HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND VICTIMOLOGY

A. UNDERSTANDING HUMAN BEHAVIOR

Definition of Human Behavior
- it is the voluntary or involuntary attitude a person adopts in order to fit
society’s idea of right or wrong
- it is partly determined by heredity and environment, and modified
through learning
- it is also the way human beings act
Viewpoints in the Study of Human Behavior
a. Neurological – emphasizes human actions in relation to events taking
place inside the body, especially the brain and the nervous system
b. Behavioral – focuses on external activities that can be observed and
measured
c. Cognitive – it is concerned with the way the brain processes and
transforms information in various ways
d. Psychoanalytical – emphasizes unconscious motives stemming from
repressed sexual and aggressive impulses in childhood
e. Humanistic – focuses on the subject’s experience, freedom of choice
and motivation toward self-actualization
Factors that affect Human Behavior
a. Heredity – it is determined by the human genes; scientists agree that
genes influence several intelligences and special aptitudes in
athletics, mathematics, music, and science although it is not the only
factor involved in producing these characteristics
b. Environment – consists of the conditions and factors that surround
and influence an individual
c. Learning – is the process by which behavior changes as a result of
experience or practice
Causes of Conflicts in Human Behavior
a. Physical Causes – refer to natural causes, like calamities, fire, etc…
b. Social Conflicts – involve restrictions or rules in the home, the
school, and in the community that interfere with an adolescent’s
desires or interests
c. Economic Conflicts – result from one’s inability to acquire material
things because of poverty or other financial obligations
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BASIC TYPES OF HUMAN BEHAVIOR
a. Inherited Behavior – refers to any behavioral response or reflex
exhibited by people due to their genetic endowment or the process
of natural selection (breathing, ingesting food, mating)
b. Learned Behavior – otherwise called “operant behavior”; it involves
cognitive adaptation that enhances the human’s ability to cope with
changes in the environment (verbal communication, job skills,
logical problem-solving techniques)
Considerations for Inherited Behavior
a. physical traits
b. mental traits
Considerations for Learned Behavior
a. environment
b. training
c. efforts of the will
Human Behavior may also be Classified as:
a. Habitual – refers to demeanors which are resorted to in a regular
basis; it may be further characterized as emotional and language
b. Instinctive – these are human conducts that are unlearned and
inherent, said to be present at the birth of a person, and significantly
influenced by heredity
c. Symbolic – these are human conducts in response to stimuli
undertaken by means of substitution
d. Complex – refers to two or more habitual behavior which occur in
one situation
Attributes of Human Behavior (competencies):
a. Duration – refers to the aspect of human behavior in terms of
function of time, how long or brief the interval may be
b. Extensity – traits of human behavior which centers on size,
distance, location (spatial characteristics)
c. Intensity – features of human behavior that focus in terms of
magnitude
d. Quantity – refers to the aspect of human behavior dealing with the
normal and abnormal traits
Emotional Behavioral Arousals
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Positive Arousals – those that result from pleasant feelings
Negative Arousals – those that result from unpleasant feelings
Personality Dimensions that Affect Human Behavior
1. Extraversion – it dictates conditionability and is the principal factor in
anti-social behavior; it exists on a continuum, ranging form very high
needs for stimulation and excitement (extraverts/extroverts) to very
low needs for stimulation and excitement (introverts); the majority falls
somewhere between these two extremes (ambiverts) obverts
2. Neuroticism – it reflects an innate biological predisposition to react
physiologically to stressful or upsetting events; persons high on
neuroticism reacts intensely much longer to stress and are generally
moody, touchy, sensitive to slights, and anxious or nervous
3. Psychoticism – characterized by cold cruelty, social insensitivity,
disregard for danger, troublesome behavior, dislike of others, and an
attraction towards the unusual

Characteristics of a Normal Person:

a. free expression of personality
b. adequate security feelings
c. efficient contact with reality
d. adaptability to group norms
e. emotional maturity
f. adequate self-knowledge
g. integrated and consistent personality
An abnormal person is an individual who fails to meet the
characteristics of a normal person.
B. CRIMINAL PSYCHOLOGY
– the study of the wills, thoughts, intentions and reactions of criminals, all
that partakes in the criminal behavior
(Richard N. Kocsis, Applied Criminal Psychology: A Guide to Forensic
Bbehavioral Sciences, Charles C Thomas Publisher, 2009
Symptoms of Mental Disorder
Physical Symptoms

