What is price discrimination and its effect on economies

What is price discrimination and its effect on economies Introduction Price discrimination is the practice of one retailer, wholesaler or manufacturer charging different prices for the same items to different customers. This is a widespread practice that does not necessarily imply negative discrimination. In an economic term, price discrimination is the ratio of price to marginal cost that differs for similar products. The practice of price discrimination is not an isolated event. It occurs in many familiar situations but this practice is often highly controversial in terms of its impact on both consumers and rivals. Price discrimination is mainly for markets that are monopolistic or oligopolistic. In these kinds of markets the firm has to decrease price in order to sell more of the good because they are the only supplier. Because of this marginal revenue is derived from the demand but the profit maximization condition is still marginal cost equals marginal benefits but marginal benefits does not equal the demand curve. Role and Prevalence Whenever we travel, because we are interested in economics we are probably conscious that we are being charged a different price for our journey than some other persons travelling with us. A rail journey is cheaper in the middle of the day than it is in rush hour. However, even at the same time of day a range of prices is being charged. For example, some have rail cards entitling them to discounts; others do not. Children often travel at half price. It is cheaper for people who book in advance. If we travel by air the price of the ticket probably varies hugely between types of traveler. These variations occur not just for different airlines and different flight times but people travelling on the same aircraft have bought tickets for very different prices. Some will have paid no money at all if they have collected enough `air miles. These price differences are not confined to the transport industry. The rates charged at hotels vary between customers even for the same quality of room o n the same night. Doctors in the private sector charge different amounts to different patients for the treatment of the same condition Role and Prevalence Price discrimination is one of the basic concepts in microeconomics. Price discrimination plays a major role in the privacy which is much debated and one of the many privacy puzzles is that even though the public shows intense concerns about loss of privacy, they are not doing much to protect themselves. Privacy-protecting technologies have not fared well in the marketplace, and very minor rewards are enough to persuade people to sign up for grocery store loyalty programs. Another puzzle is that so many commercial organizations are actively working to erode privacy. Governments often decrease privacy in attempting to combat terrorism, or tax evasion, or to increase their political control. Criminals invade privacy to make money by using other peoples credit cards. Employers monitor their employees to increase productivity. And ordinary citizens, armed with an array of increasingly powerful and versatile tools, such as cameras in cell phones, are beginning to collect massive amounts o f information that, if combined and analyzed, could lead to dramatic decreases in privacy. However, most of the data collection efforts so far have come from private enterprises, and are the ones that attract most of the concern and publicity. These efforts are often extremely intrusive, and are extremely widespread. Moreover, they persist in spite of intense public opposition, even though there have not been too many commercially successful exploitations of the information that is gathered. Most of the privacy issues discussed above are related to price discrimination in one or other way. But it is not always true that price discrimination is bad for public even though the privacy is compromised. We are able to see best products and services for the price we pay today. It would not have been possible if the commercial organizations or the sellers have not continually researched to make their products and services to make it more customized to their customers by analyzing their behavior in different ways. Price discrimination plays very important role for both the survival of the commercial business and to the public to get the best out of the price they pay. Price Discrimination Does Not Explain  Everything Price discrimination by word meaning looks like it is like unfair pricing to customers. But when are discuss from the viewpoint of seller or the manufacturers it is totally different and sounds very reasonable. Stores must sell their goods at prices that cover the wholesale cost of the individual goods as well as the overhead costs of the store, like labor and the building lease. The amount of additional price that must be charged for each good to cover overhead costs is a function of the average turnover of the goods sold. The faster a store can sell its goods, the lower the average overhead costs of each good, and thus the less that must charge to cover the stores average total costs. If a store sells three times as much on Black Friday than they normally do, then the overhead costs are three times as small. Types of price discrimination First degree price