Physiological Theories of Criminal Behaviour

About the lecture

In this lecture, we think about the concept of ‘making a criminal’, focusing in particular on: (i) the transition from the philosophical considerations of criminal behaviour and tendencies, to a more scientific approach, as promoted by Cesare Lombroso; (ii) Lombroso’s atavistic form theory, which proposed that there were physical features, indicative of underdevelopment, which were attributed with committing crime; (iii) an evaluation of Lombroso’s research being that it is unfounded in our modern understanding of genetics and behaviour, but that it did serve to shift the focus of research into criminal behaviour from a philosophical basis to an empirical one; (iv) Sheldon’s 1949 somatotyping theory, which proposed that mesomorphs (muscular physical form) were more prone to criminal activity; (v) alternative explanations for the correlation between the mesomorphic body type and criminal behaviour.

About the lecturer

Professor Ciarán O’Keeffe is associate professor of education and research and head of the School of Human and Social Sciences at Buckinghamshire New University. Professor O’Keeffe’s research interests include investigative psychology and parapsychology, and has made numerous television and radio appearances alongside an array of celebrities. Some of Professor O’Keeffe’s recent publications include 'Things That Go Bump In The Literature: An Environmental Appraisal of 'Haunted Houses'' (2020) and 'Restorative Justice and Recidivism: Investigating the impact of victim-preference for level of engagement' (2014).