Blame attribution and guilt feelings in violent offenders

Offenders with high psychopathic traits and/or antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) are hypothesised to experience less guilt and less responsibility for their actions than offenders without these problems. These hypotheses were tested and partly substantiated. The study investigates blame attributions and guilt feeling using Gudjonsson Blame Attribution Inventory–Revised (GBAI-R) for 177 young male violent offenders. GBAI scores were compared to ASPD and psychopathy according to the Psychopathy Checklist–Revised. Results showed that individuals with ASPD and those with higher degrees of psychopathy tended to report significantly less guilt and higher degree of mental control than other subjects. Another finding was a weak relationship between ASPD, high scores on psychopathic traits and external attribution. We suggest these results might be explained by admitting poor mental control may be extra difficult for individuals belonging to either of these groups and that the external attribution items do not separate causal from moral responsibility.     

The Normative Bases of the Global Territorial Order

This article analyses states' support for international norms relating to the location of international boundaries. The key norms relate to the legitimacy of the international use of force, the placement of boundaries relative to previous international boundary accords, the views of populations, and broadly accepted ethical standards. These norms have become stronger over recent centuries, but their relative strength has varied. In comparing the influence of these norms in territorial disputes, this study aims to contribute to the understanding of international territorial politics and of the evolution of state sovereignty. Of particular note is that self-determination and human rights have achieved some modest but historically significant gains since the end of the Cold War.     

REVIEWS

Foreign books

Mit Feldmarschall von der Goltz Pascha in Mesopotamien und Persien. By his late General Staff Officer, Lieutenant‐Colonel Hans v. Kiesling. Leipzig: Dieterich ‘sche, publishers.

L'Islam et les Questions Musulmanes au point de vue Français: Conférence faite au centre des hautes études militaires, le 13 Avril, 1923. Par Général Brémond. Paris: Charles Lavau‐zelle et Cie, Editeurs Militaires.

English books

The Caliphate. By Sir Thomas Arnold, C.I.E., Litt.D. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 1924. 108. 6d. net.

Persian Literature in Modern Times. By E. G. Browne. Cambrige University Press. 1924. 35s. net.

Ben Kendim: A Record of Eastern Travel. By Lieut.‐Colonel the Hon. Aubrey Herbert. Edited by Desmond MacCarthy. Illustrated with six maps. London: Hutchinson and Co. 1924. 21s. net.

Anatolica. By Harry Charles Luke. London: Macmillan and Co., 1924. 16s. net.

Trans‐Jordan: Some Impressions. By Mrs. Steuart Erskine. London: Ernest Benn, Ltd. 1924. 12s. net.

Tales from Turkistan. By Stor Lob. London: Wm. Blackwood and Sons. 1924. 6s.

India: A Bird's‐Eye View. By the Earl of Ronaldshay, P.C., G.C.S.I., G.C.I.E. Constable and Co., London and Bombay, 1924. Price 18s.

From China to Hkamti Long. By Captain F. Kingdon Ward. Edward Arnold and Co. 1924. 18s. net.

Zanzibar: An Account of its People, Industries, and History. Zanzibar: The Local Committee of the British Empire Exhibition. Paper. Pp. xx + 84.     

Infant mortality and concepts of hygiene. Strategies and consequences in the Kaiserreich and the Weimar Republic: the example of Berlin

The fight against infant mortality followed the guidelines of “hygiene” and their modifications into social, racial, and national hygiene. In Berlin, the campaign to promote infant hygiene began in 1904, when the municipal authorities started to create infant care centers tentatively under the auspices of a charitable association. During and after the First World War, the authorities expanded this campaign to reflect a growing commitment to the principles of social and racial hygiene, which aimed both to improve social conditions that worked against the health of children and to strengthen the constitution of the race. While racial hygienists feared that social measures for the weak would promote degeneration by encouraging their survival, social hygienists argued that it was impossible to distinguish between “fit” and “unfit” in early childhood, and eugenics became increasingly important. Social hygiene as a means of prevention was reduced to a “systematical registration” of the more or less fit individuals. This development and the eugenic background of infant care created a link to the concept of selection in Nazi Germany.     

Personality and repeated suicide attempts in dependent adolescents and young adults

This study compared personality characteristics of subjects with dependence disorders who had previously made a suicide attempt. The population, recruited in France, Belgium, and Switzerland, was composed of 570 subjects (225 females, 345 males, mean age = 27.3, SD = 8.5). The subjects' psychological dimensions were investigated by means of several self-report questionnaires including: BDI-13 (Beck), Sensation-Seeking Scale (Zuckerman), Toronto Alexithymia Scale (Taylor), Interpersonal Dependency Inventory (Hirschfeld), MMPI-2, and some additional scales. For most dimensions, repeat attempters, both past and recent, but more specifically the recent repeaters, had a more severe psychological profile compared to the other suicide attempters.     

Autoerotic deaths in the literature from 1954 to 2004: a review

Autoerotic death by hanging or ligature is a method of autoeroticism well known by forensic pathologists. In order to analyze autoerotic deaths of nonclassic hanging or ligature type, this paper reviews all published cases of autoerotic deaths from 1954 to 2004, with the exclusion of homicide cases or cases in which the autoerotic activity was not solitary. These articles were obtained through a systematic Medline database search. A total of 408 cases of such deaths has been reported in 57 articles. For each case, the following characteristics are presented here: sex, age, race, method of autoerotic activity, cause of death, and location where the body was found. Autoerotic death practioners were predominantly Caucasian males. Victims were aged from 9 to 77 years and were mainly found in various indoor locations. Most cases were asphyxia by hanging, ligature, plastic bags, chemical substances, or a mixture of these. Still, atypical methods of autoerotic activity leading to death accounted for about 10.3% of cases in the literature and are classified here into five broad categories: electrocution (3.7%), overdressing/body wrapping (1.5%), foreign body insertion (1.2%), atypical asphyxia method (2.9%), and miscellaneous (1.0%). All these atypical methods are further discussed individually.     

Fatal bicycle accidents--causes and legal responsibility

Ninety-nine bicycle and motorcycle accidents were analyzed that had taken place from 1980 to 1984 in and around Frankfurt on the Main. The postmortem examinations were done in the Center of Forensic Medicine at the University of Frankfurt. Twenty-five percent of the bicycle riders were children up to the age of 15 years and 25% were elderly people over the age of 60. Most of the people involved in motorcycle accidents were between 17 and 24 years of age. The greatest amount of accidents took place in the summer, but in October there was also a peak. On weekdays, Thursday was the day when most of the accidents happened and Sunday showed the least. About 50% of the bicycle accidents happened in the city; 44% of the motorcyclists had lethal accidents on normal roads in the country. The most dangerous situation for bicycle riders was created by fast vehicles following them, but intersections proved to be a danger point, too. Nearly 40% of the motorcycle accidents were not caused by other vehicles. The most frequent cause of death was head injuries (45%), followed by injuries of the internal organs and spine. Many bicycle riders caused the accidents themselves (43.6%). Most of the fatal motorcycle accidents were caused by others (56%). In all of the cases studied, 30% of the participants involved had a relevant blood-alcohol concentration.