discrimination First degree price discrimination is more theoretical as it requires the seller to have knowledge of absolute maximum price for the goods and services that the buyers are willing to pay. As the seller has the knowledge of maximum price that the buyers are willing, they are able to earn the maximum profit from the transaction. This assumes that the consumer passively reacts to the price set by the seller, and that the seller knows the demand curve of the customer. In practice however there is a bargaining situation, which is more complex: the customer may try to influence the price, such as by pretending to like the product less than he or she really does or by threatening not to buy it. Second degree price discrimination In second degree price discrimination price varies according to quantity sold. So when large number of quantity is sold then the unit price of the product is low and if less number of quantities is sold then unit price is higher for the same quality of the products and services. Second degree price discrimination is more practical in nature and is widely used in the general market, mostly in industrial sector. Buyers who are buying in bulk enjoy the discounts than the one who buys individual items. In reality, different pricing may apply to differences in product quality as well as quantity. For example, airlines often offer multiple classes of seats on flights, such as first class and economy class. This is a way to differentiate consumers based on preference, and therefore allows the airline to capture more consumers surplus. Third degree price discrimination In third degree price discrimination customers are segregated into different markets and charged different prices in each of them. Segmentation can be based on any characteristic such as age, geographic location, gender, income and many others according to the nature of the products and services. Necessary Conditions for Price Discrimination The firm must operate in imperfect competition; it must be a price maker with a downwardly sloping demand curve. For example, airlines routinely engage in price discrimination by charging high prices for customers with relatively inelastic demand such as business travelers and discount prices for tourist who have relatively elastic demand. The airlines enforce the scheme by making the tickets non-transferable thus preventing a tourist from buying a ticket at a discounted price and selling it to a business traveler. The firm must be able to separate markets and prevent resale. Example of stopping an adult using a child ticket. The firm must be able to prevent market seepage or consumer switching which is the process whereby consumers who have purchased a good or service at a lower price are able to re-sell it to those consumers who would have normally paid the expensive price. This can be done in a number of ways, and is probably easier to achieve with the provision of a unique service such as a haircut rather than with the exchange of tangible goods. Seepage might be prevented by selling a product to consumers at unique and different points in time for example with the use of time specific airline tickets that cannot be resold under any circumstances. Different consumer groups must have elasticity of demand. E.g. students with low income will be more price elastic. There must be a different price elasticity of demand from each group of consumers. The firm is then able to charge a higher price to the group with a more price inelastic demand and a relatively lower price to the group with a more elastic demand. By adopting such a strategy, the firm can increase its total revenue and profits (i.e. achieve a higher level of producer surplus). To profit maximize, the firm will seek to set marginal revenue = to marginal cost in each separate (segmented) market. Advantages and Disadvantages Advantages Firms will be able to increase revenue. This will enable some firms to stay in business who otherwise would have made a loss. For example price discrimination is important for train companies who offer different prices for peak and off peak. Geographic price discrimination is used when a firm wishes to sell a product at different prices in different member states. Typically, this requires some measures in order to prevent trade between the member states from eliminating the price differentials. By getting more money out of people who are willing and able to pay more than what would be the market equilibrium price you can provide your service to people who arent able to pay the market price. Increased revenues can be used for research and development which benefit consumers Some consumers will benefit from lower fares. E.G. old people benefit from lower train companies; old people are more likely to be poor. Disadvantages: Some consumers will end up paying higher prices. These higher prices are likely to be allocatively inefficient because P>MC. Businesses dont know what people are really willing and able to pay for your service so you might lose out on some money if you underestimate what someone is willing to pay or overestimate what someone is able to pay. Decline in consumer surplus. Those who pay higher prices may not be the poorest. E.g. adults could be unemployed, OAPs well off. There may be administration costs in separating the markets. Profits