Wednesday, 19 February 2014

Quick Overview: Psychological Theories of Crime



In her book Shots in the Mirror, Nicole Rafter highlights psychological theories of crime as one of three major crime theories portrayed in film, the other two being environmental and biological theories. Psychological theories refer to any abnormal psychological or mental state that can contribute to criminality.

Rafter discusses that abnormal psychological states can be categorized both as having a specific ailment or being generally insane. She says on page 55 that some characters in crime films can simply be called ‘insane’, as “some are obsessives, others are sadomasochists, narcissists are homicidal maniacs.” We’ll see in the upcoming entries whether or not a specific ailment can be attributed to any villain.

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