The Psychology of Criminal and Antisocial Behavior

Victim and Offender Perspectives

Wayne Petherick,Grant Sinnamon

• Publisher: Academic Press
• Year: 2016
• ISBN:
  9780128095775
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Criminology
• Index: Social Sciences

The Psychology of Criminal and Antisocial Behavior: Victim and Offenders Perspectives is not just another formulaic book on forensic psychology. Rather, it opens up new areas of enquiry to busy practitioners and academics alike, exploring topics using a practical approach to social deviance that is underpinned by frontier research findings, policy, and international trends.

From the relationship between psychopathology and crime, and the characteristics of catathymia, compulsive homicide, sadistic violence, and homicide victimology, to adult sexual grooming, domestic violence, and honor killings, experts in the field provide insight into the areas of homicide, violent crime, and sexual predation. In all, more than 20 internationally recognized experts in their fields explore these and other topic, also including discussing youth offending, love scams, the psychology of hate, public threat assessment, querulence, stalking, arson, and cults.

This edited work is an essential reference for academics and practitioners working in any capacity that intersects with offenders and victims of crime, public policy, and roles involving the assessment, mitigation, and investigation of criminal and antisocial behavior. It is particularly ideal for those working in criminology, psychology, law and law enforcement, public policy, and for social science students seeking to explore the nature and character of criminal social deviance.

• Includes twenty chapters across a diverse range of criminal and antisocial subject areas
• Authored by an international panel of experts in their respective fields that provide a multi-cultural perspective on the issues of crime and antisocial behavior
• Explores topics from both victim and offender perspectives
• Includes chapters covering research, practice, policy, mitigation, and prevention
• Provides an easy to read and consistent framework, making the text user-friendly as a ready-reference desktop guide

Chapter 1

Psychopathology as a Mediator of Antisocial and Criminal Behavior

Grant Sinnamon Bond University, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia Bela Menso Brain and Behaviour Centre, Varsity Lakes, QLD, Australia

Abstract

Our thoughts and emotions collude with physical reality to produce our motivation and, ultimately, our behaviors. When our thoughts and emotions are disordered and in some manner disconcordant to those of our social space, our resulting behaviors run the risk of being antisocial. The way in which cognitive and affective pathologies either deviate and/or motivate behavior is both complex and heterogeneous, and given that mental pathology involves presentation that is influenced by any combination of episodic, degenerative, and environmentally dependant factors, they are also likely to be evanescent. In some cases, the antisocial behaviors associated with psychopathology cross the line from being merely deviant into the realm of the criminal. Given the broader context of this publication, and if we assume that many psychopathologies manifest in substantial antisocial behavior, whether expressive or avoidant; it is perhaps more appropriate to focus our conversation on those that are more criminally oriented. This is the world of forensic psychopathology. Forensic psychology, the discipline associated with criminally oriented psychopathology, is not so much concerned with labeling specific psychological syndromes as associated with criminology—notwithstanding those that are specifically identified as syndromes due to their forensic orientation (e.g., psychopathy, paedophilia, etc.)—but rather is more focused on the pathological expression of individual psychological mechanisms such as thoughts, emotions, and motivations that may ultimately drive someone to engage in criminal behavior. This chapter discusses some of the most common psychopathologies that are associated with antisocial behaviors that place the individual at potentially higher risk for criminality. These conditions' characteristics and their associated mechanisms will be explored with a focus on the syndromes, symptoms, and behavioral consequences that are primarily associated with interpersonal antisocial behaviors and person-to-person enacted criminality.

Keywords

Abnormal; Antisocial behavior; Anxiety; Behavior; Cognition; Criminal behavior; Criminal mental health; Criminality; Delusion; Depression; Deviant; Emotion; Erotomania; Forensic psychology; Forensic psychopathology; Hallucination; Infanticide; Mental illness; Motivation; Obsession; Offender; Personality disorder; Psychopathology; Psychotic; Social norm; Stalking; Victim

Chapter Outline

Introduction

What Is Psychopathology?

What Is Forensic Psychopathology?