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 a. rapid change in pulse, g. marked change in weight
temperature and respiration
h. excessive fatigue
b. nausea
i. pain
c. vomiting
j. coughs
d. headaches
k. lack of motor coordination
e. dizziness
l. speech disturbance
f. loss of appetite

Mental Symptoms
1. aphasia – loss of understanding or of producing language
2. amnesia – loss of memory
3. phobia – strong irrational fear
4. mania – compulsion to engage in some form of behavior
5. obsessions
6. false perceptions
7. illusions
8. hallucinations
9. delusions
10. false beliefs
Emotional Symptoms
a. apathy or indifference accompanied by expressions of worry, crying,
refusal to speak or eat
b. unnatural state of happiness
c. behavior symptoms – psychomotor activity, crying, laughing, constant
repetition of acts, and profane language
Two Kinds of Mental Disorder
a.Mental Illness – when the mental disorder is the result of an illness; it
is a type of disorder that can generally be treated in a hospital
b.Mental Retardation – a disorder that starts even at childhood; it is the
result of the retardation of mental development; it is usually
untreatable, but a mentally retarded person can still receive a limited
degree of education or training

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Several Types of Mental Illness
Psychosomatic Illness – implies an interrelationship of mind, body and
desire; emotional disturbances may be accompanied by physiological
changes such as faster heartbeat, gastronomical disturbances, increased
strength, and other signs or symptoms of a disease; psychosomatic
disorders may include cols, asthma, ulcers, allergy, circulatory disorders,
sterility
Psychoneurosis – a mild form of mental disorder; a person may have no
physical difficulty, but may experience lack of sleep, loss of appetite, and
becomes emotionally unhealthy
Psychoses – are serious mental and emotions disorders that are
manifestations of withdrawal from reality; some of these disorders are
encephalitis, intoxication, cerebral arteriosclerosis, senile brain damage,
mania, dementia praecox, or split personality
Some Manifestations of Mental Illness
Cognition
1.Perception Disorders
a.Illusion – false interpretation of an external stimulus manifested
through sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell
b.Hallucination – an erroneous perception without an external object
of stimulus
2.Memory Disorders
a.Dementia – a mental disorder resulting from the degeneration of the
brain characterized by general mental weakness, forgetfulness,
loss of coherence, and total inability to reason but not
accompanied by uncontrollable impulse
b.Amnesia – loss of memory; when the loss of memory is limited to
recent events, it is called anterograde amnesia; if memory loss
includes past events or even general amnesia, it is call retrograde
amnesia
3.Content of Thought Disorders
a.Delusion – a false or erroneous belief in something that is not a fact
A.1. Grandeur – false belief of possession of great wealth
A.2. Persecution – false belief of being persecuted
A.3. Reference – false belief of being the subject matter of
conversations

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 A.4. Self-accusation – false belief of having offended others
A.5. Infidelity – false belief in unfaithfulness
A.6. Nihilistic – false belief that he is dead
A.7. Poverty – belief that he is financially ruined or that he has no
money
A.8. Control – a feeling of being controlled by other people
A.9. Hypochondriacal – belief of suffering from an incurable disease
A.10. Depression – feelings of uneasiness, worthlessness and
futility
A.11. Negation – feeling that some parts of the body are missing
b.Obsession – thoughts and impulses which continually occur in the
person’s mind despite attempts to keep them out
4.Trend of Thought Disorders
b. Mania – the intense and uncontrollable desire of particular things or
situation; a state of excitement accompanied by exaltation of a
feeling of well-being which is out of harmony with the surrounding
circumstances of the patient
c. Melancholia – an intense feeling of depression and misery which is
unwarranted by his physical condition and external environment; a
potentially suicidal state
Emotional
a. Exaltation – feeling of unwarranted well-being and happiness
b. Depression – a feeling of miserable thought, believing that
something has gone wrong with his bodily function and prefers to be
silent and in seclusion
c. Apathy – serious disregard for the surrounding and the environment
d. Phobia – excessive, irrational, and uncontrollable fear of a perfectly
natural situation or object
Volition
e. Impulsion – sudden and irresistible force compelling a person to the
conscious performance of some action without motive or
forethought
f. Compulsion – an irresistible urge to behave in a certain way,
especially against one’s conscious wishes.
Classifications of Mental Retardation
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a. Idiot/Profound – a person who is wanting in memory, willpower, and
emotion; he cannot express himself by language, cannot guard himself
against common physical dangers, and usually bear physical
abnormalities like microcephaly and mongolism (Down’s Syndrome);
mentality is that of a 2-year old child; IQ is from 0 – 20
b. ImbecileSevere – he may be able to speak but with poor command of
the language; he cannot manage his own affairs; he may be trained to
do simple work under supervision; mental age may be compared to a 3
– 7 year old child and the IQ is 21 – 40
c. Feeble-minded/Moderate/Mild – his mental defect is so pronounced
such that he receives care and supervision for both his and other’s
protection; he is still incapable of receiving instruction in ordinary
schools, lacks initiative and ability for work or responsibility. His IQ is
that of an 8 – 12 year old child which is 41 – 70
d. Morally Defective – in addition to mental defect, there are strong vicious
and criminal propensities, so that he requires supervision and control for
the protection of others; he is devoid of moral sense; he is careless, with
a devil-may-car attitude

