Who Would ‘Purge’? Low Self-Control, Psychopathy, and Offending in the Absence of Legal Controls

2020 ◽  
pp. 001112872094095
Author(s):  
Ryan C. Meldrum ◽  
Peter S. Lehmann ◽  
Jamie L. Flexon
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Behavior ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Legal Controls ◽  
Low Self Control

The assumption that people are inherently self-interested and that legal controls are needed to prevent crime underlies several criminological perspectives. In the current study, this assumption is tested by having a sample of 500 U.S. adults report on the likelihood they would engage in criminal behavior if all crime were legal on one day each year—a scenario depicted in the 2013 film The Purge. Based on the presumption that at least some individuals would “purge,” the extent to which low self-control and psychopathy are associated with the likelihood of purging is also considered. Results indicate that 18% of participants would be likely to purge. In addition, both low self-control and psychopathy are positively associated with the likelihood of purging.

Maternal incarceration penalty: an examination of the effect of maternal conviction and incarceration on childhood delinquency

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristen N. Sobba ◽  
Brenda Prochaska ◽  
Emily Berthelot
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Behavior ◽  
Delinquent Behavior ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Low Self Control ◽  
Property Destruction ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Several studies have reported the impact of paternal incarceration and criminal behavior on childhood delinquency; however, fewer studies have addressed the influence of maternal criminality on children’s behavioral outcomes. Integrating self-control and attachment theoretical frameworks, the purpose of this paper is to address the impact of mothers who have been stopped, arrested, convicted, and incarcerated in relation to their children’s delinquent behavior. Design/methodology/approach The Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing data set was used to better understand this relationship. By using binary logistic regression, two types of delinquent behavior were assessed: destroying property and fighting. Findings The results revealed that mothers’ criminal behavior affected children’s fighting tendencies but did not significantly impact children’s tendency to destroy property. Furthermore, certain childhood antisocial traits and demographic characteristics revealed to also impact children’s delinquent behavior. From the results, implications and prevention strategies were drawn describing techniques to combat delinquency. Originality/value This research lays a foundation for future researchers to explore mother-child attachment and the transmission of low self-control from mother to child in relation to criminality. The current research is one of the first studies to specifically address how maternal criminal behavior affects their children’s tendency to engage in delinquency, specifically examining property destruction and fighting.

The Interaction Between Self-Control and Perceived Sanction Risk: An Analysis From the Viewpoint of Different Theories

2019 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 104-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helmut Hirtenlehner
Keyword(s):  
Adult Development ◽  
Criminal Behavior ◽  
Action Theory ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Adolescent And Young Adult ◽  
Young Adult Development ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Theory Of Crime ◽  
Low Self Control ◽  
The Impact

The present article studies the interplay of self-control and perceived sanction risk in crime causation. Several hypotheses are formulated. The General Theory of Crime suggests that sanction certainty effects are greater for individuals of high self-control. Their inability to devote thought to the negative long-term consequences of their behavior renders persons characterized by low self-control immune to the risk of formal punishment. From Situational Action Theory (SAT), it follows that sanction certainty effects are larger for persons with low self-control ability. Individuals with a poor capacity for self-control will more often feel tempted to engage in criminal behavior, which brings perceived sanction risk into play as a potential deterrent. The theory’s emphasis on the moral filter as a determinant of the nature of the perceived action alternatives implies additionally that the self-control/deterrence interaction may be stronger for those holding weak law-consistent moral beliefs. The various hypotheses are tested using longitudinal data from the British Peterborough Adolescent and Young Adult Development Study. Results provide more support for the propositions derived from SAT. An individual’s level of self-control conditions the impact of perceived sanction risk, with sanction certainty estimates being most influential among adolescents of low self-control. There is also some indication of a three-way interaction according to which the observed interplay of self-control and deterrence is most pronounced among persons characterized by weak morality.

scholarly journals The Influence of Psychopathic Personality Traits, Low Self-Control, and Nonshared Environmental Factors on Criminal Involvement

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cashen M. Boccio ◽  
Kevin M. Beaver
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Criminal Behavior ◽  
Violent Behavior ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Psychopathic Personality ◽  
Adult Health ◽  
Peer Socialization ◽  
Criminal Involvement ◽  
Low Self Control

Theoretical and empirical research has linked variation in parental and peer socialization patterns as well as criminogenic traits, particularly psychopathy and low self-control, to criminal involvement. Findings from this body of scholarship, however, have generally been produced without adequately controlling for genetic confounding. The current study addresses this gap in the literature by analyzing data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health using a genetically informative research design. This study employs monozygotic difference scores analyses in order to examine the effects of psychopathic personality traits (PPTs), low self-control, and nonshared environmental factors on involvement with criminal behavior while controlling for genetic factors. The results indicated that of the four outcomes examined, PPTs were only associated with involvement in violent behavior. In addition, the results revealed that delinquent peers was the only nonshared environmental factor associated with any of the outcome measures.

