Purpose: Criminological theories of crime, delinquency, and deviancy emphasize the causal role of low selfcontrol whereas models of psychopathology posit a general trait liability, “disinhibition”, contributing to persistent antisocial behavior and substance use. The aim of the current work was to link these compatible perspectives on deviancy through reference to a biobehavioral conceptualization of disinhibition. Methods: We examined how the Grasmick et al. (1993) self-control scale, relates to (a) trait disinhibition as indexed by self-report scales, performance on inhibitory-control tasks, and brain reactivity to cognitive stimuli, and (b) a cross-domain index combining measures from these three domains. Results: As expected, variation in self-control was robustly associated with antisocial deviance, substance use problems, and measures of disinhibition across measurement domains. Further, a factor analytic model provided compelling evidence that the Grasmick et al. scale operates as a robust indicator within a biobehavioral conceptualization of disinhibition. Conclusions: Findings confirm a strong link between self-control and trait disinhibition, and support the view that deficits in self-control have a prominent biobehavioral basis. Research in the areas of criminology and psychopathology can mutually benefit from a focus on influences contributing to variations in self-control, conceptualized as trait disinhibition.

Introduction

In A General Theory of Crime, Gottfredson and Hirschi (1990) proposed that low self-control, a dispositional trait reflecting tendencies to disregard long-term consequences of one’s action, plays a central and causal role in the development of criminal behavior. In response to this prominent theoretical model, a compelling body of scientific evidence from the criminology field has emerged in support of a self-control theory of crime and delinquency. Parallel developments in research within the fields of clinical psychology and psychiatry have identified a similar construct, termed externalizing proneness or trait disinhibition, underlying psychological disorders marked by behavioral deviancy in the forms of substance use, aggression, and chronic criminality. Both self-control and disinhibition constructs have been found to be highly heritable, suggesting links to genetically mediated neurobehavioral systems, and efforts have been made to connect the constructs of disinhibition (cf. Patrick, Venables et al., 2013; Venables, Foell, et al., 2017) and self-control (Reynolds & McCrea, 2017) to neural systems reflecting inhibitory processes. However, there has been little systematic work directly examining the interface between these two independently developed and compatible perspectives on delinquency. The current study sought to empirically integrate these distinct yet complementary lines of inquiry and demonstrate that criminological perspectives on low self-control can be situated within a broader framework (i.e., a biobehavioral model of inhibition-disinhibition) that spans multiple measurement domains (self-report, cognitive task-performance, and neurophysiology) and effectively predicts criminal (antisocial) behavior and affiliated problems such as substance use.