8. Psychological theories of criminality
8. Psychological theories of criminality
- Andrew Sanders,
- Richard Young
- and Mandy Burton
Abstract
Course-focused and comprehensive, the Textbook on series provides an accessible overview of the key areas on the law curriculum. This chapter considers psychological explanations for criminality. The discussions cover the constituents of the personality; formation of the super-ego; balancing the id, ego, and super-ego; ‘normal’ criminals; extroversion and neuroticism; criticism of psychoanalytical theories; the normal criminal personality; and assessment of dangerousness and criminality.