Moffitt’s Developmental Taxonomy of Antisocial Behavior

Author(s):  
Alex R. Piquero ◽  
Terrie E. Moffitt
Author(s):  
Tara Renae McGee ◽  
Terrie E. Moffitt

This chapter considers whether the peak in the age–crime curve is a function of active offenders committing more crime during adolescence or a function of more individuals actively offending in the peak years. It discusses the two main and most empirically tested typological groupings: the life-course persistent group and the adolescence limited group. The chapter then reviews the evidence on a theoretically interesting grouping: those who abstain from antisocial and offending behavior. It focuses on the debate regarding whether those who were originally thought to recover from early-onset antisocial behavior have childhood-limited antisocial behavior or exhibit low-level chronic antisocial behavior across the life course. Finally, the chapter discusses how the theory it introduces accounts for adult-onset offending and considers whether there are gender differences that need to be accounted for by the theory.


2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 537-549 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wesley G. Jennings ◽  
Michael Rocque ◽  
Bryanna Hahn Fox ◽  
Alex R. Piquero ◽  
David P. Farrington

AbstractMuch research has examined Moffitt's developmental taxonomy, focusing almost exclusively on the distinction between life-course persistent and adolescence-limited offenders. Of interest, a handful of studies have identified a group of individuals whose early childhood years were marked by extensive antisocial behavior but who seemed to recover and desist (at least from severe offending) in adolescence and early adulthood. We use data from the Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development to examine the adult adjustment outcomes of different groups of offenders, including a recoveries group, in late middle adulthood, offering the most comprehensive investigation of this particular group to date. Findings indicate that abstainers comprise the largest group of males followed by adolescence-limited offenders, recoveries, and life-course persistent offenders. Furthermore, the results reveal that a host of adult adjustment problems measured at ages 32 and 48 in a number of life-course domains are differentially distributed across these four offender groups. In addition, the recoveries and life-course persistent offenders often show the greatest number of adult adjustment problems relative to the adolescence-limited offenders and abstainers.


2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 228-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janko Međedović ◽  
Boban Petrović

Abstract. Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy are personality traits understood to be dispositions toward amoral and antisocial behavior. Recent research has suggested that sadism should also be added to this set of traits. In the present study, we tested a hypothesis proposing that these four traits are expressions of one superordinate construct: The Dark Tetrad. Exploration of the latent space of four “dark” traits suggested that the singular second-order factor which represents the Dark Tetrad can be extracted. Analysis has shown that Dark Tetrad traits can be located in the space of basic personality traits, especially on the negative pole of the Honesty-Humility, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Emotionality dimensions. We conclude that sadism behaves in a similar manner as the other dark traits, but it cannot be reduced to them. The results support the concept of “Dark Tetrad.”


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