-Discuss how hedonistic calculus influences decisions, not just criminal ones. D
ID: 3488215 • Letter: #
Question
-Discuss how hedonistic calculus influences decisions, not just criminal ones. Does it seem reasonable that juveniles engage in this process, either consciously or subconsciously, when about to do something, including delinquency?
-Does the thought of punishment deter juvenile behavior? Isn’tthat what guides most early child behavior modification?
-Is rehabilitation morally superior to punishment? Discuss.
-Imagine a history without Freud. What would the juvenile justice system look like?
-If you got good grades in high school and your parents said you did not have to cut the grass for a week as a result, is that positive or negative reinforcement?
Explanation / Answer
Discuss how hedonistic calculus influences decisions, not just criminal ones. Does it seem reasonable that juveniles engage in this process, either consciously or subconsciously, when about to do something, including delinquency?
Hedonistic calculus is based on the philosophy developed by Philosopher Jeremy Bentham. Here actions as consdered as good if they maximise pleasure and minimize pain. Some of the criteria used to decide if an action is morally good or bad are
It does seem reasonable that juveniles engage in this process, either consciously or subconsciously, when about to do something, including delinquency. They simple make the calculation and if the outcome is more likely to provide more pleasure than pain they will engage in an act of delinquency. This is also likely as biologically speaking their pleasure / reward systems in the brain play a larger role during this period of development.
Does the thought of punishment deter juvenile behavior? Isn’tthat what guides most early child behavior modification?
Yes it does deter juvenile behaviour to an extent. Early childhood bheaviour modification is based on punishment but a more effective way forward is teaching them discipline.
Is rehabilitation morally superior to punishment?
This idea is based on the philosophy of Positivism. Here it is believed that there are many sources of delinquincy and simply punishing the individual may not be as effective.They view acts of crime as symptoms of other underlyng issues. eg - a robber is poor and hence is forced to steal. So a morllay superior way to deal with such a crime would be to rehabilitate the robber by probably providing him/her with some financial aid or a suitable job.
Imagine a history without Freud. What would the juvenile justice system look like?
Freud believed that personality is formed in the early years of childhood. Personality develops into a three part personality structure
The Id, The Ego and The Superego.
The id is the collection of unconscious desires and instincts such as aggression. The ego is the identity and actual behavior while the superego is the moral character.
Freud argued that juveniles have poorly developed superegos that are unable to control the Id. There is a conflict between the Id and the Superego. He also believed that the the ego tries to balance out this conflict. Freud believed that what happens in a childs early years manifests and lasts almost the entire adulthood and that little change occurs after adolescence. Without Freud, the juvenile system would not have realized that certain traumas and events the childs early life may have affected his development and instead of rehabilitation of the juvenile they might have been punished and incarcerated, an unproductive outcome.
If you got good grades in high school and your parents said you did not have to cut the grass for a week as a result, is that positive or negative reinforcement?
It is negative reinforcement since you are increaing the likelyhood of the behaviour occuring again (getting good grades) by removing something unpleasant from the environment (cutting grass for a week).
Related Questions
Navigate
Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.