The aporetic dialogues of Modena on gender differences: Is it all about testosterone? EPISODE I: CRIME

Abstract

This is the first episode of a series of four discussions on the differences between males and females, in apparently non‐andrological fields. You will read the transcript of discussions that actually took place at the Endocrinology Unit in Modena, Italy, in the form of the aporetic dialogues of ancient Greece. In this episode, the role of testosterone in gender differences in criminal behavior will be explored. The discussants were divided into two groups: group 1, which supports the thesis of a predominant role of testosterone, and group 2, which opposes it. The first group affirmed that both endogenous testosterone and anabolic‐androgenic steroids could trigger aggressive and criminal behavior, regardless of predisposition to psychiatric disease or sociocultural background. The second group asserted the multifactorial genesis of aggressive and criminal behavior, citing other hormonal and non‐hormonal factors, such as neurotransmitters, cortisol, and sociological and psychological aspects. In the end, a forensic physician, acting as a referee, tried to resolve the aporia: are the two theories equivalent or one is superior?