from price discrimination could be used to finance predatory pricing. Conclusion: Price discrimination is one of the major issues around the world and it will remain for coming years as well. The incentives towards price discrimination and the ability to price discriminate will be growing in the coming years as sellers will be increasingly tempted to engage in differential pricing. Internet have played a crucial role in helping general public to get best out of the price discrimination due to information of products and services easily available in the Web and ease of buying from any supplier. Therefore the stress is likely to be on different ways to hide price discrimination. Sellers are always tracking every moment of their customers to best fit their needs or to attract them to their products in the form of loyalty card, security camera, coupons, store credit card and many other forms of incentives. However, privacy concerns have always hit back to the sellers as it is very important topic going on in this Information Technology world. Since intimate knowledge of consumer preferences and willingness to pay will be of advantage in creating customized packages for the targeted group of people, and will often provide crucial competitive advantage to sellers governments are likely to play an increasing role in pricing. Governments and others non-profit organizations are also likely to continue playing an important role, in order to protect the welfare of the general public without hurting the businesses. We as a general public should also be self conscious about the price discrimination and should accept if reasonable or look for best option if available and protect our privacy to the extent which is within our control. Role and Prevalence http://www.dtc.umn.edu/~odlyzko/doc/privacy.economics.pdf http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3889/is_200210/ai_n9137062/ Forms of price discrimination http://else.econ.ucl.ac.uk/papers/uploaded/222.pdf Price Discrimination Does Not Explain  Everything http://modeledbehavior.com/2009/11/24/price-discrimination-does-not-explain-everything/ Different Types of Price Discrimination http://www.economicshelp.org/microessays/pd/price-discrimination.html NecessaryConditions for Price Discrimination http://www.economicshelp.org/microessays/pd/price-discrimination.html Advantages and Disadvantages http://www.economicshelp.org/microessays/pd/price-discrimination.html http://www.kkv.se/upload/filer/trycksaker/rapporter/proscons/rap_pros_and_cons_pricediscrimination.pdf

Create Dramatic Tension Essay

A view from the bridge, one of Arthur Miller’s first comings when he became interested in the work and lives of large communities of long shore men. Arthur Miller himself worked as a long shore man on New York Brooklyn harbour. This certainly invigorated him into something ‘dangerous and mysterious. ‘ A View from the Bridge originated from a simple story Miller’s friend had told him about. At the time Arthur was active with numerous other projects he hand entitled to do, so he didn’t act upon this piece immediately. His travels along with many potential ideas combined with his clever knowledge and imaginative understanding would give way to something that would later on become controversial. This play was written in 1955, set in Red Hook in a slum area in New York, its exactly as it sounds, dull, dark and full of unwinding drama behind closed doors. Based in 1940s immigration had been illegal at the time when America had banned it due to heavy immigrant incomings, this made coming into America difficult but not impossible. A View from the Bridge at first boasts upon a second generation Italian family, consisting of Eddie, his wife Beatrice and her niece Catherine, these three characters living together pleasantly. These characters play an essential role in dialectical amusement. This Italian family would follow the nature of the stereotypical Italian virtues, valuing loyalty, fixated trust, respect and honour. Respect and loyalty are things an Italian family should contain and retain. A clear feature in this play is immigration, which right from the beginning intertwines through to the end. Starting of with such a young fun loving warm hearted family filled with an easy atmosphere then merged towards difficult and stiff tension between additional characters like Redolfo and Marco who come over to stay from Italy, the family go through hoops of dispute leading to argumentative circles and to a most glum ending. When Beatrice’s cousin’s Marco and Redolfo move into in with the family welcomed by Eddie, things start to submerge. Eddie notices Catherine’s fondness for Redolfo, causing Eddie to become over protective, but not because its his niece but more so because of unmentionable deeper feelings he has for his niece. This family gets torn apart by jealousy, loss of trust and violence. At the end of the play after psychological and verbal threats from Eddie to Redolpho, Marco at the end of Act one/two lifts a chair above Eddie declaring power, urgency and alarms start to go off. At the end of the play the immigration officers come in and arrest Marco and Redolfo. Tempers start to run up high as Marco swears at Eddie which sets him off. Eddie at the end attempted to kill Marco with a knife which goes by all his morals, but