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Psychological explanations of offending focus on how personality, cognition, and developmental experiences contribute to criminal behaviour. Unlike biological explanations, which emphasise innate factors, psychological explanations consider how individuals' mental processes, learned behaviours, and social environments shape their likelihood of offending. The AQA specification requires knowledge of Eysenck's criminal personality theory, cognitive explanations (including cognitive distortions and levels of moral reasoning), and differential association theory.
Key Definition: Cognitive distortions are irrational or biased patterns of thinking that allow offenders to justify, rationalise, or minimise their criminal behaviour.
Hans Eysenck (1964) proposed that criminal behaviour could be explained by personality type combined with biological predisposition and socialisation. Eysenck used factor analysis to identify key dimensions of personality, measured by the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ).
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