Author:
Kavish Nicholas,Boutwell Brian
Abstract
Purpose
Criminology has produced more than a century of informative research on the social correlates of criminal behavior. Recently, a growing body of theoretical and empirical work has begun to apply evolutionary principles, particularly from life history theory (LHT), to the study of crime. As this body of research continues to grow, it is important that work in this area synthesizes evolutionary principles with the decades of sociological research on the correlates of crime. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
The current paper reviews the brief history of research applying life history concepts to criminology, providing an overview of the underlying framework, exploring examples of empirically testable and tested hypotheses that have been derived from the theory, discussing cautions and criticisms of life history research, and discussing how this area of research can be further integrated with existing theory.
Findings
A growing body of research has, with relative consistency, associated indicators of a faster life history strategy with aggression and violence in humans and across the animal kingdom. Research into these associations is still vulnerable to genetic confounding and more research with genetically sensitive designs is needed. The use of hypotheses informed by evolutionary insight and tested with genetically sensitive designs provides the best option for understanding how environmental factors can have an impact on violent and criminal behavior.
Originality/value
The current paper provides an updated review of the growing application of LHT to the study of human behavior and acknowledges criticisms and areas of concern that need to be considered when forming hypotheses for research.
Subject
Law,Applied Psychology,Social Psychology
Reference119 articles.
1. Foundation for a general strain theory of crime and delinquency;Criminology,1992
2. Sex differences in aggression in real-world settings: a meta-analytic review;Review of general Psychology,2004
3. Adolescent sexual debut and later delinquency;Journal of youth and adolescence,2007
4. Harsh environments and ‘fast’ human life histories: what does the theory say?;BioRxiv,2015
Cited by
3 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献