Psychological Theories of Crime and Delinquency

Abstract

Several psychological theories have been used to understand crime and delinquency. This literature review categorizes these perspectives into five areas, provides a brief overview of each, and analyzes and synthesizes the relevant, elements within each area. The major perspectives reviewed are learning theories, intelligence theories, personality theories, theories of psychopathy, and cognitive and social development theories. These are included in the review because they met the following criteria: (1) major tenets of the theory had been used to explain crime, (2) the theory was considered significant by scholars in several disciplines, including psychology, and (3) the assumptions in the theory included a focus on the individual or internal processes or both.

KEYWORDS:

• Crime of delinquency
• psychology
• theory