Chapter 45: Personality and Crime

The connection between personality and criminal behavior is highly complex, typically showing only weak general trends, such as the observation that criminals often act impulsively and disregard societal norms. Historically, the assumption of a distinct "criminal personality"—whether arising from genetic factors ("born not made") or social processes ("nurture")—underlies many attempts to explain offending as a manifestation of enduring personal characteristics,. However, this perspective creates conflict with the legal system's emphasis on mens rea, or the conscious intent to commit an act, requiring psychology to find a way to accommodate personal accountability with personality influences,. A fundamental challenge in linking personality and crime is that criminality is not an objective set of behaviors but is defined by legal and cultural interpretations, varying dramatically across jurisdictions and contexts,. The vast difference between criminal activities, such as check fraud versus serial killing, suggests that no single personality issue can explain all forms of law-breaking. Research focusing on clinical populations has often produced a distorted view by concentrating on extreme crimes and mentally disturbed offenders,. While mental disorder rates are higher in prison populations than in the general public, this difference is difficult to interpret due to the debilitating effects of incarceration. Psychopathy, classified as a personality disorder involving dominance, deceit, recklessness, and lack of remorse, inherently describes an individual whose criminal behavior is an integrated part of their approach to the world,. Non-clinical distinctions show that persistent criminals often originate from deprived or dysfunctional social environments and tend to have below-average intellectual ability, although the correlation is moderate,. Traits like sensation-seeking and impulsivity are also linked to criminality, often explained by theories proposing low autonomic arousal limits the individual's ability to learn and internalize social rules,. A nuanced approach considers crime as a learning process shaped by specific incentives that reinforce criminal behavior. These incentives differentiate offenders based on whether they seek Material gain, Power/Status (control over others), or Sensory stimulation,. Since crime is fundamentally an interpersonal transaction that breaks social norms, reflecting a relationship (explicit or implicit) with a victim, personality models that focus on interpersonal styles are highly relevant,. For instance, studies using Schutz’s FIRO theory found that Power gain offenders exhibited higher Expressed Control (dominance), while Material and Sensory gain offenders showed lower Received Control (resistance to being controlled by others),. The narrative approach complements these findings by emphasizing that offenders construct an evolving self-story and assign roles (e.g., hero, victim) to their actions, reinforcing the idea of human agency which is crucial for legal consistency,. These findings are applicable to offender rehabilitation, focusing on helping individuals develop a more productive life narrative rather than just addressing personality traits.