The Explanation of Criminality

144 Pages·2003·7.407 MB·English

by  Gordon Trasler

The Internattonal Ltbrary of Soctology
THE EXPLANATION
OF CRIMINALITY
Founded by KARL MANNHEIM
The Internatzonal Ltbrary of Soczology
THE SOCIOLOGY OF LAW
AND CRIMINOLOGY
In 15V olumes
I Comparanve Crlmmology - Part One Mannhezm
II Comparanve Cnmmology - Part Two Mannhem
III Crime An Analytical Appra4 Ldpez-Rty
IV The Crlmmal Area MO?YlS
V Crlmmai Justlce and So& Reconstructlon Mannhe~m
VI The Education of Borstal Boys Stratta
VII The English Prison and Borstal Systems Fox
VIII The Explanation of Crlmmahty liia.sLer
IX Group Problems m Crime and Pumshment Mannhnm
X The Instltutlons of Private Law Renner
XI Juvenile Delmquency m an
Enghsh MIddletown Mannherm
XII Legal Ad Egerton
XIII Pentonvdle Morns et al
XIV Social Defence Ancel
xv Young Men m DetentIon Centres Dunlop et a/
THE EXPLANATION
OF CRIMINALITY
bY
GORDON TRASLER
First publtshed m 1962 by
Routledge and Kegan Paul Ltd
Reprmted m 1998 by
Routledge
11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE
Prmted and bound m Great Brnam
0 1962 Gordon Trasler
All rights reserved No part of this book may be reprmted or reproduced
or utlllzed m any form or by any electromc, mechamcal, or other means,
now known or hereafter Invented, mcludmg photocopymg
and recordmg, or m any mformanon storage or retrieval system, w&out
permIssIon m wrmng from the pubhshers
The pubhshers have made every effort to contact authors/copyright holders
of the works reprmted m The Internatzonal Lzbrary of Soctology
This has not been possible m every case, however, and we would
welcome correspondence from those mdlvlduals/comparues
we have been unable to trace
Brrtzsb Lrbrary Cataloguzng m Publtcatzon Data
A CIP catalogue record for this book
IS avallable from the Brmsh Library
The Explanation of Crlmmahty
ISBN O-415-17739-1
The Sociology of Law and Cnmmology 15 Volumes
ISBN 0-415-17832-O
The Internatlonal Library of Sociology 274 Volumes
ISBN O-415-17838-X
To My Father

CONTENTS
PREFACE page ix
I. INTRODUCTION I
The Search for Facts
The Need for a Theory
The Plan of Thus Study
II. THE NATURE OF EXPLANATION ‘5
The Essentials of Screntrfic Explanation
Explanatron m the Clinical Context
The Relation Between Clirucran and Screntrst
Psychratrrc and Psychoanalytrc Systems of Ex-
planation
Conclusion
III. THE MECHANISM OF SOCIAL LEARNING 40
The Laboratory Paradigm
Avoidance, Punishment and Socral Trammg
The Problem of Non-Extinction
The Nature of Condrtioned Anxiety
Individual Differences
Summary
IV. THE CONTEXT OF SOCIAL LEARNING 64
Techniques of Social Training
Crnnmahty and Social Class
Summary
V SOME THEORETICAL DEDUCTIONS 84
Crrmmahty, Socral Class and Extraversron
Motoring Offenders
Parent-Child Relationships
The Analysis of Anxiety Reactions
vii
Contents
VI. THE CLINICAL STUDY OF OFFENDERS 103
The Technique of Investigation
The Psychologist and the Courts
The Diagnostic Function of the Psychologist
Summary and General Conclusions
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND AUTHOR INDEX 125
SUBJECT INDEX ‘31
. . .
vlll
PREFACE
T
HIS small book is an attempt to synthesize notrons from
several streams of scholarshrp, and so my indebtedness
to the work of others is even greater than that of most
authors. The conception of social learning which forms the
pivot of my arguments has been developed by Professor
Hobart Mowrer; I have also made extensrve use of the ideas
and experimental findings of Professor H. J. Eysenck and his
research team. I have done my best to indicate, by means of
footnotes, my obligation to many other scholars.
I am grateful to Mr. G. Duncan Mitchell, Dr. Hermann
Mannheim and Professor W. J. H. Sprott for their criticisms
and encouragement, and to Mr. E. B. Butler for expert
advice on matters pertaming to the interpretation of statis-
tics. I owe a specral debt to Miss Diana Marshallsay, who
prepared the index for this volume, and has been a constant
source of help with problems of style and presentation.
Mrs. J. R. Mathews generously undertook the work of
typing several drafts of the manuscript, and did this with
great patience, skill and expedition.
I am pleased to acknowledge my obligation to Mr.
Aymenc Straker, Chief Psycholognt, and to the Prison Com-
missioners for allowing me to make use of certain unpub-
lished statistics. The conclusrons which I have drawn from
these, and my comments concerning the organlzatron of
servrces for the psychologrcal investigation of offenders, do
not, of course, represent their views.
G. B. T.
St. Cross, Wznchester
A@1 1961
1x