Evidence relevant to the hypothesis that androgens alter nervous system functioning in ways that enhance human tendencies to engage in criminal behavior was the focus of the dissertation. Among the major lines of evidence were the following: (1) Restricting the inquiry initially only to criminal acts which victimize fellow social group members (victimful offenses), evidence reviewed that age and sex variables appear to be related to victimful offenses (or their nonlegal equivalent) in quite consistent ways in all human societies ever studied. (2) Notably similar victimizing behavior has been documented in many other species, and variability in such behavior seems to be highly influenced by androgenic effects upon the nervous systems of the animals involved. (3) The most important brain part which appears to be perinatally and pubertally androgenized in such ways as to increase the probability of victimizing behavior is the reticular activating system (and its supporting autonomic nervous tissue). The effects of androgens on this arousal control mechanism are subtle and complex, but they generally seem to consist of causing an organism to be less sensitive to whatever impact it is having upon it's environment. (4) The other two general brain portions which appear to have their functioning altered by androgens in ways which increase the probability of victimizing behavior are the "emotion control" portion and the "higher thought" portion. Overall, androgenization of the emotion control portion appears to make seizuring more likely in the face of emotionally provocative environmental stimuli. Androgenization of the higher thought centers seems to render organisms somewhat more inclined toward spatial-wholistic styles of thought, rather than logical (and, in humans, linguistic) styles of thought. (5) Considered together, it is concluded that these three / apparent effects of androgens on the nervous system make mammals generally more likely to victimize fellow social group members. In the case of humans, one of the major effects is an increased probability of victimful criminal behavior (or its nonlegal equivalent). / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 44-10, Section: A, page: 3169. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1983.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_75187 |
| Contributors | ELLIS, LEE., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 425 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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