Body Types That Found to be More Associated With Crime - Essay Example

What body types have been found to be more associated with crime? According to Sheldon’s 1940s that compared 200 delinquents to 200 college persons with a mesomorphic body type are more likely to commit crime (Levinson, 2002). This is somewhat supported by Wilson and Herrnstein’s model which in addition uses a combination of biological and psychological traits to try and predict persons that have a higher predisposition to crime. What do you believe is causing this to happen? Mesomorphs are people with firm, well-developed muscles (Kornblum, 2008) and who are linked to active and aggressive temperaments (Levinson, 2002).

If we compare such individuals with endomorphs, who are soft and fat or with ectomorphs who are thin, it is much easier for mesomorphs to be more physical, active, adventuresome and self-centered. These attributes are characteristic of persons who are egocentric or selfish and therefore have little regard for what others feel or may go to the extreme where they actually become proud of performing deviant activities. It is therefore more likely for mesomorphic individuals to suffer from what Gottfredson and Hirschi’s model refers to as self-control issues that increase an individual’s likelihood to engage in dangerous behaviors such as excessive drinking, reckless driving and eventually crime (Siegel, 2009).

Mesormorphic individuals are fit and therefore would most probably possess the latent traits that predispose them to engage in crime. Though both Gottfredson and Hirschi and Wilson and Herrnstein suggest that there are more factors that we need to look at other than the body type, the mesomorphic body type better suited or adapted for crime than the other body types. References Kornblum, W. (2008). Theoretical Perspectives on Social Deviance. In Sociology in a changing world (8th ed., pp. 162 - 164).

Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth. Levinson, D. (Ed.). (2002). Trait Theories. In Encyclopedia of Crime and Punishment (Vol. 4, pp. 1632 - 1636). California: Sage. Siegel, L. J. (2009). Latent Trait Theories. In Criminology (10th ed., pp. 267 - 274). Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth.