Motivation of criminal behavior. Psychology of criminal behavior

Motivation of criminal behavior, like any other motivation for action of a psychophysiological nature, has common signs of human behavior. Only they are replaced by goals and needs, in terms of their social content, they are criminal. Although, in the legal literature there is no unity of opinions about the ethical nature of the motivation of criminal behavior, since all prerequisites and purposes are considered socially dangerous. However, from a psychological point of view, this topic is of considerable interest, so it is worth paying attention to.

Briefly about the concepts

The psychology of criminal behavior is very interesting, but in order to understand it, it is necessary to understand the terms. One of the most important concepts in this topic is the motive. It is a component of the personality that influences the internal formation of the stimulus of behavior.

It is not without reason that the statement asserting that the motive, such a person, is justified. This is confirmed once again by a well-known parable about the workers at the construction site. One person asked them what they were doing. One answered: "I'm dragging this damned stone!". The other said: "I earn money for bread." And the third answered: "I build a beautiful temple." And this is only a single example, demonstrating the difference between internal installations with externally the same behavior.

Motivation is the next important concept. It is the dynamics of motives, the process of their formation and subsequent formation, development and change. It affects the setting of goals and decision-making. The motivation is closely connected with it, as well as with the concept mentioned in the beginning. It is an attempt to rationally explain one's own internal attitude. And often, especially in criminal cases, it has nothing to do with the true motives.

Proceeding from all mentioned, the question arises. When do motives begin to form? Very early, still in my childhood. Motives are the basis of personality. They are formed as if outside the person. Subsequently, they change, are corrected, supplemented. But often the motives are constant for the individual, they permeate his whole life. What explains the sequence of human actions in everything, even in the commission of crimes. Of course, in unforeseen or affective situations, it seems that the motive arises instantaneously, under the influence of circumstances. But, anyway, he already has a personal root.

Levels of motivation

Now you can go to a thorough review of the topic. The psychology of criminal behavior highlights two levels of motivation. The first is called rational, external. And the second is called deep, semantic. It is he who determines the behavior of the individual.

For example, robbery can be considered. Outwardly, it can be motivated by the desire of the individual to be quickly enriched and self-interest, a craving for material goods. But in terms of depth, there are other prerequisites. Making a robbery, a person reduces his psychotraumatic anxiety, concerning that he will be in danger and need, if he is not sufficiently secured.

It is important to note that the motivation of criminal behavior in criminology is difficult to distinguish by levels. Especially if we consider complex and particularly serious violations of the law, which are difficult to explain. But it is in such situations that the psychological approach is very important. Often, only after understanding the meaning of complex crimes, it is possible to form investigative versions, which subsequently help to find the perpetrators.

Aspect of the unconscious

Some examples can help to understand what the motivation for criminal behavior is. Value and types can be better understood if you look at the example.

Truly cruel and terrifying crimes are those that are associated with the savage acts carried out against children. It is really difficult to understand why some violators of the law are committing them. It is generally believed that the prerequisites are mental disorders, often due to problems associated with the sexual sphere. But it is not always the case. After all, there are disorders in people who adore children. About these people usually say that they would not touch them with a finger. But why then do they do these things?

The reason is. It often turns out that such criminals, while still children, were themselves subjected to ill-treatment. And the meaning of their violent actions is to eliminate psycho-traumatic memories from their own childhood. This is comparable to suicide, carried out on a psychological level. Children's injuries themselves "float" in the subconscious of a person, and usually in a state of intoxication, because only then the internal control over the behavior is removed.

At the time of the commission of a crime of this kind, a conscious person crosses with the unconscious in the person. Two spheres that are already in a complicated relationship with each other.

What is stored at a subconscious level? Not memories. They are always aware. At the subconscious level, information about the person's drives, his feelings and experiences is stored. In most cases, they are not reflected in the mind for moral reasons. And that's why some people do not go deeper into themselves. They are afraid that they will have to face personal "dark fellow travelers" - those devils who belong to them. Strictly speaking, that's why most criminals do not go to repentance. Because for them it means meeting with their monsters, hidden deep down.

Self-serving criminals

This is a whole social category, allocated by a number of scientists. Which includes types of criminals of particular interest. They should be listed.

The first type is affirming. Criminals related to him, commit violations for reasons that are clear by name. They assert themselves on an individual, social or psychological level. In addition, they are raised by the idea of owning and disposing of stolen, prestigious property.

