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FEATURE ARTICLES

Then came the “Golden Age of Research” which showed a rapid prolif-
eration in research and other studies which also included criminality and

criminal behaviour. Scientists proposed various approaches which could
help ascertain the exact causes of crime. However, not all the theories

were consistent with everyone since human behaviour comes with its dis-
crepancies. Undeniably, the crime commission cannot be explained with-

out using a multifaceted approach.

Let us go into a little detail about the biological approach to studying
crime. This mainly proposed that criminality can be inherited. The main

proponent for this approach was Cesare Lombroso who assumed that
some people are “born criminals”.

The theory that I will be focusing on is the Diathesis-Stress Model. This

model is occasionally used in psychopathology and is used to explain the
development of psychological disorders. As the name suggests, it studies

the interaction between a diathesis and stress caused in an individual. Di-
athesis is a genetic predisposition that is inherently present in the individ-

ual. Simply put, diathesis is a vulnerability. Therefore, this theory can also
be called the Stress-Vulnerability model.

Diathesis can include genetic, biological, physiological, cognitive, and per-

sonality-related factors. For example, an abnormality in a gene is passed
down to an individual from one of his parents. Diathesis can also be ac-

quired at an early stage in life, for example, the loss of a loved one. Stress
can be explained as a life event that disrupts the equilibrium of an indi-

vidual. The model proposes that when an individual with a genetic predis-
position or vulnerability encounters a stressor, which pushes them beyond

their threshold, it can result in the development of a disorder. This theory
can also be used to understand criminal behaviour.

In the case of Heston, let us say that he had a vulnerability passed down

by his father who was an offender. This vulnerability might be the quick
temper that he had in common with his father. His upbringing was no-

where near a stable environment for him. Despite this, Heston had a re-

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