Marco turns Eddies weapon into his nemesis and kills him instead. Beatrice and Catherine were deeply upset about Eddies death recollecting what they lost forgetting all the trouble he’d brought upon himself. Eddie’s death was appropriate it wasn’t about why he would die more about how he would die. Although Eddie died, in a sense he became successful because he was killed on Catherine’s and Redolfo’s wedding day, so each day they would remember his death and why he died. My first key dramatic moment is when Beatrice says to Eddie ‘you want something else Eddie and you can never have her! ‘ and when she also adds, ‘the truth is not as bad as blood’ indicating that if he doesn’t acknowledge the truth their will be a bloody outcome. When Beatrice says all this its as if she had brought everything that has been hidden for so long out into the wide open. She brings up the hidden agenda that has stayed taboo to her for so long, she’s telling him that she knows that he wants something else and makes it clear she knows its Catherine by concluding ‘and Eddie you can’t have her! ‘ This is a key dramatic moment because this is when Miller lets Beatrice take control and helps the other characters understand why Eddie is doing what he is. Also because it comes as unexpected and to Catherine it would be a shock and would fill her with disgust, she had no idea what Beatrice was saying it hadn’t sunk in to her, she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. This moment delays what’s happening and it starts to focus on Eddie, Beatrice and Catherine. This horrifies the other characters around and certainly makes the audience reacts with gasp, for the characters had no idea about Eddies feelings but the audience had an idea of it but didn’t expect Beatrice to say what she did and they way she did. This caused dramatic irony because they knew something that the characters didn’t and they were witnessing the build up. This left Eddie in a state uneasiness he swiftly went into denial knowing that inside that Beatrice was speaking the truth. Miller showed us the effects when both Catherine and Eddie both exclaimed ‘B’ and diverted their attention and eyes on her. Miller created this effect cleverly because just as Eddie was going to confront Marco, Beatrice used this as a last attempt to stop Eddie’s frenzy. Miller showed us a wife telling her husband that she knows that her partner wants someone else, the biggest effect this would have is on Eddie. Also the way he showed us they horror in the raised voices. The audience and characters didn’t suspect Beatrice to confront Eddie like this, since she was torn apart by these 2 sides. Miller runs the tension higher than it already was and straight back down to the confrontation of Eddie and Marco.

Alcoholism and its link to poor self-esteem

Prior to maturity is the stage of adolescence. This is the period where physical and psychological changes take place. The beginning of adolescence is indicated by physical changes known as puberty. With these changes, entail the teenager’s self-perception regarding his physical transformation. Although this aspect is only one of the areas that might seriously affect an adolescent’s self-esteem, it is also a major consideration in the understanding of the youth’s developing self (Halonen & Santrock, 1996).These physical changes affect personality; radical changes in attitudes and interests may occur, but there is consciousness in acting the role of adults. Conflicts may be experienced or may arise as a result of psychosocial behavior patterns in the attempt to achieve maturity. Accepting one’s physique, therefore, is considered one of adolescent’s developmental tasks(Hilgard, 2001).In addition, there is also the emotional independence from parents; developing intellectual skills and concepts necessary for civic competence; desiring and achieving socially responsible behavior and building values in harmony with adequate scientific world-picture (Halpern, 1992). These are actually innate cravings of every individual person and must be resolved especially in such a critical period as adolescence. Problem statements Basic theoretical viewpoints in social psychology are divided on the effects of self-esteem on an individual’s functioning relative to his/her world.One extreme views self-esteem as the root cause of all of society’s problems and that raising it is to solve many social ills. Where poor performance in school is a perennial problem, unemployment or poverty is concerned, the advocates say that poor self-esteem is at their roots. Alcoholism for instance may indicate that an adolescent is having a problem with self-esteem (Pritchard, 2007). This research intends to show that there is a strong correlation betwe en the poor self-esteem and adolescent alcoholism in terms of a teenager’s deficiency and maladaptive patterns in confronting issues concerning himself and his role in his community.Also, in an attempt to provide appropriate recommendations that might be useful for a possible reduction to the incidence of adolescent alcoholism, underlying causes of such phenomena will be analyzed. Specific Main Questions and Sub-questions: Based on the developmental tasks that are expected to occur during the adolescent stage and the context in which self-esteem plays a role in alcoholism, the main