Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion giftedness and crime

I haven't read this article, but it touches on some thoughts I've been turning over lately.

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10896-012-9468-7

"While research indicates offenders have IQ scores approximately eight points below the population average of 100, very little is known about the crimes of individuals with above-average IQ scores. The current research is not limited to acts of family violence, but it describes the self-reported offending of 465 high-IQ subjects for eight violent crimes: robbery, carrying a concealed weapon, making a serious threat, serious assault, homicide, constructing an explosive device, kidnapping, and attempting suicide. Rates of prevalence and incidence are reported and compared to the rates from a control group of 756 individuals with average IQ scores. High-IQ subjects reported higher rates of prevalence, incidence, and arrest, but lower levels of conviction, than controls. A significant positive correlation exists for offenders between IQ score and lifetime incidence rate for robbery, homicide, and kidnapping, and a significant negative correlation exists between IQ score and incidence of attempted suicide."

I wonder if there is a nearly universal increase in the likelihood of committing crimes among people who determine that the constructs of society are not created with them in mind.

Mean IQ in the group was 155, although their method of determining this was a bit iffy (in some cases they used SAT/GRE as an IQ proxy). MOre than 70% held a college degree, so these are not necc. marginalized gifted drop-outs.

However, they seem to have whacked up the data a little bit by oversampling men who were incarcerated. They address this, and it does take away some of their conclusions. One interesting fact that remains:


Basically, I think we are left with:


But it's a methodologically flawed study, to say the least. Nonetheless, it does suggest that crime without punishment is certainly going on among the HG.

Two groups that I believe would falsify that thesis are gays and atheists.

Interestingly, this study noted the much higher rate of atheism among the HG.

I don't think that atheists are forced to deal with societal constructs designed specifically for theists, the way high IQ kids find themselves in schools designed for average students, (at least no in the US). There are lots of churches, but they are pretty easy for atheists to avoid. Also, I understand that atheists have a lower incarceration rate than theists, but I don't know if that holds up when theists are matched based on IQ and SES.