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CRIMINALITY AND NEUROSIS - AN ALTERNATIVE IN ADOLESCENCE - A PSYCHOANALYTIC VIEW

NCJ Number
64563
Journal
RASSEGNA DI CRIMINOLOGIA Volume: 8 Issue: 1 AND 2 Dated: (1977) Pages: 73-88
Author(s)
R ROSSI
Date Published
1977
Length
16 pages
Annotation
JUVENILE CRIMINALITY, AS SEEN FROM A PSYCHOANALYTICAL PERSPECTIVE, IS AN ALTERNATIVE WAY OF RESOLVING INNER CONFLICTS BY ACTING OUT ANTISOCIAL AND CRIMINAL IMPULSES INSTEAD OF REPRESSING THEM INTO NEUROSES.
Abstract
PERVERSION OR DEVIANT BEHAVIOR IS CALLED THE NEGATION OF NEUROSIS, BECAUSE IT AVOIDS IT BY CARRYING INTO ACTION IMPULSES (E.G., AGGRESSION) INSTEAD OF RESORTING TO THE REPRESSION MECHANISM THAT OFTEN RESULTS IN VARIOUS FORMS OF NEUROSIS. WEAK PERSONALITIES, INCAPABLE OF SUBLIMATION, HAVE ONLY TWO ALTERNATIVES LEFT, NEUROSIS OR DEVIANCE AND CRIME, AS A WAY OF RESOLVING THEIR INNER CONFLICTS. ADOLESCENTS ARE ESPECIALLY SUSCEPTIBLE TO THESE PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS, BECAUSE THEY HAVE NOT YET DEVELOPED THE DEFENSE MECHANISMS THAT COULD LEAD TO SUBLIMATION OR NEUROSIS. OFTEN CONDITIONED BY TRAUMATIC CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES (E.G., PARENTAL REJECTION), OR BY IDENTITY PROBLEMS, TRIGGERED BY UNCERTAINTY REGARDING THEIR ROLE OR BY FEAR OF SEXUAL INADEQUACY, ADP;ESCEMTS ACT OUT THEIR DEVIANT OR CRIMINAL IMPULSES, TURNING THEIR ACTS INTO A PSYCHODRAMA IN WHICH EVERYDAY PEOPLE, OFTEN THEIR VICTIMS, ARE CAST INTO ARCHETYPAL ROLES. THE ADOLESCENTS WHO TURN FANTASIES INTO REALITIES BY CHOOSING THIS WAY OF RESOLVING THEIR CONFLICTS DO NOT ALWAYS ESCAPE FEELINGS OF GUILT, HOWEVER; THEY RUN HEADLONG INTO ANOTHER, OFTEN TRAGIC, SCENARIO IN WHICH THEIR SUPEREGO ACTS AS A MUCH STERNER JUDGE OF THEIR ACTS THAN ANY HUMAN MAGISTRATE, SOMETIMES EVEN IMPOSING THE DEATH PENALTY VIA SUICIDE. THIS COMPLEX PSYCHODRAMA CAN EXPLAIN THE INNOCENCE OF MANY JUVENILE CRIMES, THE MOTIVE OF WHICH IS OFTEN THE PERPETRATORS' DESIRE FOR PUNISHMENT. A BIBLIOGRAPHY IS APPENDED. --IN ITALIAN. (LGR)

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