PERSONALITY AND CRIME - WHERE DO WE STAND

This article argues for a central role for personality in mediating be tween the genetic and environmental forces which act as causal agencie s on the one hand, and the criminal behaviour that is to be explained on the other. Such a causal chain must of course also incorporate the biological-hormonal intermediaries between DNA and personality. In add ition we require an explanation for the specific behaviours that make up anti-social conduct, and it is suggested that this is to be found i n Pavlovian conditioning. The evidence relating to these theories is r eviewed, and suggests a fairly definite framework which also leads to some suggestions concerning the reduction of criminality.