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Individual differences in personality and deceptive conduct predisposing to criminal behavior and recidivism

Fri, September 13, 8:00 to 9:15am, Faculty of Law, University of Bucharest, Floor: Basement, Room 0.11

Session Submission Type: Pre-arranged Panel

Abstract

Scholars have long been fascinated by the inherent or acquired darker aspects of human nature, particularly those traits that steer individuals towards undesirable, antisocial, and criminal behaviors. In regular social interactions, individuals tend to manifest brighter tendencies, showcasing their motivation to behave in socially desirable ways. Within the prison environment, individuals may feel justified to resort to unethical strategies (deception, violence, or vengeance) to maximize personal utility or to address perceived harm. While the psychological research identified specific personality traits and underlying cognitive justifications for the expression of aversive or otherwise undesirable behaviors, there is a paucity of research tapping into the relationship between dark and bright personality dimensions as in prison settings, and how they translate into actual antisocial acts such as deception and aggressive behavior.
Our panel brings together five papers which point to the momentary potential precursors of criminal behavior in competitive or incriminating settings (keeping secrets, misleading others for self-interest, mis-reading their mind) and to the more constant “dark” and “bright” personality correlates of crime. The data is collected across a variety of populations from different Romanian contexts, ranging from school-age children to community samples and most importantly, in four of the five papers, including a large sample of prisoners who have committed various types of crimes (from non-violent to violent or sexual offences). Overall, findings underscore the predictive power of the investigated behaviors (deception, theory of mind in action) and self-reported traits (e.g. Agreeableness, Openess, Neuroticism, and Narcissism), pointing to consistent negative correlations between Dark and Bright personality dimensions in both general and prison populations. These insights hold practical significance for tailoring intervention programs for offenders, emphasizing the enhancement of protective traits and counteracting aversive tendencies that may predispose individuals toward antisocial behaviors and towards long term recidivism.

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