Dr. Bruno C. Gargiullo

D.ssa R. Damiani

Nel vasto panorama della criminologia, esplorare le radici del comportamento criminale rappresenta un’impresa complessa e affascinante. Tra le molteplici teorie proposte nel corso degli anni, la teoria del basso autocontrollo, formulata da Gottfredson e Hirschi nel 1990, rappresenta un “faro guida” che ha illuminato il cammino degli studiosi per decenni (Gottfredson & Hirschi, 1990). Secondo questa teoria, l’assenza di autocontrollo è il “cuore pulsante” di molte azioni criminose: è quel “freno mancante” che permette agli individui di perseguire gratificazioni immediate senza alcuna considerazione per le conseguenze future delle loro azioni.

Da qui nasce la domanda: quali sono i fattori che modellano il nostro livello di autocontrollo? Gottfredson e Hirschi pongono la socializzazione, in particolare l’influenza genitoriale, al centro dello sviluppo dell’autocontrollo (Gottfredson & Hirschi, 1990). L’idea è che un’adeguata genitorialità, caratterizzata da un monitoraggio attento del comportamento dei figli e da pratiche disciplinari efficaci, possa favorire lo sviluppo di un sano autocontrollo. Eppure, man mano che ci addentriamo nei meandri della ricerca, emergono altre voci nel “coro” della spiegazione del comportamento criminale.

L’ambiente scolastico, ad esempio, si rivela un contesto cruciale per la formazione dell’autocontrollo

(Burtetal.,2006; Turneretal.,2005). Qui, i giovani possono apprendere non solo conoscenze accademiche, ma anche abilità sociali e comportamentali che influenzano il loro approccio alla vita e al rischio. I gruppi di pari, con le loro dinamiche complesse, giocano un ruolo altrettanto significativo, plasmando le inclinazioni e le decisioni dei giovani in modi che talvolta possono sfociare in comportamenti devianti.

Ma c’è di più. Recentemente, la ricerca ha aperto una nuova frontiera nello studio del comportamento criminale: le basi neurobiologiche dell’autocontrollo. Mentre Gottfredson e Hirschi tendono a trascurare il ruolo del cervello e dei fattori biologici, studi successivi hanno evidenziato il complesso legame tra il funzionamento cerebrale e il comportamento umano (Beaver et al., 2007; DeLisi, 2014; Jackson & Beaver, 2013). Si scopre che l’autocontrollo non è solo una questione di forza di volontà, ma è profondamente radicato nella nostra biologia.

Gli studiosi hanno scoperto che le differenze individuali nell’autocontrollo possono essere influenzate dalla genetica e da specifiche caratteristiche neurobiologiche. Ad esempio, deficit neuropsicologici, come una minore attività in alcune regioni del cervello coinvolte nell’inibizione del comportamento impulsivo (es., attenzione, memoria), possono predisporre gli individui a comportamenti antisociali e criminogeni (Cauffman et al., 2005; Jackson & Beaver, 2013; Ratchford & Beaver, 2009). Inoltre, fattori precoci come le complicazioni alla nascita e l’esposizione a sostanze nocive, durante la gravidanza,  possono avere un impatto duraturo sullo sviluppo dell’autocontrollo (Beaver & Wright, 2005; Meldrum & Barnes, 2016; Minnes et al., 2014).

Questo nuovo approccio, che integra la teoria del basso autocontrollo con scoperte nel campo della neuroscienza, offre una visione più completa e complessa del comportamento criminale. Sebbene la socializzazione rimanga un fattore cruciale, l’indagine sulle basi neurobiologiche dell’autocontrollo apre nuove frontiere per la prevenzione e l’intervento alla criminalità. Comprendere la complessa interazione tra natura e cultura nel determinare il comportamento umano non solo arricchisce il nostro bagaglio di conoscenze, ma ci avvicina anche a strategie più efficaci per la costruzione di comunità più sicure e resilienti.

Quindi, il concetto di “cervello delinquenziale”, utilizzato in passato per evidenziare l’esistenza di un nesso lineare di causa-effetto tra le caratteristiche cerebrali e il comportamento antisociale o criminale (rischio di stigmatizzazione della condotta violenta),  ha spinto i ricercatori a individuare le diverse variabili (eredità genetica, ambiente sociale e familiare, salute mentale, istruzione, esperienze avverse) che concorrono all’agire umano (violento e non).

Le moderne neuroscienze hanno identificato diverse regioni e circuiti neurali che possono contribuire alla genesi di un comportamento antisociale:

• Lobo frontale, coinvolto nel controllo esecutivo, che include la pianificazione, la presa decisionale e l’inibizione comportamentale. Quando il lobo frontale non funziona correttamente, può verificarsi incapacità di controllare gli impulsi, mancanza di autocontrollo e difficoltà nel valutare le conseguenze delle proprie azioni. Questi deficit possono favorire la propensione a comportamenti antisociali o criminali.
• Corteccia prefrontale mediale, responsabile della regolazione delle emozioni e dell’empatia. Quando la corteccia prefrontale mediale è compromessa, può verificarsi una mancanza di empatia ed una ridotta capacità di comprendere le emozioni degli altri. Ciò condurrebbe ad una mancanza di freni inibitori (aggressività reattiva).
• Amigdala (piccola mandorla), coinvolta nel processamento delle emozioni, in particolare quelle legate alla paura e all’aggressività. Una sua iperattivazione può condurre un individuo a un discontrollo degli impulsi.
• Sistema limbico, che ingloba diverse strutture tra cui l’amigdala e l’ippocampo (cavalluccio marino), coinvolto nella regolazione delle emozioni e delle risposte allo stress. Una sua disfunzionalità può influenzare la percezione delle minacce e la gestione dello stress, contribuendo così a comportamenti antisociali o criminali in situazioni di conflitto o pericolo.
• Circuiti dopaminergici, coinvolti nella motivazione, nella ricompensa e nel rinforzo del comportamento. La disfunzionalità nei circuiti dopaminergici può incidere sulla ricerca di gratificazione immediata e il coinvolgimento in comportamenti ad alto rischio, che possono essere associati a comportamenti antisociali o criminali.

Tuttavia, ci dobbiamo soffermare sulle aree neurali come l’ACC (Corteccia Cingolata Anteriore), il dlPFC (Corteccia Prefrontale Dorsolaterale) e l’insula, le quali sono attive durante compiti che richiedono il controllo degli impulsi e il riconoscimento degli errori. Queste regioni cerebrali sono cruciali per il controllo esecutivo e l’adattamento comportamentale. Deficit in queste funzioni possono influenzare negativamente l’apprendimento e la regolazione comportamentale, associandosi a esiti disadattivi come comportamenti antisociali e criminali. In sintesi, lo studio delle basi neurobiologiche del controllo inibitorio e del monitoraggio degli errori offre una chiave importante per comprendere i meccanismi alla base del comportamento umano, con implicazioni significative per la prevenzione e l’intervento nei comportamenti devianti. È importante sottolineare che queste aree cerebrali e circuiti neurali interagiscono tra loro in modo complesso e sono influenzati da una vasta gamma di fattori, tra cui quelli genetici, ambientali e psicosociali. In conclusione, le ricerche sull’infanzia e sull’adolescenza, in merito allo sviluppo del comportamento delinquenziale, hanno dimostrato l’esistenza di una serie di fattori individuali (es. genetici, neurobiologici e neuropsicologici), sociali e ambientali che influenzerebbero un agire violento (multifattorialità).

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