Эмпирическое исследование характеристик социального пространства в представлении преступников

Abstract

The article discusses the specificity of criminals’ perceptions of social space. It is shown that social space is considered derivative of multiple interactions of a person with the social environment. The elements of social space are people and groups, with which the personality interacts. An individual’s idea of social space is formed by summarizing the characteristics of interaction. The study examines three types of characteristics of the representation of social space: (1) representation of the co-participation of other people (i.e. properties of social space), (2) self-assessment of interaction with other people, (3) representation of the ability to manage the interaction with the surrounding people. A hypothesis is formulated about the differences in criminals’ perceptions of these characteristics. The hypothesis is tested empirically.
 The research is conducted by measuring the perceptions of criminals and law-abiding citizens about social space. The method of data collection is self-reporting. Comparison of the perceptions is performed by Kruskal – Wallis one-way analysis of variance
 The research sample consists of two groups: a) criminals, 210 people convicted of committing violent crimes; b) law-abiding citizens, 210 people who did not commit a crime. The obtained results confirm the hypothesis about the specificity of criminals’ ideas about the characteristics of social space. It was found that social space is viewed by criminals as insensitive and difficult, reducing their self-esteem (devaluing), as well as uncontrollable and unmanageable. The results are confirmed in alternative studies of violent offenders. The conclusion is made about the prospects of research on the perceptions of social space as a resource for the prevention of criminal acts.