MORAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PERSONALITY OF VIOLENT STREET OFFENDER

Abstract

The article is devoted to an interdisciplinary analysis of the street offender’s personality, taking into account contemporary findings in psychology, sociology, and criminology.The central focus is on the process of criminalization of the individual and the identification of psychological and social factors that contribute to the emergence of criminal behavior.Based on a systematic study of human personality approaches, the article considers key mechanisms underlying the development of deviant patterns of behavior in the urban environment. The relevance of applying psychological concepts and methods in the design of crime prevention strategies, particularly with regard to street crime, is substantiated.Behavioral psychology approaches are employed to examine the offender’s personality, which allows for the identification of core traits of street offenders and the formulation of generalized archetypes. Classical sociological reflections of É. Durkheim and R. K. Merton are employed as a theoretical foundation for explaining the essence of deviance and the role of social structures in the emergence of criminality. Special emphasis is placed on the comparative analysis of four major socio-psychological personality models: the five-factor model, Eysenck’s PEN model, Tellegen’s three-factor model, and Cloninger’s temperament and character model. On this basis, core personality traits are extrapolated to the archetypes of street offenders. The article further addresses ethical concerns associated with the growing field of neurocriminology, especially in relation to the study of brain functioning in offenders. It is concluded that an interdisciplinary approach is essential for advancing criminological inquiry, while further research into the psychological characteristics of each offender archetype remains a necessary scientific priority.