Criminologists use theories in order to answer the “Why” question when examining criminal behavior, crimes, and societal consequences. “The Bad Show” talked about various people’s intent, behavior, and thinking in how they would or did commit crime. The survey conducted by Dr. David Buss on people and homicide, and the incident of the professor who considered hurting his wife can be analyzed using two criminologist theories: Rational Choice Theory and Social Learning Theory.
David Buss created a questionnaire asking his students if they thought about committing a homicide. After collecting and analyzing the answers, David calculated that 75-80% of his students had thought about committing a homicide. In addition, many of his students wrote meticulously about whom they would kill, where the homicide would happen, and the best method for executing the homicide. David expanded his sample to 5,000 …show more content…
His results were harrowing. 91% of men and 84% of women had thought about committing a homicide. The fact that his students and the sample thought about committing crime and reasoning how they would commit the crime (offense-specific) further supports rational choice theory.
David Buss returns in the next incident in which a fellow professor seriously considered killing his wife. The professor was in a fit because his wife had publicly humiliated him for his clothing choices. Mr. Buss and the professor went on a walk to talk through the issue. Later after the party, Mr. Buss receives a phone call from the professor who has asked if he spend the night in Mr. Buss’s house. The professor had smashed his fist into a bathroom mirror, and his wife had left in fear. I think this is an example of Social Learning Theory with a context of Psychoanalytic perspective: Id, Superego, and ego. Social Learning Theory states that behavior is modeled through observations of human social interactions. The theory goes on to examine four factors