Testosterone and adrenaline: aggressive antisocial behavior in normal adolescent males

In this chapter, some new analyses of testosterone – behavior relations will be presented in a causal analytic framework and it is indicated that testosterone may have a causal influence on some forms of aggressive behavior.

Abstract

This chapter consists of two relatively independent parts. One concerns the relation between aggressive antisocial behavior and testosterone, the other the relation between the same or related behavior patterns and adrenaline. In many ways these relations are quite different, but there is a common denominator in that both parts refer to an association of hormonal factors with aggressive antisocial behavior. In addition, the empirical results presented are based on the same sample of healthy male adolescent subjects. The study of the adrenaline – behavior relation has not been reported before. Basic information on the testosterone study can be found in other publications (e.g., Olweus, in 1983; Olweus, Mattsson, Schalling, & Löw, 1980). In this chapter, some new analyses of testosterone – behavior relations will be presented in a causal analytic framework.