research question of this study was drawn as to †¢ What is the correlation of poor self-esteem to adolescent alcoholism?The subsequent research sub-questions that will guide the framework of the research study are as follow: A. What is self-esteem? B. What are the effects of low self-esteem to adolescents? C. To what extent does alcoholism in adolescents a reflection of low-esteem? D. What are the reasons that contribute why adolescents with low self-esteem lead to such maladaptive behavior as alcoholism? E. What are the interventions available to help adolescents with low self-esteem who suffer in alcoholism. F.What strategic approaches could be used to reduce the incidence of lowered self-esteem? CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW Title: Self-esteem and its relationship to alcohol and substance abuse prevention in adolescents Author: Joseph, Donnelly, PhD. Studies regarding substance abuse (alcohol included) yielded results that clearly associate self esteem closely to it. Those who are engaged in alcohol use in later or older age do so because they have learned the use of it in their early and moldable years (11 years old or 5th & 6th grade).Consequently, attempts have been made to deal with the area of self-esteem in hopes that when this psychological problem among teens is addressed properly, substance abuse might somehow be curbed. There are programs that cater to this need and they are actually placed side by side with the traditional curriculums of some schools. The specific aim of the program is prevention and anticipates a positive effect since it seeks to deal with the potential problem of alcohol use before its actual occurrence.Experts and researchers believe that this quandary of alcohol abuse among teens may be helped by treating it in a stage where it is less obvious – that is, when the youngster is not yet manifesting or is obviously using alcohol, but on the brink of experimenting on it (Donnelly, 2007). Advocates of the program are optimistic to the efficacy of their method. The line of attack of this particular method is directed towards factors that are crucial to the make up of adolescents’ life experiences.Understanding the transitions that teenagers most likely will go through is the underlying principle that facilitated the study that eventually led to the formation of this program. Hence, the high hopes that the p roponents of this program maintain. In this paper, the author tries to explore and explain the rubric of the particular synopsis mentioned above and to finally (in the process) convince its readers of its viability in decreasing the problem of alcoholism among teens and young adults in the coming years.It will explain the rationale behind the effectiveness of the curriculum since the whole program is aimed at the core level of the perpetual potential problem of alcohol addiction. ~Feasibility of the Program The National Association for Self-Esteem (NASE), as the very name of the association clearly implies, believe that the self-esteem of the individual plays a major role why or why not that particular person is using/abusing or not using/abusing alcohol.The observation is that teenagers with low self esteem have higher likelihood to experiment not only with alcohol but with other harmful psychoactive substances than those with high self-esteem. Furthermore, their studies yield evid ences that point to the fact that individuals with positive self-esteem show not only little serious involvement with addictive substances but lesser tendency to risk trying the pleasures of these drugs. Convinced of this observation, self-esteem proponents constantly research and write articles that speak to the issue.They support a prevention program which has within it as crucial part â€Å"self-esteem enhancement. † Not any prevention program or traditional approach to the problem will achieve a longer-lasting effect. Overwhelming data available have proven that traditional school programs are not sufficient to address the issue; in order to be really effective in curbing alcoholism among teenagers, it is very important that as researches yield additional information, new strategies should be incorporated and employed as well.Important factors along with self-esteem that must be tackled include: personal efficacy, ability to decide wisely for oneself, and communication sk ills, etc. These areas must be developed since they influence and affect the behavior of an individual. It is believed that when these basic skills are taught and cultivated, rather than concentrating on the harmful effects of alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs, the benefits will be much more than the reduction of the likelihood of teenagers and young adults to use and abuse drugs.Involvement with other behavioral correlates like unsafe sexual encounters, and teenage pregnancy, will also diminish. The timing of the implementation of this kind of preventive program in schools for it to really achieve its goal among teenagers is also emphasized. It has to be implemented early, or else, its efficacy will lessen. Dr. Joseph Donnelly (self-esteem proponent) said: â€Å"It is much easier to prevent adolescents from ever engaging in the use of substances than it is to deter that use once it has begun. † Title: Self Esteem Author: Dr. E. PritchardAccording