Discuss trait theory: When did this school of thought originate, when and why was the theory abandoned, and what is the status of trait theory today? Include in your discussion criminal atavism and its meaning. What are your views on trait theory? Include a rationale for your view

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

• The origin of this school of thought is generally credited to Lombroso.
o Lombroso found that delinquents manifest physical anomalies that make them biologically and physiologically similar to our primitive ancestors—criminal atavism.
? Criminal atavism refers to the idea that delinquents manifest physical anomalies that make them biologically and physiologically similar to our primitive ancestors, throwbacks to an earlier stage of human evolution.
• Contemporaries of Lombroso refined the notion of a physical basis of crime.
o Garofalo shared Lombroso's belief that certain physical characteristics indicate a criminal or delinquent nature and Ferri, a student of Lombroso's, believed that a number of biological, social, and organic factors caused delinquency and crime.
• These early views portrayed delinquent behavior as a function of a single factor or trait, such as body build or defective intelligence.
• They had a significant impact on early American criminology, which relied heavily on developing a science of "criminal anthropology.".
• Eventually, these views evoked criticism for their unsound methodology and lack of proper scientific controls.
o Methodological flaws made it impossible to determine whether biological traits produce delinquency.
• By the mid-twentieth century, biological theories had fallen out of favor as an explanation of delinquency.
o During this period, the majority of delinquency research focused on social factors, such as poverty and family life.
• Today trait theory is now an accepted element of the study of delinquency as the reality that humans are biological creatures who vary in biological traits is becoming too obvious to ignore.
o Trait theorists now focus attention on the biological and psychological conditions that promote antisocial behavior, arguing that no two people (with rare exceptions, such as identical twins) are alike, and therefore each will react to environmental stimuli in a distinct way.