ABSTRACT
Biosociology is an emerging paradigm, one that seeks to understand human behaviour by integrating relevant insights from the natural sciences into traditional sociological thinking. The work of Sarnoff Mednick and associates provides a good example of the orientation of criminological biologists working in the context of the biosocial paradigm. Evolutionary theory has long been used to explain gender differences in both violent behaviour and sexual activity and it is a tradition which has been very influential with sociobiological criminologists. Many biologists have declared themselves to be strongly opposed to these sociobiological theories of rape and three crucial arguments can be identified. Perigo Ryan significantly argues that reducing testosterone in ageing men may lead to increased empathy, more emotional engagement in relationships and a softening of aggression. Increasingly, there has been recognition of the need for biological theories that examine the interaction of sociological, psychological and biological phenomena in the production of criminal behaviour.