to the author, the concept on self esteem hinges around the physical attractiveness of a person rather than on objective values or qualities. Dr. Pritchard attempts further that for most people who regard physical attractiveness as pre-eminent to be on top of the world of men, self-esteem then will become an issue. The author narrows the two important salient features in concept of self esteem which includes: -â€Å"a feeling of being lovable† -â€Å"a feeling of being competent† He qualifies also such distinction that low self esteem is not the same as depression.He also identifies two strong motivations people have: the need for praise or compliment or a positive feedback, and the need for self-verification. He further mentions that ecological niches in every individual provide a clue as to the degree that our self-view is adversely affected. In a related study on Marital Bliss, couples are said to be observed as more committed to each other due to their consistent self-view; i. e. , one who has a positive self-view is more committed to the other who also has a positive self-view.Furthermore, Pritchard examines the validity of the claim and states his own argument against what is seemingly narrow understanding of the concept: if self-esteem may be a root problem in society’s problems and if the resulting ills that society is recipient of is suffering from poor self-esteem, then it is logical that raising it will positively eradicate if not remove the problems of people. Title: Urban-rural differences in adolescent self- esteem, leisure boredom, and sensation-seeking as predictors of leisure-time usage and satisfactionAuthor: Winsome Rose Gordon and Marie Louise Caltabiano The author seeks to establish the mediation of low self-esteem over the adolescents’ choice to opt for deviant behavior rather than on more socially acceptable conduct. Deviant behavior refers to use and abuse of drugs as observed in the study. Other factors such as leisure boredom and se nsation-seeking as possible mediators as self-esteem is known to be more effective in drawing an adolescent to engage in rather in more productive venues. Title: Evaluating the effects of self-esteem on substance abuse among homeless men (evaluating self-esteem)Author: Barris P. Malcolm It is especially significant that even in studying homeless men, it is important that studies like these further cement the role of self-esteem plays in the choice to use chemical or other substances. It also reviews the studies done by Kaplan in that a strong link tying self-esteem to the possible dependence of individuals to alcohol and other harmful substances. The study seeks to provide the theoretical framework to support the notion risky behaviors including indulgence with alcohol and drugs are associated with low self.In similar attempts to elaborate the research, the author also cited the inconsistent reports and studies done by several authors which claims that alcoholism results to higher s elf-esteem rather than its opposite. Title: Self-esteem: the costs and causes of low self- worth Author: Nicholas Emler Emler collated and presented his facts on several studies that support the close correlation that a poor self-esteem influences the individual’s choice to adopt a destructive lifestyle. However, in this study, Emler clarifies that o Self-esteem can actually be measured and quantified reliablyo Parental influences play a direct part in developing the child’s view of self hence, a low self-esteem stems from such factors as parenting styles, physical and sexual abuse o The interventions that have been developed by experts are still limited and are not known to be effective for a long period of time. o Strategic approaches implemented and public policies have their specific outputs as a response to the position that low self-esteem can be equated with self-destructive patterns. o Other factors such as belonging to a particular minority group, race or gend er may be root causes that a person like an adolescent is specifically tempted.The review and in-depth report reflect the negative correlation between self-esteem and the factors just enumerated. Reference: 1. Donnelly, Joseph. 2004. Self-Esteem and it's Relationship to Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention in Adolescents. Dept. of Health Professions/PERLS National Association for Self-esteem. 2. Emler, Nicholas. 2001. The costs and causes of low self-esteem. Joseph Rowntree foundation. 3. Gordon, Winsome Rose. 1996. Urban-rural differences in adolescent self-esteem, leisure boredom, and sensation-seeking as predictors of leisure-time usage and satisfaction. Adolescence. p. 1 4. Halonen, JS, & JW Santrock.1996. Psychology: contexts of behavior. Dubuque, IA: Brown and Benchmark, p. 810. 5. Hilgard. E, et al. 1983. Introduction to Psychology. 7th edition. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanich. 6. Malcolm, Barris. 2004. Evaluating the effects of self-esteem on substance abuse among homele ss men (evaluating self-esteem. Journal of Alcohol and Drug Addiction. 7. Pritchard, John. Self Esteem. Accessed September 27, 2007 < file:///D:/Documents%20and%20Settings/alan/My%20Documents/ALCOHOLSIM%20AND%20SELFESTEEM/social98b. html> 8. Halpern, D. F. 1992. Sex differences in cognitive abilities. 2nd ed. Hillsdale, NJ; Lawrence Erlbaum.

