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Theories

Theories

What is a theory?

In everyday conversations, most think of a "theory" as an untested guess.

However, scientifically speaking, it means almost the opposite. That is, a theory is a heavily supported explanation of natural phenomena. These support come from careful observation and well-documented experimentation. For instance, the theory of gravitation explains why objects on earth fall to the ground while objects in space remain afloat. We know this because we have observed so and we have conducted experiments testing the hypotheses regarding gravity.

Essentially, a theory is any collection of hypotheses arranged systematically such that they increase our understanding of the natural world.

The term is derived from the Greek word "theōria" which means "looking at, viewing, or beholding".

The general principles of a theory are derived from, and representative of, particular facts and are dependent upon the thing to be explained.

BeSmart | Fact vs. Theory vs. Hypothesis vs. Law... EXPLAINED!

Elements of a Theory

  • Focus attention on a particular phenomenon
  • Fit the known facts about said phenomenon
  • Contribute to scientific paradigms
  • Provide a way for it to be tested
  • Establish boundaries and domains by which laws can be generalized
  • Enable portions which can be added or compared to those of other theories

Importance of Theory

In the context of criminology and criminal justice, theories matter because they help us understand why we do what we do. After all, theories form the foundation of any science, including criminology.

People who do not take interest in theories relevant to their field are basically moving blindly throughout their work. In the case of criminal justice, this is the equivalent of intervening in people's lives while being uncertain of your job.

The foremost task of any theory is explanation, or prediction. Theories should help people understand why things work the way they do.

Philosophies

Philosophy of Social Norms

Social norms, the informal behavioral rules in communities, have been studied extensively in the social sciences. Anthropologists have described how social norms function in different cultures. Sociologists have focused on their social functions and how they motivate people to act. Economists have explored how adherence to norms influences market behavior. More recently, legal scholars have also touted social norms as efficient alternatives to legal rules, as they may internalize negative externalities and provide signaling mechanisms at little or no cost.

Like many other phenomena, social norms are the unplanned results of interactions of different individuals. It has been argued that social norms should be understood as a kind of grammar of social interactions. Like any other grammar, a set of norms specifies what is acceptable in each specific social group. This view suggests that a study of the conditions under which norms come into being is important to understand the differences between social norms and other types of injunctions.

Philosophy of Ethics

Ethics, or moral philosophy, is the discipline concerned with morality. The term is also applied to any system or theory of moral values or principles.

How should we live? Shall we aim at happiness or at knowledge? Virtue or the creation of beautiful objects? If we choose happiness, will it be our own or the happiness of all? Is it right to be dishonest for a good cause? Can we justify leaving in opulence while others are starving? Can war be justified when the innocent are in harm's way? Is it wrong to clone a human being or to destroy human embryos for the sake of medical advancement? What are our obligations, if any, to the generations of humans who will come in the future and to the nonhuman beings with whom we share the planet?

Ethics deals with such questions at all levels. Its subject consists of the fundamental issues of practical decision-making, and its major concerns include the nature of ultimate value and the standards by which human actions can be judged right or wrong.

The terms "ethics" and "morality" are very closely related. It is now common to refer to ethical judgments or ethical principles where it once would have been more accurate to speak of moral judgments or moral principles. These applications are an extension of the meaning of ethics. In earlier usage, the term referred not to morality itself but to the field of study that has morality as its subject matter. In this sense, ethics is equivalent to moral philosophy.

The Philosophy of Mind

It is a reflection on the nature of mental phenomena and especially on the relation of the mind to the body and to the rest of the physical world.

The philosophy of mind is specifically concerned with quite general questions about the nature of mental phenomena: what, for example, is the nature of thought, feeling, perception, consciousness, and sensory experience?

The Philosophy of Human Behavior

Human behavior is the potential and expressed capacity for physical, mental, and social activity during the phases of human life.

Humans have a typical life course that consists of successive phases of growth, each of which is characterized by a distinct set of physical, physiological, and behavioral features. These phases are prenatal life, infancy, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, including old age. Human development, or developmental psychology, is a field of study that attempts to describe and explain the changes in human cognitive, emotional and behavioral capabilities and functioning over the entire lifespan, from the fetus to old age.

Philosophy of Criminal Behavior

When crime is truly the product of rational choice, the offender commits the act for reasons of personal gain or gratification. The behavior was under their complete control. How and to what degree, however, might other factors intrude on and compromise their ability to exercise free will? The response to this question has come in the form of innumerable theories, each purporting to explain criminal behavior in terms of specific factors. Broadly speaking, criminal behavior theories involve three categories: psychological, biological, and social.

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