week 8: Moffitt (1993) adolescence-limited and life-course-persistent antisocial behaviouur: a developmental taxonomy

What are the two main categories on antisocial behaviour proposed by Moffitt’s dual taxonomy?

The two main categories are ‘life-course-persistent antisocial behaviour’ and ‘adolescence-limited-antisocial-behaviour’.

How does the prevalence of antisocial behaviour change across the lifespan according to the age-crime curve?

The age-crime curve shows that antisocial behaviour increases dramatically during adolescence, waking around age 17, and then drops precipitously in young adulthood.

What is the key difference in the stability of antisocial behaviour between the two proposed types?

Life-course-persistent antisocial behaviour is stable and persistent across the lifespan and in different situations, while adolescence-limited antisocial behaviour is temporary and situational.

According to the theory, where so the origins of life-course-persistent antisocial behaviour lie?

The origins of life-course-persistent antisocial behaviour are hypothesised to lie in an interaction between children’s neuropsychological problems and criminogenic environments early in life.

What is the concept of “cumulative continuity” in the context of life-course-persistent antisocial behaivour/

Cumulative continuity refers to how early individual problems and negative environmental interactions build up over time, leading to increasing difficulties and limited opportunities for change, thus maintaining antisocial behaviour.

How does the “maturity gap” contribute to adolescence-limited antisocial behaviour?

The maturity gap, the time between biological maturity and achieving full adult social status, motivates teens to seek adult privileges and autonomy, which delinquency can symbolise or provide access to.

What is “social mimicry” and how does it relate to adolescence-limited delinquency?

Social mimicry is the idea that adolescence-limited teens copy the antisocial behaviour of life-course-persistent youths because they appear to successfully navigate the maturity gap and access desired resources. This copying can occur through observation and interaction.

Why does Moffitt’s suggest that adolescence-limited antisocial behaviour might be considered “adaptive social behaviour”?

Moffitt suggests this because adolescence-limited delinquency is viewed as an understandable and often effective response to the contextual circumstances of the maturity gap. And for most, it is the primary and situational, not indicative of underlying pathology.

How do the types of offences typically committed by life-course-persistent and adolescence-limited offenders differ?

Adolescence-limited offenders tend to engage in crimes that symbolise adult privilege or demonstrate autonomy (like theft, vandalism, substance abuse), life-course-persistence offenders commit a wider variety of offences, including more violent and victim-orientated crimes.

What factors are suggested to explain why some teenagers abstain from delinquency according to the theory?

Reasons suggested include having pathological characteristics that exclude then from peer networks, structural barriers preventing exposure to delinquent models, or not experiencing the maturity gap due to factors like late puberty or early access to adult roles.