3 Discredited Biological Explanations for Deviancy

A number of theories have tried to explain why people take part in deviant behavior, which is defined as any behavior that goes against the dominant norms of society. Biological explanations, psychological reasons, and sociological factors have all been linked to such behavior, but three of the major biological explanations for deviancy have been discredited. They posit that criminals are born rather than made, meaning that ones genetic makeup is the top reason a person engages in deviant acts. Biological Theories   Biological theories of deviance see crime and deviant behavior as a form of illness caused by distinct pathological factors. They assume that some people are born criminals or that offenders are biologically different from the general public. The logic here is that these individuals have a mental and physical defect of some sort that makes it impossible for them to learn and follow rules. This defect, in turn, leads to criminal behavior.​ Born Criminals Nineteenth-century Italian criminologist Cesare Lombroso rejected the idea that crime is a characteristic of human nature. Instead, he believed that criminality is inherited, and he even developed a theory of deviance that argued a person’s bodily constitution indicates whether one is a born criminal. These born criminals are a throwback to an earlier stage of human evolution with the physical makeup, mental capabilities, and instincts of primitive man. In developing his theory, Lombroso observed the physical characteristics of Italian prisoners and compared them to those of Italian soldiers. He concluded that the criminals were physically different. The physical characteristics he used to identify prisoners included an asymmetry of the face or head, large monkey-like ears, large lips, a twisted nose, excessive cheekbones, long arms, and excessive wrinkles on the skin. Lombroso declared that males with five or more of these characteristics could be marked as born criminals. Females, on the other hand, only needed as few as three of these characteristics to be born criminals. Lombroso also believed that tattoos are the markings of born criminals because they stand as evidence of both immortality and insensitivity to physical pain. Body Types William Sheldon was an American psychologist practicing in the early to mid-1900s. He  spent his life observing the varieties of human bodies and came up with three types: ectomorphs, endomorphs, and mesomorphs. Ectomorphs are thin and fragile. Their bodies are  described as flat-chested, lean, lightly muscled, and small shouldered. Endomorphs are considered soft and fat. They are described as having underdeveloped muscles and a round physique. They often have difficulty losing weight. Mesomorphs are muscular and athletic. Their bodies are described as hourglass-shaped when theyre female, or rectangular-shaped in males. Theyre muscular with thick skin and have excellent posture. According to Sheldon, mesomorphs are the most prone to commit crime or other deviant behaviors. Y Chromosomes This theory holds that criminals have an extra Y chromosome that gives them an XYY chromosomal makeup rather than an XY makeup. This creates a strong compulsion in them to commit crimes. This person is sometimes called a super male. Some studies have found that the proportion of XYY males in the prison population is slightly higher than the general male population, but other studies don’t provide evidence that supports this theory. Sources Gibson, Mary. Born to Crime: Cesare Lombroso and the Origins of Biological Criminology (Italian and Italian American Studies). Praeger, 2002. Rose, Martha, and Wayne Mayhall. Sociology: The Basic Principles of Sociology for Introductory Courses. BarCharts, Inc., 2000.