Criminologists and sociologists have debated for centuries how to explain criminal behavior. The two main paradigms of thought are between “nature” and “culture”. Nature refers to learned behavior where a multitude of characteristics, in society, influence whether a person becomes deviant, such as poverty, physical abuse, or neglect. Upbringing defines the biological characteristics that might inevitably lead an individual to deviant or criminal behavior, as biological positivists believe that criminality is inherited from a person's parents. However, I believe that criminal behavior is a mixture of characteristics that lead to deviant acts such as psychological illnesses and environmental factors. This essay will therefore aim to analyze both the positivist biological and the positivist psychological perspectives in the hope of showing the extent to which they play a role in criminal behavior. First, the essay will examine Cesare Lombroso's research on physical characteristics and how these ideas evolved to later develop scientific ideas such as genetics to explain criminal behavior. Second, the essay will focus on external factors that might explain criminal behavior, such as social influences, life chances, and material deprivation. Ceasare Lombroso was one of the first researchers to develop ideas to explain why some people behaved in more deviant ways. than others or committed crimes. Lombroso conducted research on several prisoners measuring facial features and skull size. He then published a book entitled “The Criminal Man in 1876” (Dwyer, 2001 p.15). Lombroso believed that there were two different types of human beings, those who had evolved correctly and those who had not. They were more primitive and...... middle of paper...... 86). This is why I believe that criminal behavior is influenced by the mixture of a person's social background, life chances and pathology. Works cited by Dwyer, D. (2001). Angels on Criminal Psychology. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes Newburn, T. (2013). Criminology. 2nd ed. Abingdon: Routledge.Reviews, CT and Siegel, LJ (2012). Criminology. Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing Co. Sacco, VF and Kennedy, LW (2011). The criminal event: an introduction to criminology in Canada. Toronto Cengage Learning. Morgan, R., Maguire, M. and Reiner, R. (2012). The Oxford Handbook of Criminology. 5th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Hollin, C. (2013). Psychology and crime: an introduction to criminological psychology. London: RoutledgeHallswort, S. and Young, T. (2004) Getting Real About Gang. Criminal Justice Issues [online]. 55. (1), pp 12-13 [Consulted December 10 2013]