Other Conditions Manifesting Mental Disturbance

1. Somnambulism – a condition whereby a person performs an act while
sleeping; a somnambulist has no recollection of events occurring during
the episode
2. Semi-somnolence or Somnolencia – when a person is half asleep or in
a condition between sleep and being awake; a person may be suddenly
aroused and may unconsciously commit a criminal act while in this state
of confusion
3. Hypnotism or Mesmerism – a person is made unconscious by the
suggestive influence of a hypnotist; he may commit a criminal act while
under hypnotism, which he may not otherwise be capable of doing
4. Delirium – a state of mental confusion characterized by incoherent
speech, hallucinations, illusions, delusions, restlessness, and apparently
purposeless motions; he may also commit a crime under a state of
delirium
Diagnostic Categories of Mentally-Disturbed Persons
1. Anti-social Personality – a person who is opposed to the principles upon
which society is based; a social rebel; a pervasive pattern of disregard
for, and violation of, the rights of others that begins in childhood or early
adolescence and continues into adulthood

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2. Paranoid-Schizophrenic – a person with a mental disorder resembling
paranoia, but is also characterized by autistic behavior, hallucinations
and personality deterioration
3. Inadequate Personality – a person who does not fit a particular purpose;
one who may see himself as a loser or as someone who always fails
4. Manic-Depressive – characterized by alternating accounts of mania and
depression

C. SEXUAL DEVIANCY
Different Deviant Sexual Behaviors
1. Masochism – sexual gratification by inflicting pain on self
2. Exhibitionism – sexual fulfillment by exposure of private organs or
entire body
3. Voyeurism – sexual indulgence seeing nude people (peeping tom)
4. Sadism – sexual pleasure by inflicting pain upon the victim
5. Transvestitism – sexual gratification by cross-dressing
6. Fetishism – substitution with an inanimate object of human love object
(ex. Panty)
7. Lesbianism – sexual intercourse between women
8. Homosexuality – sexual stimulation with the same gender
9. Incest – sexual intercourse between close relatives
10. Pedophilia – child molestation by sexual intercourse
11. Bestiality – sexual gratification with a living animal
12. Necrophilia – sexual intercourse with a dead body or cadaver

D. JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
Causes of Behavioral Disorders
Predisposing Factors – internal propensities that may not be considered a
criminal act unless an attempt was made
Precipitating Factors – refer to conditions and elements that provoke crimes
Factors that may Lead to Juvenile Delinquency
- Faulty development of the child

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 - Lack of parental guidance
- Broken homes
- Lack of love
- Unfair treatment
- Too harsh or too lenient parental discipline
- Parental indifference
Initial Contact with the Child
1. Responding officers should exercise due diligence and sensitivity in
attending to a child who commits an offense
2. For light offenses, the responding officer should
a. Give the child a friendly advise not to repeat the act
b. Call the parents or guardians for their proper intervention
c. Refer the child directly to the barangay for proper disposition:
3. In all cases, the officer should record facts of the case in his tickler
4. For less serious or serious offenses, the responding officer should:
a. Take the child into police custody
b. Refer the child to the Women and Children’s Protection Desk officer
for proper disposition
c. Locate and notify if possible the child’s parents as well as the social
worker for the case management of the child
E. DRUG DEPENDENT BEHAVIOR
General Signs and Symptoms of Drug Abuse
1. Disrespect to authorities and violation of school norms, for working
adults frequent absences are manifested, less work output due
mainly to lack of concentration with work.
2. Definite and marked changes in personality and behavior, such as
unusual emotional flare-ups and animosity and ill-feelings towards
family and friends.
3. Significant change in physical looks and grooming. Drug users are
often unable to tidy themselves due to loss of interest in their
appearances. Uncut hair, shabby clothing, and lack of hygiene are
common signs seen on drug dependents.
4. The habit of wearing long sleeved clothing to hide injection marks,
and the morbid craving to wear black or dark-colored clothes.
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 5. Wearing of sunglasses at inappropriate times usually to hide
constricted or dilated pupils and unusually big eye bugs due to
altered sleep patterns.
6. Many drug users frequent odd places such as basement, storage
rooms, closets and other similar isolated or close compartments.
They begin to develop extreme paranoia becoming suspicious of
every person around them.
7. Association of persons who are known drug pushers.
8. Unusual spending of money, leading to borrowing cash with no
apparent sensible reason or need.
9. Furtive behavior regarding possession at first selling their personal
properties, while stealing small items from home, school or work,
later turning to more valuable materials.
VICTIMOLOGY
Definition: a branch of criminology that deals with the victimization of
crime
According to Hans von Hentig and Stephen Schafer:
- the critical role of the victim in the criminal process was first identified;
and
- the study of crime is not complete unless the victim’s role is considered

