criminal psychology-第97部分

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ld；　let　us　say；　knows　very　well　that　stealing　is　dishonorable；　sinful；　criminal。　But　it　does　not　know　that　counterfeiting；　treachery；　and　arson　are　forbidden。　These　differences；　however；　may　be　reduced　to　a　hair。　It　knows　that　stealing　is　forbidden；　but　considers　it　permissible　to　‘‘rag''　the　neighbors'　fruit。　It　knows　that　lying　is　a　sin；　but　it　does　not　know　that　certain　lies　become　suddenly　punishable；　according　to　law；　and　are　called　frauds。　When；　therefore；　a　boy　tells　his　uncle　that　father　sent　him　for　money　because　he　does　not　happen　to　have　any　at　home；　and　when　the　little　rascal　spends　the　money　for　sweets；　he　may　perhaps　believe　that　the　lie　is　quite　ugly；　but　that　he　had　done　anything　objectively　punishable；　he　may　be　totally　unaware。　It　is　just　as　difficult　for　the　child　to　become　subjective。　The　child　is　more　of　an　egoist　than　the　adult；　on　the　one　hand；　because　it　is　protected　and　watched　in　many　directions　by　the　adult；　on　the　other；　because；　from　the　nature　of　things；　it　does　not　have　to　care　for　anybody；　and　would　go　ship…wreck　if　it　were　not　itself　cared　for。　The　natural　consequences　are　that　it　does　not　discover　the　limits　between　what　is　permissible；　and　what　is　not　permissible。　As　Kraus　says；＇1＇　‘‘Unripe　youth　shows　a　distinct　quality　in　distinguishing　good　and　evil。　A　child　of　this　age；　that　is　required　to　judge　the　action　or　relations　of　persons；　will　not　keep　one　waiting　for　the　proper　solution；　but　if　the　action　is　brought　into　relation　to　its　selfhood；　to　its　own　personality；　there　is　a　sudden　disingenuity；　a　twisting　of　the　judgment；　an　incapacity　in　the　child　to　set　itself　at　the　objective　point　of　view。''　Hence；　it　is　wrong　to　ask　a　child：　‘‘Didn't　you　know　that　you　should　not　have　done　this　thing？''　The　child　will　answer；　‘‘Yes；　I　knew；''　but　it　does　not　dare　to　add；　‘‘I　knew　that　other　people　ought　not　do　it；　but　I　might。''　It　is　not　necessary　that　the　spoiled；　pampered　pet　should　say　this；　any　child　has　this　prejudiced　attitude。　And　how　shall　it　know　the　limit　between　what　is　permitted　it；　and　what　is　not？　Adults　must　work；　the　child　plays；　the　mother　must　cook；　the　child　comes　to　the


＇1＇　Die　Psychologie　des　Verbrechens。　Tbingen　1884。

　laden　table；　the　mother　must　wash；　the　child　wears　the　clean　clothes；　it　gets　the　titbits；　it　is　protected　against　cold；　it　is　forgiven　many　a　deed　and　many　a　word　not　permitted　the　adult。　Now　all　of　a　sudden　it　is　blamed　because　it　has　gone　on　making　use　of　its　recognized　privileges。　Whoever　remembers　this　artificial；　but　nevertheless　necessary；　egoism　in　children　will　have　to　think　more　kindly　of　many　a　childish　crime。　Moreover；　we　must　not　overlook　the　fact　that　the　child　does　many　things　simply　as　blind　imitation。　More　accurate　observation　of　this　well　known　psychological　fact　will　show　how　extensive　childish　imitation　is。　At　a　certain　limit；　of　course；　liability　is　here　also　present；　but　if　a　child　is　imitating　an　imitable　person；　a　parent；　a　teacher；　etc。；　its　responsibility　is　at　an　end。

All　in　all；　we　may　say　that　nobody　has　brought　any　evidence　to　show　that　children　are　any　worse…behaved　than　adults。　Experience　teaches　that　hypocrisy；　calculating　evil；　intentional　selfishness；　and　purposeful　lying　are　incomparably　rarer　among　children　than　among　adults；　and　that　on　the　whole；　they　observe　well　and　willingly。　We　may　take　children；　with　the　exception　of　pubescent　girls；　to　be　good；　reliable　witnesses。


