The mass media influences children to perceive the environment differently since they learn by imitation and observation. Some of the content contained in mass media content such as subtle sexual content, and unrealistic body images and unhealthy habits presented as good practices all make children perceive the environment as harmful ( Agarwal & Dhanasekaran, 2012) . Other materials, such as arts, performance, and educational content, make them view the situation as beneficial.
Biological theories have led to a strong push to come up with new methods to deal with criminals and avoid crimes by observing the physical appearance and genetics of people. Psychological theories bring hope in coping with the problem of the prevention of crime. They also allow future adults to live decently and not end up in jail. Besides, biological theories lack bold evidence to show that physical appearance and other biological factors influence criminality ( Walter, 2017). It is also not possible to consider that anyone can be born as a criminal since it is not easy to underestimate the psychological and social factors linked to them. Psychological theories ignore social forces like poverty, disorganization of the neighborhood, racism, and social inequality, which may affect violent behavior.
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Structural-functional approach to crime gives insight on clarification of wrong and right unifications of people in the society, the assertion of cultural values and norms, and advocating for social change. One of its limitations is that its dysfunction may not end even though they lack a function which disputes the fundamental proposition of the theory ( Bolger & Wright, 2015) . Similarly, the symbolic-interaction approach gives insight into the subjective meaning of reality through phenomenology and communication and senses through qualitative methods. Its limitation is a failure to account for large scale forces and structures ( Walter, 2017). Also, the social-conflict approach gives insight into resource distribution, inequality, and power. It best explains the social change. Its limitation is the inability to explain incremental change and social stability. I mostly agree with social-conflict theory because it is more practical since human beings compete for scarce available resources, which cause constant conflicts.
References
Agarwal, V., & Dhanasekaran, S. (2012). Harmful effects of media on children and adolescents. Journal of Indian Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 8 (2), 38-45. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/288301775_Harmful_effects_of_media_on_children_and_adolescents
Bolger, M. A., & Wright, J. P. (2015). Biosocial approaches: Crime. In International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences (2nd edition), pp. 670–675. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-097086-8.45086-5
Walter, D. (2017). Biological theories of crime versus psychological theories of crime — Comparison and evaluation of their contributions to our understanding of crime and/or criminal justice (Master’s thesis, University of London, United Kingdom ). https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.14740.14726
