion to the situation
• Pathophobia – Fear of diseases 9. Pathological Gambling – also known as compulsive gambling or disordered
• Spermophobia – Fear of germs gambling, is a recognized mental disorder characterized by a pattern of continued
• Cardiophobia – Fear of heart diseases gambling despite negative physical, psychological, and social consequences.
• Nosemaphobia – Fear of illness 10. Trichotillomania – also referred to as “hair-pulling disorder," is a mental disorder
• Mysophobia – Fear of infections classified under Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders and involves
• Bacillophobia – Fear of microbes recurrent, irresistible urges to pull hair from the scalp, eyebrows, eyelids, and other
• Ophidiophobia – Fear of snakes areas of the body, despite repeated attempts to stop or decrease hair pulling.
• Cypridophobia – Fear of venereal diseases
3. Volition Disorder – Conation (a mental process involving the will, e.g., impulse,
Mental Deficiencies
desire, or resolve) - Or mental sub-normality and/or mental retardation are below-normal intellectual
3.1. Impulsion – Sudden and irresistible force compelling a person to the conscious functions which originate from the arrested or incomplete development of the mind
performance of some action without motive or forethought. The person has no during the development period below the age of 18.
power to control it, however bad the consequences may be. - These may be induced by various factors associated with the impairment of
3.2. Compulsion - Are the repetitive physical behaviors and actions, or mental thought learning, social adjustment, or maturation.
rituals that are performed over and over again, in an attempt to relieve the anxiety
caused by the obsessional thoughts. Classical Types of Mental Deficiencies/Mental Retardation
3.2.1. Excessive washing of one's hands or body (thought of being contaminated, 1. Idiot
by chemical or body fluids from oneself or another person). • It is usually congenital and due to the defective development of the mental
3.2.2. Excessive cleaning of clothes or rooms in the house, (thought of having faculties.
come into contact with germs from the outside or perceived contaminants • The deficiency is usually associated with physical abnormalities like
from bodily fluids. For example, contact with dog mess, needles or used microcephaly (the condition of having a small head or having reduced space
condoms). for the brain in the skull, often associated with learning difficulties) and
3.2.3. Checking that items are arranged just right and constantly adjusting mongolism.
inconsequential items, such as pens on a table, until they are aligned to feel • Mentality never exceeds that of a normal child over 2 years old; the IQ is from
“just right” as opposed to looking aligned (thought that something bad may 1-25.
happen to a loved one if not aligned correctly).
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CRIMINOLOGY 22 MIDTERM TOPIC
2. Imbecile
• Although the mental defect is not severe as that of idiots, he cannot manage IQ Category Equivalent Capacity
his own affairs. 1-25 Idiot 1 – 3 years old
• He may be able to speak but with poor command of language. 26-50 Imbecile 3 – 6 years old
• He can easily be aroused to passion and may show purposeful behavior. 51-75 Moron 6 – 8 years old
• He may be trained to do simple work under supervision. 79-60 Dull – minded 9 – 11 years old
91- 120 Normal (average) 11 – 14 years old
• The mental age may be compared to a normal child from 3 to 7 years old and
121-130 Superior Above average capacity
the IQ is 26-50.
131-140 Talented High development
3. Feeble-minded
141 and above Genius Very high development
• A person whose mental defect, although not amounting to imbecility is so
pronounced such that he receives care, supervision, and control for his Causes and Symptoms of Mental Retardation
protection and for the protection of others. 1. Genetic Factors – about 30% cases of mental retardation is caused by hereditary
• He is incapable of receiving benefits from instruction in ordinary school. factors. It may be caused by an inherited genetic abnormality, such as fragile X
• He lacks initiative and ability for any work or responsibility. syndrome.
• He has a mentality similar to that of a normal child between 8 and 12 and an • Fragile X Syndrome – is a defect in the chromosomes that determines sex
IQ of 41-70. and is the most common inherited cause of mental retardation. An accident or
4. Morally Defective mutation in genetic development may also cause retardation.
• Persons that have strong vicious and criminal propensities, so that person 2. Prenatal Illnesses and Issues
requires care, supervision and control for the protection of others. • Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) – caused by the mother’s heavy drinking
• He is devoid of a moral sense and often shows intellectual deficiency though during the first trimester of pregnancy.
he may be mentally alert. • Maternal Infections, hypertension, toxemia
• He is careless, pleasure loving, and a devil-may-care sort who adheres to the • Birth defects that cause physical deformities of the head, brain, and
principles of “live today for tomorrow we die, live fat and die young, and it is central nervous system. Example: Neural tube defect
only happiness that counts”. 3. Childhood Illnesses and Injuries
Classification of Mental Retardation • Hyperthyroidism, whooping cough, chickenpox, measles, Hib disease,
1. Mild Mental Retardation – IQ scores ranges from 56-67; can acquire academic meningitis and encephalitis.
skills up to the 6th grade level. As an adult, he can develop social and vocational • Traumatic brain injury caused by a blow to the head or violent shaking of the
skills. upper body may also cause brain damage and mental retardation in children.
2. Moderate Mental Retardation – IQ scores ranges from 36-51; can develop 4. Environmental Factors
academic skills equal to about second – grade level; can carry out work and self- • Ignored or neglected infants who are not provided with mental and physical
care tasks with moderate supervision. As an adult, he will most probably need a stimulation required for normal development may suffer irreversible learning
sheltered environment. impairment.
3. Severe Mental Retardation – IQ scores ranges from 20-35; capable of habit – • Children who live in poverty and suffer from malnutrition, unhealthy living
training as a child; they may master very basic self-care skills and some conditions, abuse, and improper or inadequate medical care are at a higher
communication skills. risk.
4. Profound – IQ scores under 20; they may be able to develop basic self-care and
communication skills with appropriate support and training. There is most likely a Prevention of Mental Retardation
need for hospitalization or some type of environment in which care is available ❑ Immunization against diseases such as measles and Hib
throughout his lifetime. ❑ Routine developmental screening as part of pediatric care
❑ Newborn screening
Intelligence Quotient (IQ) ❑ Good prenatal care
- it is a total score derived from several standardized tests designed to assess human
intelligence coined by the psychologist William Stern.

PREPARED BY: HONEY GRACE D. ESMELIA, RCRIM.