Unlike the past when we experienced military wars among Nations, wars have changed with time from the Military action in the Second World War to the Cold war of the late 1980s and 90s and now attention has shifted to cyber security as competition for technology becomes intense. Cyber attacks have become a common phenomenon as the fight to have the most sophisticated tools of technology becomes necessary. It is in this regard that major economies of the world are engaging in cyber wars to steal knowledge or intimidate their competitors.
Cyber-attacks include practices associated with cyber wars, spying, terror, criminology, vandalism, and protests. The gaps between subjects are usually big making it difficult to identify executors and their intentions. Traynor (2007) wrote, “An example of Cyberattack is the one that targeted the government networks of Estonia from intelligence teams of Russia in 2007.” The motive of the attack was not known, whether it was political or for intelligence purposes.
Cyber attackers can be classified into two levels that include Minor hackers who use botnets and cheap malware kits, while the second category is the National Intelligence Service which comprises a pool of experts coming up with the latest techniques of attacks. According to McAfee Security Insights (2010), “Any person with a computer has the potential to impose damage.” It is believed that the biggest and most persistent threats of cyber security are espionage and cybercrime.
With this in mind, academicians have come up with theories that explain why people engage in crime. The theories are classified which may be psychological, biological, or sociological. This tries to explain mainly why people engage in crimes or why they become criminals even though they may not like criminal activities. The following three theories explain such a drive to crime.
Psychoanalytic theory
One, psychoanalytic theory of crime tries to explain that whenever a person engages in criminal activities, there may be deep-seated problems in the person executing that crime. In other words, there may be a series of events that may have led a person to indulge in the crime. Psychoanalysts believe that “crime results from a weak ego and superego that cannot restrain the antisocial instincts of the id” (Greene & Heilbrun, 2010). In this theory, it is characteristic that in all the occasions the criminals engage in the crimes and come out without guilt, perhaps because it is an achievement. The psychoanalytic criminals view it as the person who has passed an exam and views it like his/her exam results. It may also be seen as a means of obtaining gratification of basic needs like love and attention that may not have been available previously in their lives.
The psychoanalytic theory also explains that some of the criminal activities may be a result of unresolved childhood issues like sexual molestation, child labor, lack of parental care, and so on. A psychoanalytic criminal may be helped by intense counseling. It is, therefore, very important for society to take good care of children and teach them the right to avoid this kind of criminal activity in the future. Perhaps, parents should try to help children solve their issues as they are growing.
Biological positivism
This theory explains how the biological factors of a person may contribute to him/her engaging in crime. The theory tries to relate intelligence, body size, and body flexibility to criminal activities. Research has shown that (though still arguable) that, these criminals have low intelligence, however, this may not be true because people in prisons may have landed there because they were unable to use their intelligence well and hence, got convicted (Lynn, 2010).
That means that more intelligent criminals may have escaped the long arm of the law. The body size may also influence the behavior of some people, for example, one may be a bully just because he or she is big-bodied. Some people who are swift in movement, sharpshooters, and fast decision-makers may think that they may use that to perform criminal activities. Good social upbringing may help these kinds of people to use their biological advantage to do more positive and well-paying activities that may not endanger their lives.
The classical theory of criminality
In this theory, the main point is rational thinking and hence, deciding on whether to engage in a crime or not. Marsh & Melville, (2006) indicate that “classical criminology was based on the notion that individuals had free will and made rational choices about how they would behave”. A criminal had to think of the benefits and losses they get in any crime they engaged in. This influenced the decisions in the field of criminology in the sense that when administering punishment to a criminal, put it in mind that the criminal had to compare the gains and losses of him/her engaging in the crime. In this theory, criminal activities may explain that by constant exposure to criminal activities, it is rational for one to engage in them. This justifies the cliché, “if you can’t beat them join them”.
In conclusion, many theories explain criminal activities and criminology at large. The above theories explain represent the three main classifications of the theories which include psychological, biological, and sociological perspectives. Crime is not good for human growth and development because this may deprive some people of a source of income and also lead to deaths. A society free of crimes may be a peaceful society.
References
Greene, E., & Heilbrun, K., (2010). Wrightsman’s Psychology and the Legal. New York, NY; Cengage Learning.
Lynn, W. (2010). “Defending a New Domain: The Pentagon’s Cyberstrategy”, Journal of Foreign Affairs, 1(2). pp. 97-108.
Marsh, I., & Melville, G,. (2006). Theories of Crime. New York, NY: Taylor & Francis.