Areas of Interests in the study of Victimology:

a. Using victim surveys to measure the nature and extent of criminal
behavior not reported to the police
b. Calculating the actual costs of crime to victims
c. Measuring the factors that increase the likelihood of becoming a crime
victim
d. Studying the role of the victim in causing or precipitating crime
e. Designing services for the victims of crime, such as counseling and
compensation programs

Some Factors why People become Victims of Crimes

Materialistic Culture – love for money over social ethics
Sex Values – sexually inclined population tend to contribute to sex-related
crimes

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Decay of Discipline – indiscipline and a rebellion to ethical rules are very
noticeable in many places that contribute to the perverted concept of liberty
that “a person may do whatever he pleases” and the distorted notion of
democracy that “the least of the government is the best”
Public Morality – When people fail to condemn a morally reprehensive act,
they indirectly approve the act. There are many evil acts in our society today
because people do not seem to react with moral indignation, but instead
seem to conform and approve silently of it.
Theories of Victimization
Lifestyle-Exposure Theory (1978, Michael J. Hindelang, Michael R.
Gottfredson, and James Garofalo, “Victims of Personal Crime: An Empirical
Foundation for a Theory of Personal Victimization” - victimization risk was a
function of lifestyle The specific features of lifestyles presumed to create
more exposure to crime were said to include time in public (especially at
night), time away from family or household members, and proximity to
and/or association with high-offending groups. In short, these features of
lifestyle shaped the opportunity for individuals to become crime victims.
Their daily life practices render victims susceptible to crimes. Perpetrators
observe the Target and capitalizes on the susceptibility of the target;s daily
life practice.
Victim Precipitation Theory (Larry Siegel, 2006) – suggests that some
people cause or initiate a particular confrontation that may eventually lead to
that person becoming victimized by injury or death.
Two Kinds of Victim Precipitation:
a. Active Precipitation – exists when the victim knowingly acts in a
provocative manner, uses fighting words or threats, or simply
attacks first. In cases of rape, courts have presented not-guilty
verdicts based upon whether or not the victim acted in any way that
seemed to consent to sexual relations such as the manner in which
a woman was dressed.
b. Passive Precipitation – occurs when the victim exhibits some
personal characteristic that unknowingly either threatens or
encourages the attacker. The crime can occur because of personal
conflict.
Examples:
- when two people compete over a job, promotion, love interest,
or some other scarce and coveted commodity
- a woman may become the target of intimate violence when she
increases her job status, and her success results in a backlash
from a jealous spouse or partner
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 - when the victim belongs to a group whose mere presence
threatens the attacker’s reputation, status, or economic well-
being. For example, hate crime violence may be precipitated by
immigrant group members arriving in the community to compete
for jobs and housing.
Victim Personality – refers to an element in an individual’s personality that
incites attacks from criminals
Deviant Place Theory – This theory holds that victims do not motivate
crime but rather are prone to becoming victims simply because they live in
social areas that are disorganized and contain high-crime rates and
therefore have the highest risk of coming into contact with criminals
regardless of their lifestyle or behavior. Also known as High Risk Theory
(sic)
Routine Activity Theory (Lawrence E. Cohen and Marcus Felson, “Social
Change and Crime Rate Trends: A Routine Activity Approach.” – defined the
three necessary ingredients for crime:
(1) a motivated offender,
(2) a suitable target, and
(3) absence of capable guardianship.

Concentric Zone Theory

Robert E. Park and Ernest W. Burgess… developed the idea of natural
urban areas, which consisted of concentric zones, each with its own
structure, organization, characteristics, and unique inhabitants.

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