Profiling Property Crimes by David V. Canter Laurence J. Alison

Author:David V. Canter, Laurence J. Alison [David V. Canter, Laurence J. Alison]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781138730984
Barnesnoble:
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Published: 2019-11-11T00:00:00+00:00

The Motives of Arsonists

The majority of the studies reported in the previous section relied on the identification of motive as a way of differentiating between sub-groups of firesetters. In the current arson literature the focus has been on producing lists of motives, rather than attempting to tie these into a meaningful psychological framework for exploring ways in which firesetters differ from each other. In order to be of greater explanatory value, it is useful to discuss the motives for arson within the general framework of motivational theory. The factor that has received the most attention from motivational theorists is the concept of human needs as these determine what people want from the environment. Theories of human needs have been termed ‘content theories’ of motivation, as distinct from ‘process theories’, which address the issue of how motivation operates (Steers and Porter, 1991).

Operating within this framework, firesetting behaviour can be seen as an attempt to address an individual’s needs; therefore the motives of arsonists can be discussed within the terms of need theories. Two of the most important of these are Maslow’s need hierarchy and McClelland’s learned needs (Steers and Porter, 1991).

Maslow’s theory explains human behaviour in terms of a hierarchy of five general needs. The most basic of these are physiological needs, including food, water, oxygen, etc. In Geller’s (1992) typology of motives for arson he mentions a category of firesetter described as vagrants. In some cases, serious fires can result from these individuals’ efforts to stay warm when unsheltered. Lewis and Yamell (1951) described them as wanderers and hobos; these days they would probably comprise a proportion of the homeless population. Certainly the desire to stay warm can be categorised as a physiological need. Another motive for firesetting that could be similarly classified has been the subject of some controversy, and that is the sexual arousal that allegedly accompanies some individuals’ firesetting activities. Again, Lewis and Yamell (1951) describe one of their groups of firesetters as an erotic group, made up of pyromaniacs and firesetters who derive direct sexual pleasure from setting and watching fires. As previously mentioned, however, more recent research (Rice and Harris, 1984; Quinsey et al., 1989) has minimised the importance of such a motive.

Finally, fires which are set for financial gain could also be said to be motivated by physiological need in that food and shelter are usually dependent on financial considerations. Most typologies of motives for arson include this category (Geller, 1992; Douglas et al., 1992; Icove and Estepp, 1987).

The second level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is Safety and Security needs. These include a desire for security, stability and protection. In terms of arson, firesetting, which is motivated by crime-concealment, fulfils the need for protection from the undesirable consequences of being caught and convicted of the primary crime, eg. murder, burglary, etc.

The next level of the hierarchy concerns Social needs such as the need for love, affection and a sense of belonging. Maslow states that individuals who are unable to satisfy this need will feel lonely, ostracised and rejected.

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