The influence of childhood and the environment on the development and formation of the offender’s personality

By Liana SPYTSKA

Abstract
Increasing levels of crime and deviant behaviour threaten social stability, so it is important to study this topic, which will help develop effective measures to prevent problems and improve the social climate. The purpose of this study is to identify the links and key factors that can determine the ways in which a criminal’s personality is formed in childhood. The following research methods were used in the study: analysis, generalization, normative-dogmatic method, and case study. The research has revealed that multiple factors, such as biological, social, pedagogical, and individual psychological aspects, determine the impact of childhood and the environment on the formation of a criminal’s personality. The study highlights that the experience of childhood trauma can affect the social, psychological, and emotional aspects of a person’s life, contributing to problems in psychosocial adaptation and the formation of interpersonal relationships. The modern interpretation of the impact of thesocial environment on crime-related factors identifies a significant influence of the spheres of youth activity on the criminogenic environment, where moral values and self-control determine the individual challenge to crime. The paper recognizes the influence of peers as one of the key factors in the formation of a criminal’s personality. This research also examined the influence of childhood and environment on the personality of criminals such as A.R. Chikatilo, A. Onoprienko, P. Kearney, and R. Chase from a psychoanalytic perspective. It is found that both criminals experienced traumatic events in childhood that affected their mental state and attitude to the world around them. The importance of the legal principles of childhood protection for preventing the formation and development of the criminal’s personality is also investigated. The results of the study can serve as a basis for further research in the field of criminology, sociology, and psychology aimed at uncovering the causes and identifying means of preventing deviant behaviour among young people, as well as for practical application in legal and psychological practice to develop strategies and programmes for crime prevention and support for people with risky or problematic behavioural status.

Keywords: Relationships; Deviant behaviour; Minors; Peers; Social and psychological determinants; Family.