ABSTRACT
Always bearing in mind that one man's traitor is another man's patriot researchers need to ask at the outset of their discussion whether there are any theories which will enable them to understand better the phenomenon of treason. Any consideration of treason necessarily involves the relationship of the individual to the State, the province of political science. The gene-for-everything mentality hardly extends to treason. Treason may be the deviant response within a given social context but, given another place and another time, the response may well have been different. Even those with a strong biological bent are usually prepared to concede that behaviour is determined by a combination of natural proclivities which are then fostered or otherwise by socialization factors. The concept of socialization is nurture-oriented and denotes the process whereby individuals are moulded to the requirements of society.