Section　82。　（c）　Senility。

It　would　seem　that　we　lawyers　have　taken　insufficient　account　of　the　characteristics　of　senility。　These　characteristics　are　as　definitive　as　those　of　childhood　or　of　sex；　and　to　overlook　them　may　lead　to　serious　consequences。　We　shall　not　consider　that　degree　of　old　age　which　is　called　second　childhood。　At　that　stage　the　question　seriously　arises　whether　we　are　not　dealing　with　the　idiocy　of　age；　or　at　least　with　a　weakness　of　perception　and　of　memory　so　obvious　that　they　can　not　be　mistaken。

The　important　stage　is　the　one　which　precedes　this；　and　in　which　a　definite　decline　in　mental　power　is　not　yet　perceivable。　Just　as　we　see　the　first　stage　of　early　youth　come　to　an　end　when　the　distinction　between　boy　and　girl　becomes　altogether　definite；　so　we　may　observe　that　the　important　activity　of　the　process　of　life　has　run　its　course　when　this　distinction　begins　to　degenerate。　It　is　essentially　defined　by　the　approximation　to　each　other　of　the　external　appearance　of　the　two　sexes；their　voices；　their　inner　character；　and　their　attitude。　What　is　typically　masculine　or　feminine　disappears。　It　is　at　this　point　that　extreme　old　age　begins。　The　number　of　years；　the　degree　of　intelligence；　education；　and　other　differences　　are　of　small　importance；　and　the　ensuing　particularities　may　be　easily　deduced　by　a　consideration　of　the　nature　of　extreme　old　age。　The　task　of　life　is　ended；　because　the　physical　powers　have　no　longer　any　scope。　For　the　same　reason　resistance　to　enemies　has　become　lessened；　courage　has　decreased；　care　about　physical　welfare　increased；　everything　occurs　more　slowly　and　with　greater　difficulty；　and　all　because　of　the　newly…arrived　weakness　which；　from　now　on；　becomes　the　denotative　trait　of　that　whole　bit　of　human　nature。　Hence；　Lombroso＇1＇　is　not　wrong　in　saying　that　the　characteristic　diseases　of　extreme　old　age　are　rarer　among　women　than　among　men。　This　is　so　because　the　change　in　women　is　not　so　sudden；　nor　so　powerful；　since　they　are　weak　to　begin　with；　while　man　becomes　a　weak　graybeard　suddenly　and　out　of　the　fullness　of　his　manly　strength。　The　change　is　so　great；　the　difference　so　significant　and　painful；　that　the　consequence　must　be　a　series　of　unpleasant　properties；egoism；　excitability；　moroseness；　cruelty；　etc。　It　is　significant　that　the　very　old　man　assumes　all　those　unpleasant　characteristics　we　note　in　eunuchsthey　result　from　the　consciousness　of　having　lost　power。

It　is　from　this　fact　that　Kraus　（loc。　cit。）　deduces　the　crimes　of　extreme　old　age。　‘‘The　excitable　weakness　of　the　old　man　brings　him　into　great　danger　of　becoming　a　criminal。　The　excitability　is　opposed　to　slowness　and　one…sidedness　in　thought；　he　is　easily　surprised　by　irrelevancies；　he　is　torn　from　his　drowse；　and　behaves　like　a　somnolent　drunkard。。。。　The　very　old　individual　is　a　fanatic　about　restevery　disturbance　of　his　rest　troubles　him。　Hence；　all　his　anger；　all　his　teasing　and　quarreling；　all　his　obstinacy　and　stiffness；　have　a　single　device：　‘Let　me　alone。'　''

This　somnolent　drunkenness　is　variously　valued。　Henry　Holland；　in　one　of　his　‘‘Fragmentary　Papers；''　said　that　age　approximates　a　condition　of　dreams　in　which　illusion　and　reality　are　easily　confused。　But　this　can　be　true　only　of　the　last　stages　of　extreme　old　age；　when　life　has　become　a　very　weak；　vegetative　function；　but　hardly　any　crimes　are　committed　by　people　in　this　stage。

