Work

Predicting the Thrill: How Individual and Environmental Factors Shape Thrilling Perceptions of Violent and Non-violent Crime

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This study longitudinally investigates how individual and environmental factors predict thrilling perceptions of criminal behavior using a sample of 1009 justice-involved youth (ages 15-21) who were followed over 7 years. Mixed effect regression models indicated that peer delinquency, youth offending, and impulsive-irresponsible traits were associated with thrilling perceptions of both violent and non-violent crime. Comparatively, callous-unemotional traits predicted only the thrill of violent crime but not non-violent crime. Additionally, the association between peer delinquency and the thrill of non-violent crime waned as participants aged, suggesting a decreased susceptibility to peer influence over time. These individual differences, paired with these socially transmitted beliefs from peers, highlight how thrilling perceptions of crime may be reinforced by youth's characteristics or vicariously through their peers. However, while youth may age out of susceptibility to peer influence, these other influences sustained across age. These findings advance our understanding of the persistence and influence of adolescents' experiences in shaping thrilling perceptions of crime, hinting at potential mechanisms that contribute to antisocial behavior.

Source: Journal of Developmental and Life-Course Criminology

DOI: 10.1007/s40865-025-00276-7

Authors: Curtis D. Smith, Cortney Simmons, Emma Rodgers, Elizabeth Cauffman

Institutions: University of California, Irvine, Arizona State University

Language: English

Topic: Crime Patterns and Interventions

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Peace, justice, and strong institutions, Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,390