Explaining the relationship between age and crime: Contributions from the developmental literature on personality

Abstract

The robust link between age and crime has received considerable inquiry. However, the etiology of this association remains elusive. The present exposition provides a review of seminal theories on age and crime and discusses potential contributions from personality psychology in explaining this relationship. Specifically, personality development is highlighted with emphasis on patterns of change in traits from late adolescence to early adulthood in order to address the misconception within the age-crime literature that personality is only relevant to stability in antisocial behavior over time. It is theorized that age-related declines in antisocial behavior reflect normative change in key dimensions of personality. Findings from the developmental literature on personality are integrated with past biological and sociological perspectives on the age-crime curve to articulate a theory that emphasizes the co-development of personality and antisocial behavior from late adolescence to early adulthood. It is concluded that changes in personality undergird the development of antisocial behavior during this formative stage of the life-course and that personality development represents a viable theoretical framework for understanding the link between age and crime.