It　would　be　simpler　to　say　that　the　old　man's　weakness　gives　the　earlier　tendencies　of　his　youth　a　definite　direction　which　may　lead　to　crime。　All　diseases　develop　in　the　direction　of　the　newly　developing　weakness。　But　selfishness　or　greed　are　not　young。　Hence　we　must　assume　that　an　aging　man　who　has　turned　miser　began　by　being　prudent；　but　that　he　did　not　deny　himself　and　his　friends　because　he　knew　that　he　was　able　to　restore；　later；　what　they　con…


＇1＇　The　Female　Offender。

　sumed。　Now　he　is　old　and　weak；　he　knows　that　he　can　no　longer　do　this　easily；　i。　e。；　that　his　money　and　property　are　all　that　he　has　to　depend　on　in　his　old　age；　and　hence；　he　is　very　much　afraid　of　losing　or　decreasing　them；　so　that　his　prudence　becomes　miserliness；　later　mania　for　possession；　and　even　worse；　finally　it　may　turn　him　into　a　criminal。

The　situation　is　the　same　sexually。　Too　weak　to　satisfy　natural　instincts　in　adults；　he　attacks　immature　girls；　and　his　fear　of　people　he　can　no　longer　otherwise　oppose　turns　him　into　a　poisoner。　Drobisch　finds　that　by　reason　of　the　alteration　of　characteristics；　definite　elements　of　the　self　are　distinguishable　at　every　stage。　The　distinguishing　element　in　extreme　old　age；　in　senility；　is　the　loss　of　power；　and　if　we　keep　this　in　mind　we　shall　be　able　to　explain　every　phenomenon　characteristic　of　this　period。

Senile　individuals　require　especial　treatment　as　witnesses。　An　accurate　study　of　such　people　and　of　the　not　over…rich　literature　concerning　them　will；　however；　yield　a　sufficient　basis　to　go　on。　What　is　most　important　can　be　found　in　any　text…book　on　psychology。　The　individual　cases　are　considerably　helped　by　the　assumption　that　the　mental　organization　of　senility　is　essentially　simplified　and　narrowed　to　a　few　types。　Its　activities　are　lessened；　its　influences　and　aims　are　compressed；　the　present　brings　little　and　is　little　remembered；　so　that　its　collective　character　is　determined　by　a　resultant；　composed　of　those　forces　that　have　influenced　the　man's　past　life。　Accurate　observation　will　reveal　only　two　types　of　senility。＇1＇　There　is　the　embittered　type；　and　there　is　the　character　expressed　in　the　phrase；　‘‘to　understand　all　is　to　forgive　all。''　Senility　rarely　succeeds　in　presenting　facts　objectively。　Everything　it　tells　is　bound　up　with　its　judgment；　and　its　judgment　is　either　negative　or　positive。　The　judgment's　nature　depends　less　on　the　old　man's　emotional　character　than　on　his　experience　in　life。　If　he　is　one　of　the　embittered；　he　will　probably　so　describe　a　possibly　harmful；　but　not　bad　event；　as　to　be　able　to　complain　of　the　wickedness　of　the　world；　which　brought　it　about；　that　at　one　time　such　and　such　an　evil　happened　to　him。　The　excusing　senile　will　begin　with　‘‘Good　God；　it　wasn't　so　bad。　The　people　were　young　and　merry；　and　so　one　of　them。''　That　the　same　event　is　presented　in　a　fundamentally　different　light　by　each　is　obvious。　Fortunately；　the　senile　is　easily　seen　through　and　his　first　words　show　how　he　looks　at　things。　He　makes　difficulties　mainly　by　introducing　memories


＇1＇　H。　Gross：　Lehrbuch　fr　den　Ausforschungsdienst　der　Gendarmerie。

　which　always　color　and　modify　the　evidence。　The　familiar　fact　that　very　old　men　remember　things　long　past　better　than　immediate　occurrences；　is　to　be　explained　by　the　situation　that　the　ancient　brain　retains　only　that　which　it　has　frequently　experienced。　Old　experienc