Effect of Birth Order on Criminality

Introduction

Behind every crime large or small question remains the same: why did the criminal do it? To figure out the motivation behind crime, criminal behavior professionals used a variety of resources and techniques to answer this difficult question. They examine the history of crime, the sociological biological, psychology and economic factors that contribute to crime. The type of crime is studied; the evidence, their relationship between criminals and victims, and finally the factors associated with criminal’s behavior are examined. These include family life, personality disorders, health, substance use and abuse, sexual disorders, age, gender and more.

There has been much interest on the influence of birth order on personality since Alfred Adler pioneered research on birth order in 1928. However, empirical research on birth order and character has reliably uncovered sporadic connections among character and birth order (Bleske-Rechek & Kelley, 2014). Additionally, even though birth order has been found to affect educational attainment, much less has been studied on the influence of birth order on delinquency outcomes such as disciplinary issues in school, adolescent wrongdoing, and adult crime – results that convey noteworthy negative externalities (Breining, Doyle, Figlio, Karbownik, & Roth, 2017).

Firstborns are seen as pioneers, high-achievers, aspiring, and acclimating. ((McGuirk & Pettijohn, 2008). They endeavor to satisfy their folks by means of conventional ways, which are through scholastic execution and dependable practices (Paulhus, Trapnell, & Chen, 1999). Middle borns may encounter trouble finding a place of benefit and centrality in the family since they never have the chance to hoard guardians' consideration (Adams, 1972). In this way, they continually battle to remain in front of their more youthful kin. Conversely, last borns and just youngsters are as often as possible seen as the ruined child of the family. Be that as it may, in contrast to the last borns, the later-conceived children, including the middle children and last-conceived kids, know about the higher status of the firstborn, so they will search alternative means to stand out from their kin (Paulhus, Trapnell, & Chen, 1999).

The main thrust of this study is to investigate the relationship between birth order and family size on criminal behavior. The study will utilize the lenses of Adlerian birth order theory and Sulloway's born to rebel hypothesis (Sprey & Sulloway, 1998), and will aim to answer the question: does birth order have any influence on criminal behavior in Utopia City?

Method

Participants

The participants will he prisoners of Bliss Maximum Prison, in Utopia City. This site was selected using purposive sampling method, as it was in proximity to the researcher, therefore minimization of expenses to be accrued. All the participants in the research will be male, with the minimum age of 18 years. Prisons are the most appropriate areas to measure and/or study criminality.

Materials

Participants will be required to fill the consent form before going on to fill the questionnaire. They will then complete a paper and pencil survey in the prison, under the supervision of the researcher.

Procedure

Participants will be gathered in a room, and each of them will have a desk or somewhere where they can sit and write. They will be informed about the research, and asked for their consent to participate in the research. Their affirmations will be documented in the consent form. The researcher will the take them through the instructions on how to fill the questionnaire. After this, the questionnaires will be administered to them for their use.

Design

The research design will be ex post facto research design. In this study, there will be no manipulation of variables as the phenomenon under investigation had already taken place. Furthermore, criminality (criminal behavior) is affected by a multiplicity of factors, making it impossible to directly control all the independent variables that are likely to confound the findings. The research is therefore concerned with the situation as it is.

On one hand, the dependent variable which is measured as an indicator of an outcome of an experiment (Stratton and Hayes, 1988). The dependent variable in this study will be criminal behavior. On the other hand, an independent variable is one that an experimenter sets up to cause an effect in the experiment. They are not affected by the experimental procedures. In this study, the following will be birth order the independent variable. It will be considered to be the number of children older than the respondent plus one. The data will be validated, edited, and coded. It will then be collated, analyzed and interpreted. Content and narrative analysis will be used to analyze the data collected. Descriptive statistical tools will be applied to enable the researcher summarize the data and find patterns. The researcher will obtain the relevant clearances from the key government agencies before commencement of the research. Additionally, as the research will engage human participants, the following four fundamental ethical principles will be applied: justice, beneficence, respect for persons and respect for communities.