An Application of the Genetic-Social Framework to the Study of Crime and Criminal Behaviour

Abstract

The metatheoretical framework employed in this book has been previously used to suggest a ‘way forward’ beyond post-postmodern relativism, in tandem with its application to the study of human biotechnology in the work of Owen (2006b, 2009a) and applied by the author to several other areas of interest such as masculinities, globalisation, ageing, notions of ‘trust’ and professional power. Here it is applied to the study of crime and criminal behaviour in much greater depth. To recap, the ontologically flexible framework is an example of metatheory. It relies upon methodological generalisations as opposed to substantive generalisations, and multifactorial analysis, preparing the ground for further theoretical and empirical investigation involving large-scale synthesis. The intention now is to show how the framework may be applied and how it may inform criminological theorising, and first we must turn to what criminological theorising must avoid.