Sexual Dysfunctions Are Characterized by Disturbance in Sexual Desire and in the Psycho
Sexual Dysfunctions Are Characterized by Disturbance in Sexual Desire and in the Psycho
Sexual Dysfunctions Are Characterized by Disturbance in Sexual Desire and in the Psycho
that characterize the sexual response cycle and cause marked distress and personal difficulty.
The paraphilias are characterized by recurrent, intense sexual urges, fantasies or behaviors that involve
unusual objects, activities or situations and cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social,
occupational or other important areas of functioning. Sexual disorders consist of both the sexual
dysfunctions and paraphilias.
certain paraphilias or paraphilic fantasies can involve illegal acts. Assuming that a person who commits a
sex crime must be diagnosed with a paraphilia reflects the wrong idea that the disorder by itself is sufficient
to engage in criminal conduct.
Psychology is a scientific study of human and animal behaviour which is aimed at Describing, Explaining,
Predicting and Controlling behaviour. Psychology as a subject involves studying behaviour scientifically.
Psychology is so varied and applied that it explains behaviour at all levels:
i) Individual level: This is aimed at understanding cause of behaviour at individual level.
Environmental, Biological, Physiological, cognitive, and Psychological factors affecting, or motivating
individuals to behave in a certain manner.
ii) ii) Group level: This is aimed at understanding the social factors which can explain behaviour of
individuals in a group. It is aimed at understanding how presence of others affects the behaviour of
an individual.
PERSONALITY
Cattel, R.B. (1967) “Personality is that which permits a prediction of what a person will do in a given
situation”
Allport, G.W (1937). “Personality is the dynamic organization within the individual of those-psycho physical
systems that determine his unique adjustment to his environment”
Allport theory According to Gorden W Allport uniqueness of every individual is the chief characteristics of
human beings. Each and every person responds in different ways to the same situation. For example; imagine
an individual got a purse from a bus. How s/he will respond to the situation. Whether s/he will try to enquire
the owner of the purse for give back to her/him or become happy for getting money unexpectedly etc.
Consider the same incidents with many individuals. We are sure that people would respond differently
depending on the traits they have. Because no two people are alike, no two individuals respond in the same
way to identical stimuli. Individuals differ on the basis of their traits, their traits direct their actions. These
traits motivate human beings to behave the way they do. Allport characterised traits by the degree to which
they govern personality. Allport distinguished traits into three levels.
A) Cardinal traits These are the most powerful and pervasive traits. These traits dominate a person’s whole
life. Few people possess cardinal traits. That people live flooded with that trait. When they do things , we
often think of them primarily in terms of those traits. For example. Altruism is a cardinal trait in the
personality of Mother Theresa, Quest for knowledge can be seen in -Albert Einstein, and social justice is the
cardinal trait vested in- Mahatma Gandhi
B) Central traits The personality of most people are characterised by five or more central traits rather than
a single cardinal trait. These are the kind that might be included in a letter of recommendation such as
punctual, honest, obedient, sincere, hardworking etc. Central traits are called building blocks of personality.
Suppose if we say about any individual that s/he is very honest, regular, sincere, that is because s/he is
functioning as per respective central traits.
C) Secondary traits These are the least important traits among the three, because they affect relatively
narrow aspects of human beings' lives. Some people give more importance to these types of secondary traits
in their life, but don’t have a relevant impact on their personality. Preference for wearing a particular
branded shirt, reading western novels, eating only chocolate etc are the examples for secondary traits.
The second part is the ego, which can be explained as the need for wishes to be
instantly gratified, and the reaction that is stimulated when that happens or does not
happen. The ego depends on the principle of reality.The third aspect of personality,
the superego, manifests itself as the moral norms and values of the community.
Morality is the centre of the superego. The superego is used to judge the conduct and
behaviours of persons. The ego mediates between the wish of the id and the rigorous
moral of the superego.[4]
Social theory is the most relevant for criminology and is a subset of behaviour theory.
Albert Bandura is the most notable social theorist in this regard. He argues that
people are not born with an underlying capacity to act aggressively, and that violence
is a learned behaviour.[6]
Aggressive conduct is modelled upon three basic causes: (1) familial relationships, (2)
the environment and (3) the media. Literature on family interaction shows that
violent children are more likely to be brought up by aggressive caregivers.[7]
The second source of behavioural disorders and environmental experience shows
that those living in crime-prone areas are more likely than people living in safer areas
to be aggressive.[8]
In addition, social learning theorists argue, that an individual may be more criminally
inclined when subjected to a violent attack, assault, immense humiliation, or the
general inability to attain their objectives and desires.[9]
Mass media is the third source of behavior concerns. Researchers strongly believe
that movies, video games depicting graphic violence are hazardous to youngsters.
Moreover, constant violence in the media desensitises children and young people to
the horrors of crime.[10]
COGNITIVE THEORY
The word cognition means the act or process of knowing. The cognitive approach to
personality focuses on the ways in which people come to know their environments
and themselves. It deals with the question of how we perceive, evaluate, learn, think,
make decisions, and solve problems.
focuses exclusively on conscious mental activities.
This theory is primarily concerned with cognitive distortions—erroneous thought
patterns that lead to maladaptive behaviours, including criminal acts. Cognitive
theorists argue that individuals commit crimes because of faulty thinking processes,
such as justifying their actions or minimising the harm they cause to others.
Cognitive theory is also influential in the development of cognitive-behavioural
interventions (CBI), widely used in both criminal rehabilitation and crime prevention.
Programs based on cognitive theory seek to change an offender’s thinking patterns by
teaching them to recognise and challenge distorted thoughts, improve problem-
solving skills, and develop a stronger sense of empathy for others.
A personality disorder is a mental health condition where people have a lifelong pattern of seeing
themselves and reacting to others in ways that cause problems. People with personality disorders often have
a hard time understanding emotions and tolerating distress. And they act impulsively. This makes it hard for
them to relate to others, causing serious issues, and affecting their family life, social activities, work and
school performance, and overall quality of life.
Personality disorders cause enduring patterns of inner experience and behaviour that deviate from the
expectations of society, are pervasive, inflexible and stable over time, and lead to distress or impairment.
Group A personality disorders have a consistently dysfunctional pattern of thinking and behavior that reflects
suspicion or lack of interest in others. They include:
Believes that others are trying to do harm with no reason to feel this way.
Hesitates to confide in others for fear that others will use that information against them.
Takes innocent remarks or situations that are not threatening as personal insults or attacks.
Often suspects that a spouse or sexual partner is unfaithful with no reason to feel this way.
Feels or thinks strange things, such as hearing a voice whisper their name.
Has social anxiety, including not being comfortable making close connections with others or not having close
relationships.
Responds to others in ways that are not proper or shows suspicion or lack of interest.
Has "magical thinking"— the belief that their thoughts can affect other people and events.
Group B personality disorders have a consistently dysfunctional pattern of dramatic, overly emotional thinking or
unpredictable behavior. They include:
Has up and down moods, often due to stress when interacting with others.
Shows impulsive and risky behavior, such as having unsafe sex, gambling or binge eating.
Speaks dramatically with strong opinions but has few facts or details to back them up.
Has beliefs about being special and more important than others.
Has little, if any, concern for personal safety or the safety of others.
Behaves impulsively.
Is often reckless.
Has little, if any, regret for how their behavior negatively affects other
Group C personality disorders have a consistently dysfunctional pattern of anxious thinking or behavior. They
include:
Does not take part in work activities that include contact with others.
Is isolated.
Does not try new activities and does not like meeting new people.