Biological, Psychological, and Sociological Theories of Crime
This paper surveys the leading theoretical frameworks used to explain criminal behavior, organized into three broad categories: biological, psychological, and sociological. It examines Lombroso's early typological theory of the "born criminal," Sheldon's somatotype model, Freud's psychoanalytic account of repressed drives, Kohlberg's stages of moral development, and Bandura's behavioral learning theory. On the sociological side, it covers social learning theory as developed by Bandura, Sutherland, and Akers, as well as Braithwaite's reintegrative shaming extension of labeling theory. Together, these frameworks illustrate how criminologists have approached the origins of deviance from multiple disciplinary perspectives.
- Introduction to Criminological Theory: Overview of three major crime theory categories
- Biological Explanations of Criminal Behavior: Lombroso's typology and Sheldon's somatotype theory
- Psychological Explanations of Criminal Behavior: Freud, Kohlberg, and Bandura on criminal psychology
- Sociological Theories of Criminal Behavior: Social learning theory and labeling theory examined
- Conclusion: Summary of three disciplinary frameworks on crime
✍️ How to write this paper — guide, tools & examples ▾
What makes this paper effective
- The paper organizes a broad topic into three clearly delineated disciplinary categories — biological, psychological, and sociological — making it easy to compare competing explanatory frameworks.
- Concrete, relatable examples (e.g., celebrity comparisons for body types) are used to illustrate abstract theoretical concepts, aiding reader comprehension.
- The paper moves from older, discredited theories toward more contemporary sociological models, providing an implicit sense of how criminological thinking has evolved.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates effective comparative synthesis: rather than treating each theory in isolation, it implicitly contrasts them by showing how different disciplines (biology, psychology, sociology) approach the same question — what causes crime — from fundamentally different assumptions about human nature and social influence.
Structure breakdown
The paper is divided into three substantive sections preceded by a brief framing introduction. Each section introduces one or two foundational theorists, summarizes their core claims, and includes brief evaluative notes (e.g., noting that Lombroso's theory is no longer widely accepted). The sociological section is the most developed, addressing both social learning theory and labeling theory along with Braithwaite's nuanced extension. The paper closes with a reference list in MLA/APA hybrid format.
Introduction to Criminological Theory
Scholars have proposed three broad categories of theory to explain the origins of criminal behavior: biological theories, sociological theories, and psychological theories of crime.
Biological Explanations of Criminal Behavior
Lombroso's theory dates back to the late 1800s and is not widely accepted today. Lombroso believed that a person's body type and physical constitution could tell a researcher whether or not that person was "a born criminal" (Crossman, 2011). Lombroso believed that criminals inherited their deviance, and that if a person's body type resembled that of "primitive men," it indicated a criminal nature through a biological connection.
Typically, Lombroso believed that if a person displayed five or more characteristics from the following list — "large monkey-like ears, large lips, a twisted nose, excessive cheekbones, long arms, and excessive wrinkles on the skin" — that individual would likely be a "born criminal" (Crossman, p. 1). Females, according to Lombroso, needed only three of these characteristics to qualify as a "born criminal."
Another biological crime theory comes from William Sheldon, whose work took place in the early to mid-1900s. Sheldon developed his theory around three types of human bodies: ectomorphs, endomorphs, and mesomorphs (Crossman, p. 2). He postulated that ectomorphs have "thin and fragile" bodies, with small shoulders, underdeveloped muscles, and flat chests. Endomorphs are "soft and fat," with underdeveloped muscles, a round physique, and a tendency to carry excess weight. Mesomorphs are athletic and muscular, with good posture (Crossman, p. 2).
Works Cited
Crossman, A. (2011). Biological Explanations of Deviant Behavior. About.com. Retrieved November 21, 2015, from http://sociology.about.com.
Jrank. (2010). Crime Causation: Sociological Theories — Labeling Theory / Social Learning Theory. Retrieved November 21, 2015, from http://law.jrank.org.
Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services. (2009). Review of the Roots of Youth Violence: Literature Reviews. Retrieved November 21, 2015, from http://www.children.gov.on.ca.
Already a member? Log in
Unlock the rest of this paper
135,000+ research papers · AI writing tools · Plagiarism & AI detection
7-Day Pass
Does not renew
Get 7-Day PassMonthly
Renews at $12.99/month until canceled
Start MonthlyAnnual
Renews at $99/year until canceled
Start Annual- Unlimited AI writing tools
- Plagiarism and AI text detection tool
Plan details
Unlimited AI writing tools are for individual, non-automated use and are subject to our Terms of Service and abuse-prevention measures.
TextChecker scans: 3 during the 7-Day Pass, or 5 per month with Monthly and Annual.
Prices exclude applicable tax.
Always verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.