Emotional dysregulation as a risk and a prelude to violence

Emotional dysregulation, traditionally a central tenet of clinical psychology and psychiatry, is receiving growing attention from criminology, neuroscience, and forensic psychology. 254 Emotional dysregulation is the difficulty controlling and coping with emotions. It involves intense emotional shifts, mood swings, and loss of control over one’s behaviour. In light of the resulting social and behavioural impairments, social and neuropsychological scientists agree that emotional dysregulation can be seen as a risk factor for violence. The scientific literature is not always consistent in the definition of emotional dysregulation, its causes, or its impact on social functioning. The aim of this paper is to explore the literature of the last 20 years and systematically evaluate the findings so as to identify: a. how emotional dysregulation is defined; b. how it is linked to criminal behaviour and violence; c. how this knowledge has influenced the professional practice of treatment of violent individuals and guided relapse prevention. It is believed that a wider understanding of the neuropsychological, emotional, and behavioural risk factors that affect the control of emotions could have implications at preventative and treatment levels, and could offer new evidence-based elements of scrutiny for assessing criminal responsibility and criminal liability in the courtroom.