The second type is disadaptive. It is not particularly dangerous criminals, although they are characterized by social violations. They avoid personal contact, commitment, responsibility and affection. The basis of their behavior is personal uncertainty and psychological rejection. If they get a job, they do not stay there for long. And their the source of income are thefts and other property crimes.

The third type is alcoholic. It is similar to disadaptive. This type includes chronic alcoholics who commit property violations for one purpose. The formation of motivation for criminal behavior is as simple as possible here. These individuals only need money to buy alcohol. They are degraded, they lack all values. The only meaningful motive of their behavior is alcohol. Circle of communication with such individuals is appropriate. It includes drinking companions of the same interest. They are always ready to make a company in the process of obtaining funds for alcohol. Their crimes are primitive - usually these are small thefts, during which they steal what they sell immediately, without eliminating traces, and spend their proceeds.

"Players"

This is not all the existing categories. There is also a fourth type, called gaming. In this case, there is an ambiguous motivation for criminal behavior, the concept and structure of which is of particular interest.

The fact is that criminals of the game type experience a constant need for risk, crave for thrills. This can be compared with the dependence. Which they follow, carrying out risky operations and performing dangerous deeds.

Psychologists consider the behavior of such individuals as being politically motivated. Their "game" motives are not inferior to selfish. It is important for these people to get both money and emotional experiences. However, among violators of this type of law, except for hooligans, robbers and robbers, there are also especially dangerous persons. Abusers, to be more precise. They are attracted by the opportunity to get what they want, eliminating the resistance of the victim, which can cause trouble. This "situation" gives the individual what he wants - a sense of danger, a risk of being caught.

"Players" are often found among scammers. They like to show their dexterity and skills, to use circumstances for themselves, to feel the need to concentrate and make instant decisions. Vivid representatives in this case can be considered card cheaters who are playing two games at once - not fair, and according to the rules.

Talking about the types of criminals, it is worth noting that the "players" are divided into two categories. Each of which has its own motivation.

The first include individuals who are the most real extroverts. They are impulsive, active, and even in the most dangerous situations and desperate adventures, fear of possible exposure is alien to them. It's because they need these feelings. They play with accomplices and law, put their lives at stake, risk their freedom. You might think that these people are immortal - they are so desperate.

The second category includes offenders who seek to impress the accomplices. They are artistic, able to instantly adapt to the suddenly changed situation, they are able to act plastically. Feelings of such individuals are needed, but more importantly they get the status of a leader.

Other types

"Family" - this is the name of another category of offenders. Individuals related to it are motivated by the family, no matter how it sounds. In most cases, they become bribe-takers and plunderers. Less often, "family" are engaged in robbery.

Most often this is the motivation for criminal behavior of women. They steal property entrusted to them for the sake of the spouse, children, lovers, dear people. The theft is made not so much to satisfy their own selfish needs, but to provide for the loved ones.

It is necessary to note with attention a "rejected" type, to which rapists most often belong. It is very important to understand what motivation and motives of criminal behavior they have. Legal psychology believes that no one else refers to the "rejected" type, other than rapists.

These people have serious problems in the sphere of interpersonal communication. They can be called defective. Often they suffer from dementia, retardation or debility, they have physical disabilities. They are despised and rejected. Because of the lack of mental development, they are not able to absorb moral and ethical norms designed to regulate communication between people. But the needs do not disappear anywhere. Therefore, they satisfy them in socially unacceptable ways, resorting to violence.

Implementing incentive needs

This is another nuance that includes the motivation for criminal behavior. Previously, one stimulating need (alcohol) has already been mentioned. Now we will talk about drugs. This need, inherent in a limited number of individuals, is often the reason for committing serious offenses.

The motivation of criminal behavior related to drugs is understandable to any person. The individual needs a "dose", for the purchase of which money is needed. Often, they do not have a person, because he is constantly in a state of drug intoxication, and can not earn them. And who will keep the addict at work?

As a result, drugs end, breaking begins. Anxiety, heightened anxiety, depression, increased aggression, muscle tension, furious heartbeat, tremor ... it's not even half of what overcomes the addict at the moment when he remains without a dose. A person loses touch with reality, ceases to control himself. In order to calm himself and his body, he is ready to do anything. Even for murder.

Serial killers

The unity of the motive is what characterizes them. All the serial killers without exception. It has long been proven that the basis for the behavior of such criminals is not one motive, but the whole complex. Often, it determines the behavior of the serial killer in the performance of another crime. It is about the "handwriting" of the criminal, which he observes, dealing with every victim.

