The psychology of the criminal / by M. Hamblin Smith.

  • Smith, M. Hamblin (Maurice Hamblin), 1870-1936.
Date:
[1922]
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The psychology of the criminal / by M. Hamblin Smith. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    150/208 (page 138)
    yet doing quite useful work in the world, are good citizens, and never fall into delinquency. The whole history of each case has to be considered. On the other hand, good reason will often be found for the segregation of cases which grade at ten years, and for some which grade nearly up to 12 years. Of course, higher-grade cases are much more trainable than are the lower- grade cases. Many can be trained in good habits of industry, etc., if taken in hand early enough. And this training is of much practical importance. If a case grades at 12 years, or higher, and we are quite certain that we are not dealing with a “ verba¬ list ” (a term which will be explained later) then it is doubtful if we have any right to describe it as one of mental defect. Every mental defective is at least a potential de¬ linquent. Why do defectives tend so strongly to fall into delinquency ? Terman1 answers the question thus : he says, Morality depends upon (a) Ability to foresee and weigh possible consequences for ourselves and others of different kinds of behaviour, and (b) Wil¬ lingness and capacity to exercise self-restraint. There are many intelligent criminals because (a) may exist without (6). But (b) presupposes (a). Moral judgment, like business judgment, or any other form of higher thought process, is a function of intelligence.” Thus Terman, like the present author, would seem to reject the idea of a “ moral sense ” as apart from the intel¬ ligence. Defect of intelligence has always a tendency to lead to anti-social conduct. As a rule, the greater is a man’s intelligence, the more he realizes the importance and the claims of the community, although he may, in some cases, look past the surrounding community, towards a greater community, perhaps one as yet unborn. This has always been so. The greatest minds of antiquity 1 “ The Measurement of Intelligence.”