Criminology Theories and Spahalski Brothers

Chapter Theories and Spahalski Brothers
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Instructor
Institution
Date
Chapter 6 and 7
Criminology is quite a broad field and sometimes usually offers extremely intriguing scenarios for one to learn from. Chapters 6 and 7 of the book delve deep into the biological aspects of criminology. In particular the biosocial theory is wee dissected. The theory posits that the criminal tendencies of an individual are not just a product of their social environment but also their biological elements. In other terms, there are certain biological factors that makes an individual to be predisposed to criminal behavior right from the onset. The interesting case of the Spahalski Brothers is enough proof of this theory.
The Spahalski Brothers were individuals who started criminal activities at a very early age. They even committed their first murders while still teenagers. Strangely enough, one got arrested and jailed for a long time, way before the other one also got into the same criminal tendencies. In other terms, they used to commit crime in isolation; one never knew that the other one was also a criminal. It raises an intriguing question as to whether these individuals were in some way connected to each other by their biological linkage. According to Schram and Tibetts (2017), there are certain hormones that tend to drive an individual into crime, if they exceed certain levels.
These hormones include adrenaline and testosterone. The Spahalski Brothers used to compete and challenge each other to steal even bigger things. This seemed to trigger their cortisol levels and in turn push them into more crime (Lobello, 2015). It is the cortisol levels that usually impact the reactivity and moods of an individual. When these youngsters kept challenging each other about their criminal exploits, this hormone kept on pushing them to higher limits and to more daring excursions. The biosocial theory therefore, clearly helps to explain their actions even later in life.
This builds into chapter 7, which highlights the trait theory. According to this theory, there are certain traits within an individual that play a key role in making an individual to later on become a criminal (Schram & Tibetts, 2017). The Spahalski Brothers have earlier been noted to h...