Of particular interest is the formation of personal characteristics that determine the motivation of criminal behavior. Often, serial killers seem normal. In society, they wear a "mask" that helps to hide their true nature and form a positive impression on outsiders. It is a defense created by the individual himself, which causes socially approved behavior.

Serial killers have a unique psyche. They never withdraw the accumulated energy gradually. Serial killers spit it out at a time, bypassing the conscious and unconscious. That's why many of them can not remember the details of their deed.

But what makes them kill? Difficult question. Traditionally, four factors reflect the majority of existing motives. This is sexual aggression (passion), control, domination and manipulation.

The difficulty of specifying is that almost all serial killers are alienated. Often they do not admit their guilt, as social norms are not mastered by them. They know what kind of law they violated, but for which they were punished - the killers are not clear. Often these individuals are asocial, disadaptive, aggressive, immersed in themselves. If they are at liberty, they most likely will relapse, since without compensatory education the identity of the murderer can not be corrected. But the worst thing is the lack of empathy. It's hard to believe, but there are individuals who are unable to experience the emotional states of other people and feel anything. Such individuals commit particularly serious crimes. Those for which they give several lifelong terms.

Committing an act

Talking about what constitutes a motivation for criminal behavior, it is worth noting one more important nuance. Individuals committing atrocities take decisions in completely different psychological conditions.

Some can be simple. A person has time to think, he is not excited and is not in a stressful state. This, most often, is characteristic of individuals who carefully plan a crime, which in the end turns out to be prudent and difficult to investigate.

But there are complex conditions. They are accompanied by a strong excitement, lack of time for thinking, conflict situation. It is in such circumstances that the crime is committed through negligence. The individual, unable to restrain himself in the hands, gives in to the impulse. A lot of murders, violence and beatings occurred precisely in heated conflict situations.

So, after the decision is made, the stage of its implementation into reality begins. Here plays a really important role criminogenic motivation, as the cause of criminal behavior. It is from her take the power of intruders, tuning to commit an offense, the result of which is the achievement of the original goal.

Motives are most vividly manifested at an early stage - at the time of preparing a person for evil. The person asks himself questions and answers, convincing himself of the correctness of the conceived and determining further actions: "What am I doing? For what purpose? What do I want to achieve? ". Of course, the motives may change, due to rethinking. It happens that people completely refuse the idea of committing an offense. In such situations, criminogenic motivation, as the cause of criminal behavior, is too weak. Fortunately, of course. This once again confirms that human behavior is due only to his personality, and not to the current situation. Despite the fact that the occasion for the crime is often external circumstances. The situation is only an indicator demonstrating the personal threshold of a person's social adaptation.

Mental problems

Often the motivation for criminal behavior is caused by anxiety. But we do not mean the usual discomfort with excitement, which in some situations is peculiar to every person. It is about the anxiety underlying the criminal behavior.

Not everyone knows that it is this feeling that is stronger than all others that affects the physical and spiritual condition of a person. Anxiety represents impersonal fear, based on sources of threat, often unconscious even by the individual himself. They often feel helpless and powerless, insecure, defenseless. Their behavior is disorganized, its direction is changing. In some situations it is anxiety that stimulates the desire to commit a crime for the sake of one's own safety. At such times a person begins to experience discomfort and perceive everything around him as a threat.

There is a motivation for criminal behavior. And its mechanism is very specific. Anxiety plays a leading role in the emotional gradation of a person. She begins to determine his perception of everything that is happening around him, giving events and people a hostile, alien, negative character. As a result, a person gets out of the action of social control, as his behavior becomes disadaptive. The unconscious aspect comes to the fore - aggressive and hostile aspirations are formed, as if by themselves. Everything leads to the fact that a person begins to feel the fragility and ghostly of his being, to experience the fear of death. Psychologists explain this in such a way - an individual commits a crime in order to preserve his own being, self-worth, and ideas about his place in this world and about himself.

Finally

It is still possible to tell a lot about criminal motivation and other psychological features related to this topic. It is really very interesting and vast. It is not without reason that such serious scientific works as a doctoral thesis are written on this topic.

But even on the basis of the foregoing, one can understand the importance of the psychological aspect in the field of criminalistics. Especially when it comes to serious crimes. Small, "one-off", rarely represent some complexity, because the reasons for their fulfillment lie on the surface. Often this is just a strong emotional excitement and inability of a person to restrain himself, to suppress his impulses and to resist desires. The most difficult cases are those in which the individual satisfies his own interests and needs to the detriment of others or the public. Unfortunately, they are not rare. And it's scary. After all, we live in one society, but even concepts, at times, do not have about who exactly surrounds us.