Criminal Spin, Self-Control, and Desistance From Crime Among Juvenile Delinquents: Determinism Versus Free Will in a Qualitative Perspective

2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (15) ◽  
pp. 4739-4757
Author(s):  
Ofer Zemel ◽  
Tomer Einat ◽  
Natti Ronel
Keyword(s):  
Free Will ◽  
Life Events ◽  
Juvenile Delinquents ◽  
Criminal Behavior ◽  
Criminal Activity ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Low Self Control ◽  
Desistance From Crime

The current research is a qualitative examination of the relations between self-control and deterministic/non-deterministic perceptions of life events and the drifts into or desistance from a criminal spin among juvenile delinquents. Based on in-depth semi-structured interviews with 21 adolescents (11 active delinquents and 10 desisters), we found that both the intensification of criminal behavior and the desistance from criminal activity are gradual and connected to the reduction or acquisition, respectively, of self-control and the offenders’ belief in their self-control. Criminal behavior and self-control were found to be associated with deterministic or non-deterministic perceptions of life events: the former combined with low self-control are associated with a delinquent lifestyle; the latter combined with high self-control promote the likelihood that young offenders will modify their behavior and desist from criminal behavior. The study may provide better understanding of the role of the criminal spin in the engagement or desistance from criminal behavior.

Low Self-Control of Emotions as an Antecedent of Self-Reported Physical Symptoms: A Longitudinal Perspective

2001 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marja Kokkonen ◽  
Lea Pulkkinen ◽  
Taru Kinnunen
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Negative Emotions ◽  
Physical Symptoms ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Personality Characteristics ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Eysenck Personality Questionnaire ◽  
Positive Direction ◽  
Data Collections ◽  
Low Self Control

The study was part of the Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Personality and Social Development, underway since 1968, in which children's low self-control of emotions was studied using teacher ratings at age 8 in terms of inattentiveness, shifting moods, aggression, and anxiety. The study was based on data from 112 women and 112 men who participated in the previous data collections at ages 8, 27, and 36. At age 27, the participants had been assessed in Neuroticism (N) using the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire , and at age 36 they filled in several inventories measuring, among others, conscious and active attempts to repair negative emotions in a more positive direction as well as physical symptoms. The present study used structural equation modeling to test the hypothesis that personality characteristics indicating low self-control of emotions at ages 8 and 27 are antecedents of self-reported physical symptoms at age 36; and that this relationship is indirect, mediated by attempts to repair negative emotions in a more positive direction. The findings showed, albeit for men only, that inattentiveness at age 8 was positively related to self-reported physical symptoms at age 36 via high N at age 27 and low attempts to repair negative emotions at age 36. Additionally, N at age 27 was directly linked to self-reported physical symptoms at age 36. The mediation of an active attempt to repair negative emotions was not found for women. Correlations revealed, however, that shifting moods and aggression in girls were antecedents of self-reported physical symptoms in adulthood, particularly, pain and fatigue.

Workplace Cyberbullying: A Criminological and Routine Activity Perspective

2021 ◽  
pp. 026839622110278
Author(s):  
Sixuan Zhang ◽  
Dorothy Leidner ◽  
Xin Cao ◽  
Ning Liu
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Spanning ◽  
Routine Activities ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Routine Activities Theory ◽  
Routine Activity ◽  
General Theory Of Crime ◽  
Theory Of Crime ◽  
Low Self Control ◽  
The U.S

Extant research on the antecedents of workplace cyberbullying pays little attention to the role of perpetrator traits in influencing workplace cyberbullying, as well as the unique occurrence context that distinguishes workplace cyberbullying with juvenile cyberbullying, workplace bullying, and adult cyberbullying in general. To fill these gaps, we consider the antecedents of workplace cyberbullying under the theoretical lens of the general theory of crime and routine activities theory. We build a model incorporating low self-control, a widely discussed perpetrator trait in criminology theories, with three types of routine activities representing the unique occurrence context for workplace cyberbullying--mWork, boundary spanning in ESM, and proactive email checking. We tested our model with 2025 employees in the U.S.. Our findings demonstrate that low self-control and the three routine activities are strong motivators for workplace cyberbullying. Our findings further show that the effect of low self-control on workplace cyberbullying is amplified by the three routine activities. The study contributes to our understanding of why workplace cyberbullying occurs and offers potential implications for managers interested in reducing incidences of workplace cyberbullying in their organization.

scholarly journals Differential Self-control Effects: Moral Filtering and the Subsidiary Relevance of Self-control

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helmut Hirtenlehner ◽  
Heinz Leitgöb
Keyword(s):  
Action Theory ◽  
Criminal Activity ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Moral Norms ◽  
Situational Characteristics ◽  
Report Data ◽  
Self Report Data ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Low Self Control

AbstractCriminological research has identified low self-control as major cause of criminal activity. However, astonishingly little is known about the individual and situational characteristics that affect the functioning of self-control in relation to crime. Recent theorizing, especially in the context of Situational Action Theory, suggests that the interplay of personal and contextual morality creates a morally preselected choice set whose composition determines the relevance of self-control. Guided by the ideas of differential self-control effects and a moral filtering of action alternatives, the present inquiry investigates whether the role of self-control in crime causation depends on the power of moral factors to exclude crime from the set of the considered behavioral options. We argue that the significance of an individual’s capacity for self-control increases with a growing weakness of the moral filter, reaching its maximum when both personal and setting morality encourage criminal activity. Analyses of self-report data on adolescent vandalism delinquency provide support for differential self-control effects. The general picture is that self-control ability matters most when the strength of the moral filter hits a low, which is when both an individual’s own moral rules and the moral norms of the setting facilitate offending. Further evidence suggests that crime contemplation is highest when individual morality and setting morality jointly encourage vandalism. There is also indication that trait self-control has a greater effect on vandalism delinquency at higher levels of crime contemplation. All these results accord with the notion of a subsidiary relevance of control.

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