Personality, antisocial behavior, and aggression: A meta-analytic review

Although the relationship between personality and antisocial behaviors has been widely examined and empirically supported in the psychological literature, relatively few efforts to study this relationship have appeared in mainstream criminology. The current study focuses on the domains and facets fr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of criminal justice 2011-07, Vol.39 (4), p.329-337
Main Authors: Jones, Shayne E., Miller, Joshua D., Lynam, Donald R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aggressiveness
Antisocial personality disorder
Criminal justice
Criminology
Meta-analysis
Personality traits
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Summary:Although the relationship between personality and antisocial behaviors has been widely examined and empirically supported in the psychological literature, relatively few efforts to study this relationship have appeared in mainstream criminology. The current study focuses on the domains and facets from the Five-Factor Model of personality, and how they are related to antisocial and aggressive behaviors. The meta-analytic findings indicate that the higher-order traits of Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Neuroticism demonstrate the most consistent relationships with these outcomes. At the lower-order trait level, straightforwardness, compliance, and altruism from Agreeableness, deliberation from Conscientiousness, angry hostility from Neuroticism, and warmth from Extraversion were among the strongest correlates. The findings are consistent with previous meta-analytic studies, thus providing compelling support for their utility in understanding antisocial and aggressive behavior. As such, they should be afforded greater theoretical and empirical attention within criminology.
ISSN:0047-2352
1873-6203
DOI:10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2011.03.004