NCJ Number
147497
Journal
Violence and Victims Volume: 8 Issue: 3 Dated: special issue (Fall 1993) Pages: 235-252
Date Published
1993
Length
18 pages
Annotation
Existing longitudinal research on violent criminal behavior is reviewed, with emphasis on the extent to which universal patterns of violent behavior exist over the life course.
Abstract
The analysis considered the precursors of aggression and violence among individuals, the continuity of aggression and violent behavior over the life course, and patterns of change in individuals' propensity for aggression and violence. Almost all the longitudinal studies focused on individuals from Western societies. Results indicated that universal patterns do not exist. However, it cannot be definitively determined to what extent sociocultural variations in violence reflect differences in opportunity structures or differences in developmental trajectories and transitions over the life course. Findings indicated the need for a comparative, longitudinal, ethnographic approach; for a life course framework; for study of a wide range of antisocial behavior; and the sociocultural context within the United States. Notes and 85 references (Author abstract modified)