Psychology and Crime, 2nd Edition

Students: Chapter 6

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Chapter Summary

  • The World Health Organisation describes three types of violence: (1) self-directed violence, (2) interpersonal violence and (3) collective violence, with several subtypes within each of the three.
  • Criminological Psychology is principally concerned with criminal acts of interpersonal violence of which two types can be distinguished: violence with injury, which includes acts such as wounding, and violence without injury such as robberies that do not result in physical injury.
  • Homicide is the most serious form of interpersonal violence and can be committed for various reasons including revenge and sexual motivation.
  • Violence can occur in a wide range of settings including the family where violence may be between adult partners or directed by parents at their children. Whether hitting children as a means of discipline should be allowed raises strong opinion.
  • There are several psychological models of violent behaviour: it is important to include the social context in which the violence takes place as well as the psychological characteristics of the aggressor.

Reading List

Berkowitz, L. (1993). Aggression: Its causes, consequences and control. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Craig, I. W., & Halton, K. E. (2009). Genetics of human aggressive behaviour. Human Genetics, 126, 101–113.

Felson, R. B. (2002). Violence and gender reexamined. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Ferguson, C. (Ed.). Violent crime: Clinical and social implications. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Gannon, T. A., Ward, T., Beech, A. R., & Fisher, D. (Eds.). (2007). Aggressive offenders’ cognition: Theory, research and practice. Chichester, Sussex: John Wiley & Sons.

Krug, E. G., Dahlberg, L. L., Mercy, J. A., Zwi, A. B., & Lozano, R. (Eds.). (2002). World report on violence and health. Geneva: World Health Organization.

LeBlanc, S. A., & Register, K. E. (2003). Constant battles: Why we fight. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin.

McMurran, M., & Howard, R. (Eds.). (2009). Personality, personality disorder and violence. Chichester, Sussex: John Wiley & Sons.

Moffitt, T. E., Caspi, A., Rutter, M., & Silva, P. A. (2001). Sex differences in antisocial behaviour: Conduct disorder, delinquency, and violence in the Dunedin Longitudinal Study. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Pinals, D. A. (2007). Stalking: Psychiatric perspectives and practical problems. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Putallaz, M., & Bierman, K. L. (Eds.). (2004). Aggression, antisocial behavior, and violence among girls. New York: The Guildford Press.

Quinsey, V. L., Harris, G. T., Rice, M. E., & Cormier, C. A. (2006). Violent offenders: Appraising and managing risk (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Webster, C. D., & Hucker, S. J. (2007). Violence risk: Assessment and management. Chichester, Sussex: John Wiley & Sons.

Study Questions

Open Questions

Should the terms 'aggression' and 'violence' be used interchangeably?

Homicide rates vary considerably from country to country: what factors can explain this variability?

What's the difference between robbery and theft?

Why does the topic of corporal punishment raise such strong feelings?

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