// Criminological approach
Biological and anthropological theories of crime
The causes of crime in genetics, the body and the brain. The 14 theories of the biological and anthropological approach, illustrated with pop-culture villains and explained with rigor.
14 theories14 with a case file
11Born Criminal / Atavism TheoryLombroso believed he could read the killer in his jaw and his ears. A mesmerizing, dangerous idea that forgets the monster usually looks normal.Leatherface · The Texas Chain Saw Massacre12Criminological PhrenologyThe bumps on your skull mapping out your criminal destiny: the pseudoscience that measured heads to flag future killers.Quasimodo · The Hunchback of Notre-Dame13Somatotype TheoryDoes the body rule? Sheldon swore the muscular, athletic type is born leaning toward violence. Biology turned into prejudice.El Kurgan · Highlander14XYY Chromosome TheoryAn extra Y sold for years as the genetic mark of the violent, unstoppable "supermale." The science that got it wrong in the headlines.La Montaña · Game of Thrones15NeurocriminologyScan a killer's brain and you'll see a broken brake in the frontal lobe. What if evil showed up on an MRI?Anton Chigurh · No Country for Old Men16Behavioral Genetics of Crime (MAOA gene)The "warrior gene" condemns no one... unless it mixes with a childhood of abuse. Then it's a ticking time bomb.Rhoda · The Bad Seed17Criminal Heredity TheoryDoes crime travel in the blood? The “criminal families” that fed eugenics confused heredity with poverty and environment; twin and adoption studies found heritable traits, not destinies.Illumi Zoldyck · Hunter × Hunter18Criminal EndocrinologyTestosterone does not manufacture violence: it pushes toward the pursuit of status and dominance, and violence is only the crudest way of winning them. A risk factor, never a destiny.Shao Kahn · Mortal Kombat19Hypoarousal TheorySome are born so dead inside that they need danger just to feel something. They kill the way others go skydiving.Paul y Peter · Funny Games20Evolutionary CriminologyWhat if violence were an old survival strategy we've dragged along since the cave? The most uncomfortable theory of them all.El Depredador · Predator21Acquired Brain Damage TheoryOne blow to the head and the person you knew is gone. Sometimes the villain is born in an accident, not in a decision.Charles Whitman · Tower22Biochemical Imbalance TheoryLow serotonin, bad brain chemistry: sometimes aggression begins in a blood test, not in character.El Lagarto · Spider-Man23Heavy Metal Poisoning TheoryThe lead a child breathes in his neighborhood can write the crime of the adult he becomes. The invisible poison of poverty.El Sombrerero Loco · Alicia24Criminological EugenicsThe darkest idea in the history of criminology: if crime is inherited, let's "cleanse" the bloodline. Science in the service of horror.El Evolucionario Supremo · Guardianes de la Galaxia
Frequently asked questions
What are biological and anthropological theories of crime?
The causes of crime in genetics, the body and the brain. They bring together 14 criminological theories, 14 of them with a full case file on KRIMINIS.
Which theories does the biological and anthropological approach include?
Born Criminal / Atavism Theory, Criminological Phrenology, Somatotype Theory, XYY Chromosome Theory, Neurocriminology, Behavioral Genetics of Crime (MAOA gene), Criminal Heredity Theory, Criminal Endocrinology, Hypoarousal Theory, Evolutionary Criminology…