What Is Theory?
Theory is defined as a statement about the relationship between two or more social phenomena, the purpose of which is to predict and/or explain those phenomena. Criminological theories are used to explain the facts about crime. There are many facts about crime that need explaining.
In the beginning of this lesson, you were asked to think quickly about a crime that was occurring (hypothetically, of course). Then you were asked to respond to questions about that crime, the offender, and the victim. In the drawbridge exercise, you were given a scenario and then asked to think about to which of the characters the most blame for the death of the Baroness should be attributed. The purpose of both of these exercises is to get you to begin to think about crime causation as a complex puzzle.
"Facts about crimes" here refers to the complex existence of many possible causes of the criminal act. It is highly unlikely that crime is caused by any one thing. Through empirical (another term for scientific) studies, researchers have discovered just the opposite: crime is caused by multiple factors. For example, we know, because of these studies and because of what crime statistics tell us, that more males than females engage in crime. Thus, one "fact" about crime causation is that "males are more likely than are females to become involved in criminal activities." Theory can help us explain why this might be so. We will discuss these theories as we move through this course.
There is one important thing to keep in mind as you begin to explore the criminological theories that will be introduced to you throughout this course. In order for some idea to be considered a theory, researchers must be able to attempt to disprove it. In other words, if the theory cannot be tested scientifically, it is not a theory. It might be an idea or a hunch about something, but it is not a theory. The example I use most often is the statement, "There is a God." This is an idea that is faith-based; it cannot be tested so no effort to disprove it can occur. Thus, it is not a theory. Criminology is the scientific study of crime causation, and although ideas about things that cannot be tested are not at all to be discouraged, this course is about what is, and not about what ought to be. The more your read in the textbook, the clearer this particular definition will become as you get deeper into the course content and discussions.