Mental Illness and Criminality

Personality Disorders and Criminality

Reassurance-Driven PD and Criminality

Assertive-Driven PD and Criminality

Anger Retaliatory-Driven PD and Criminality

Pervasive Anger-Driven PD and Criminality

Excitation-Driven PD and Criminality

Materially Driven PD and Criminality

Self-Preservation–Driven PD and Criminality

Psychotic Disorders and Criminality

Disordered Thinking as Foundation to Antisocial and Criminal Behavior in Psychotic Disorders

Obsession

Delusion and Paranoia

Delusional Subtypes With Forensic Association

Affective Disorders and Criminality

Major Depression

Postnatal Depression and Women Who Kill Their Children

Bipolar Disorder

Anxiety

Intellectual Impairments, Acquired Brain Injuries, and Criminality

Addiction, Alcohol and Substance Abuse, and Criminality

Conclusion

Summary

Questions

References

Introduction

Many psychopathologies result in the significant manifestation of antisocial behaviors. Some of these are antisocial in the context of the sufferer withdrawing from social interaction and isolating himself or herself as a defensive mechanism to help avoid the unpleasant thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and physiological reactions that are a feature of the disorder. Anxiety disorders, depression, trauma, and conditions that affect communication and/or socialization, such as autism, are examples of conditions that fit this description. The use of immersive technologies, nonsuicidal self-injury, and alcohol may also be seen in this light as they are often used as means of avoiding, attenuating, treating, or self-medicating these symptoms. Generally speaking, avoidant behavior of this nature is unlikely to result in criminal behavior. The exception is when self-medicating with alcohol is undertaken by a minor or if an adult exchanges alcohol for illicit substances. At other times, psychopathology influences the manifestation of behaviors that are more expressive in nature. That is to say, these behaviors are focused outward at other people, animals, or objects. When this occurs, the behavior necessarily impinges on others, whether directly, such as in the case of an assault, or indirectly, such as when the behavior involves property theft or damage. It is in this context that psychopathology is likely to result in criminal behaviors. Expressive behaviors can be volitional, nonvolitional, or incidental.

• Volitional: A volitional behavior is a deliberate act that is committed to achieve a specific end. The end may or may not be a legitimate endeavor. A legitimate endeavor can include acts such as sexual or physical assault, theft, or other behavior that is undertaken as a direct means to achieve a desired outcome. An illegitimate endeavor may include speeding, illicit drug use, or other high-risk behavior undertaken while in a manic or psychotic episode, or other state that distorts the offender’s capacity for insight or judgment.

• Nonvolitional: A nonvolitional behavior is an act committed as a result of delusional or hallucinogenic cognitions that establish a false presumption on the part of the offender. Command hallucinations (e.g., “the Seagull told me that man was evil, and it was my duty to stab him before he hurt anyone else”) and delusional thoughts of cause and effect (e.g., “if I kill his wife then he will love me, and we can be together forever”) are examples of this form of criminal act.

• Incidental: Incidental behaviors are illegal acts that occur incidentally to another objective. An example of this may be someone who has a pathology that presents as generally avoidant but finds himself in a highly anxiety-provoking situation that triggers a panic attack. As a result, the individual may “lash out” to try and escape (avoid) the fear-provoking stimuli. He may assault someone, destroy property, or steal a bike, car, or other means of transportation to flee.

Although mental illness may contribute to antisocial and criminal behaviors, it is imperative that we appreciate that psychopathology and criminal behavior are not ubiquitous. The reality is that individuals with a mental illness are at an exponentially greater risk of being a victim of crime than they are of becoming an offender. This being said, there are certain psychopathologies, as well as cognitive, affective, motivational, and behavioral manifestations, that, when present, may collude with environmental circumstances to increase the risk that an individual will engage in antisocial and/or deviant behaviors. It is also true that many of these antisocial or deviant acts may well cross the line and also be criminal. However, to reiterate, it is far more common that these emotional, cognitive, and psychobehavioral manifestations collude with environmental circumstances to increase the risk of a mentally ill person becoming a victim of crime. For the mentally ill, as with all individuals; the socioenvironmental circumstances are of paramount importance in mediating the ultimate outcome. It is perhaps the first rule to keep in the forefront of your mind when immersing yourself in the world of crime and the individual—no one lives in a vacuum, and it is the interaction between the individual and the external mechanics of his ecology (family, peers, education, socioeconomic status, society and culture, etc.) that ultimately determines the outcome (Bronfenbrenner & Ceci, 1994). Indeed, the corporate world is full of psychopathic personalities who have never committed a murder but have ruthlessly used their psychological make-up to allow them to pursue financial goals and objectives despite the potential impact on others. In fact, the study of what has become known as corporate psychopathy is a burgeoning field within the arena of organizational psychology (Babiak, Neumann, & Hare, 2010; Mathieu, Neumann, Babiak, & Hare, 2015; Yamagishi, Li, Takagishi, Matsumoto, & Kiyonari, 2014).

In this chapter, we will explore how psychopathology can mediate antisocial and criminal behaviors. We will explore some of the mainstream diagnosed psychopathologies that are associated with crime and criminal behaviors, and we will explore the expression of our constituent thoughts, emotions, motivations, and other psychological compone...