An investigation of the role of personality, familial, and peer‐related characteristics in homicidal offending using retrospective data
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/20093821211264414 |
| Date | 21 September 2012 |
| Published date | 21 September 2012 |
| Pages | 96-106 |
| Author | Daniel Boduszek,Philip Hyland,Ashling Bourke |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Public policy & environmental management,Sociology |
An investigation of the role of personality,
familial, and peer-related characteristics in
homicidal offending using retrospective data
Daniel Boduszek, Philip Hyland and Ashling Bourke
Abstract
Purpose – The current study seeks to assess the predictive utility of personality, family violence,
associations with criminal friends, peer rejection, parental attachment, and parental supervision as
predictors of homicidal behaviour among a sample of 144 male recidivistic offenders.
Design/methodology/approach – This research project utilized a quasi-experimental design with
propensity score matching in order to minimize the effectof selection bias. Post-matching binary logistic
regression analysis was subsequently conducted in order to determine what factors predict homicidal
behaviour.
Findings – Post-matchi ng regression results indicated that experience of family v iolence,
psychoticism, and parental attachments were significant predictors of being a homicidal murderer.
Originality/value – The findings provide strong empirical support for the important role of early
childhood experiences in the prediction of homicidal acts, along with the crucial role of personality
(psychoticism). These findings provide additional support for Eysenck’s theoretical indications
regarding the role of psychoticism in the prediction of violent criminal behaviours.
Keywords Homicide, Psychoticism, Family violence, Parental attachment, Propensity score analysis,
Personality, Violent crime
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Despite the large amount of research on the predictors of violent behavior, there has been
relatively little attention given to the prediction of homicidal behavior (Farrington et al., 2012).
This is likely due to the comparatively low prevalence of homicidal offending compared with
more general violent offending. However behavioral consistency theories of development
would suggest that many of the same factors that predict violent behavior in general may
also predict the risk for homicide (Loeber and LeBlanc, 1990). On the other hand, it has been
suggested that there are important psychiatric problems that can distinguish those who kill
versus those who do not (Lewis et al., 1988). Nonetheless, a number of dispositional, familial
and peer related factors have been found to be predictive of both general violence and more
specifically homicidal behavior.
It has been suggested that theories of personality may be more appropriate than ICD/DSM
concepts of personality disorders for offender samples (Ireland and Ireland, 2011).
Eysenck’s theory of personality is perhaps the most well-known personality theory in terms of
criminal behavior.According to the theory, individuals have biological dispositions to behave
in certain ways. The original concept of the theory suggested that individuals high in
extraversion and high in neuroticism are more likely to engage in criminal behavior (Eysenck
and Eysenck, 1976). Psychoticism was later added to the model and suggested to predict
cold and intrusive social behaviors (Eysenck and Eysenck, 1976). Individuals who display
high levels of psychoticism are impulsive, egocentric, cold, aggressive, unempathic, and
tough-minded. Eysenck (1998) suggests that the biological roots of psychoticism lie in the
PAGE 96
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JOURNAL OF CRIMINAL PSYCHOLOGY
j
VOL. 2 NO. 2 2012, pp. 96-106, QEmerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 2009-3829 DOI 10.1108/20093821211264414
Daniel Boduszek and Philip
Hyland are based in the
School of Psychology,
University of Ulster,
Londonderry, UK. Ashling
Bourke is based in the
School of Psychology at
Trinity College Dublin,
Dublin, Ireland.
Special thanks to the Polish
Prison Service for providing the
venue for this study, particularly
to Warden of Nowogard High
Security Prison Jerzy Dudzik
and Jacek Pedziszczak.
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