Evaluation of Personality Disorders and Crime

Question 1

+ Perez

Answer 1

Perez found impairment in the orbital frontal cortex (responsible for impulse control) in people with antisocial personality disorder - suggests link between P.D.s and a lack of impulse control leading to criminality, validating the theory

Question 2

+ Moss

Answer 2

Moss used a sample of 15 men with APD and 12 controls, finding that men with APD had significantly higher serotonin response than controls, suggesting increased serotonin function is associated with aggression - backs up link between APD and increased serotonin, thus higher aggression and criminality

Question 3

• Davidson and Janca

Answer 3

Davidson and Janca found P.D.s feature more in some offences than in others, e.g. stalkers and men who kill their children - P.D.s are an incomplete explanation and don’t explain all criminality

Question 4

• Environmental factors

Answer 4

Environmental factors such as upbringing may be the cause of anti-social behaviour. Therefore, the disorder may be a consequence of social factors rather than a direct cause of crime - APD ma be caused by the environment rather than having a biological source and it is unclear whether the environment causes crime and the disorder rather than the disorder directly causing the crime