RT Article
T1 Does Empathy Attenuate the Criminogenic Effect of Low Self-Control in Late Life?
JF International journal of comparative and applied criminal justice
VO 47
IS 1
SP 57
OP 77
A1 Hirtenlehner, Helmut 1970-
A2 Trivedi-Bateman, Neema
A2 Baier, Dirk 1976-
A2 Strohmeier, Dagmar 1973-
LA English
YR 2023
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1832548449
AB The present study investigates whether empathy shapes the criminogenic effect of low self-control in late adulthood. Based on the assumption that the capacity to understand and share the thoughts and emotions of other people moderates the significance of the capability to consider the distant consequences of behaviour on oneself, we posit that poor self-control is less consequential among senior citizens of high empathy. The results of a postal survey of 3,000 randomly selected older adults from Germany indicate that both low trait self-control and weak trait empathy increase offending in advanced age. Furthermore, the findings provide evidence of an interaction according to which the relationship between the risk-taking component of the self-control trait and criminal activity is stronger for older adults characterised by low empathy. Impulsivity, on the other hand, seems to mediate the association of empathy and offending in late life.
K1 late life offending
K1 Self-control
K1 Empathy
DO 10.1080/01924036.2021.1955219