The Development of a Criminal Self-Concept Can Often Lead to What?

Jesse James; Al Capone and Bonnie and Clyde -- these four individuals all had a criminal self-concept. Their criminal behaviors were not morally troublesome to them at all; by contrast, they took pride in their actions and viewed criminality as a career. According to the DSM-IV-TR, individuals with a criminal self-concept suffer from antisocial personality disorder. Their prognosis is quite poor, and their risky behaviors are life threatening to themselves and those around them.

Sabotaged Relationships

• Adults with a criminal self-concept have a pattern of disregard for others, beginning in childhood. Their lying, swindling and aggressive behaviors typically lead to destroyed friendships, divorce and estrangement from family members.

Poor Health

• Due to their impulsiveness, adults with a criminal self-concept tend to have poor medical histories. They may have many broken bones, poor nutrition, poor physical hygiene and substance abuse problems, for example. Because they do not anticipate the consequences of their actions, they often do not seek adequate medical care.

Lengthy Incarceration

• As adults, individuals with a criminal self-concept tend to have been incarcerated on multiple occasions. Many have been in prison for more years than they have been on the street. Their quality of life is severely affected and they cannot make choices freely. Once institutionalized, they have an even harder time setting their own schedules and behaving responsibly upon their release.

Poverty

• Criminal behaviors are not that profitable in the long run. The work is unsteady and concomitant drug and alcohol problems combined with irresponsible spending lead to poverty. Once incarcerated, they typically loose all progress they have made toward accumulating property and stability. Post release, they have no marketable prosocial skills and make a substandard income.

Resistance to Treatment

• Treating someone with a criminal self-concept is very difficult. As adults, these individuals typically do not want jobs and may even believe working for a living is foolish. Teaching them to follow even basic social mores, such as showing up for work on time, not stealing from their employer and avoiding fights at work is difficult. They are typically not motivated by traditional means, such as wanting to change for their children or wives because people are disposable to them. Although at around age 40, their behaviors slow down, but many are still incarcerated at that age or the destruction that they have left in their wake is difficult to repair.