Juvenile Delinquency ― Understanding the Origins of Individual Differences

Juvenile Delinquency: Understanding the Origins of Individual Differences presents an integrated theoretical perspective on antisocial behavior for readers who are seeking a more thorough understanding of juvenile delinquency. The authors have integrated what they have learned from recent empirical and conceptual advances in evolutionary psychology, behavioral genetics, and developmental psychology - three fields of inquiry that have experienced great successes in explaining human behavior in general and antisocial behavior in particular. They stress that Darwinian theory provides ultimate explanations of many variations in antisocial behavior and show how their integrated theory can explain differences between male and female delinquency as well as the prediction and prevention of delinquency. The authors also stress that a more thorough understanding of the origins of anti-social behavior may in the long run lead to practical interventions designed to reduce antisocial conduct. Researchers in juvenile delinquency, criminology, aggression, and developmental psychology as well as undergraduate and graduate students in these areas will find this an invaluable resource.

Wendy M. Craig is an associate professor of psychology at Queen's University in Kingston.