The contribution of Franz Josef Gall to the development of criminal anthropology. Part II. In Search of the physiological origins of compulsive behavior

Abstract

This article is dedicated to the teachings of the Austrian medical scientist and naturalist Franz Josef Gall (1758-1828) on anthropology and human psychology. One of the key theses of Gall’s doctrine consists in the conclusion that the peculiarities of human anthropology and psychology manifest in various forms of social activity. According to Gall, the specificity of physiological processes in human body, peculiarities of personality development, and the intensity of external manifestation of personality traits are substantiated by the peculiarities of formation and subsequent development of separate parts and elements of the human brain. Developmental imbalances or existence of pathologies in the segment of the brain located above the ear canal of the human skull imparts a negative overtone on personality traits. In a worst-case scenario, this may lead to manifestation of such destructive qualities as a pathological lust for violence against animals and people, propensity for arson, and ultimately, homicide. Similar cerebral dysfunctions many have a significant impact upon sexual behavior of a person, and activate destructive qualities. The ideas of F. J. Gall on the influence of developmental imbalances or pathology of separate segments of the human brain upon the occurrence and manifestation of negative personality traits, are still used in modern research in the field of neurocriminology. Namely, the recent findings of American scientists, which are based on the methods of magnetic resonance and positron emission tomography, reveal substantial differences in the structure and functionality of separate segments of the brain of persons who committed murder or convicted of less grave offences.