Title:
The myth of the born criminal : psychopathy, neurobiology, and the creation of the modern degenerate
Author:
Added Author:
Publication Date:
2015
Publication Information:
Toronto ; Buffalo ; London : University of Toronto Press, [2015]
©2015
Physical Description:
vii, 279 pages ; 23 cm
ISBN:
9781442650374
9781442628366
Abstract:
"[I]s psychopathy a brain disorder, as many scientists now claim? Or is it just a reflection of modern society's deepest fears? The Myth of the Born Criminal offers the first comprehensive critique of the concept of psychopathy from the eighteenth-century origins of the born-criminal theory to the latest neuroimaging, behavioural genetics, and statistical studies. Jarkko Jalava, Stephanie Griffiths, and Michael Maraun use their expertise in neuropsychology, psychometrics, and criminology to dispel the myth that psychopathy is a biologically-based condition. Deconstructing the emotive language with which both research scientists and reporters describe the psychopaths among us, they explain how the idea of psychopathy offers a comforting neurobiological solution to the mystery of evil"--Preliminary page.
Contents:
The moral foundations of psychopathy -- The first golden age : degeneration -- The second golden age : psychopathy -- The politics of psychopathy -- The adjustable psychopathy portfolio -- The culture of psychopathy -- The language of persuasion -- Neurobiology and psychopathy -- Conclusion : the parlour game.
Language:
English
