CRIMINOLOGY AND THE TRAJECTORIES OF DEVIANCE: AN INTEGRATED ANALYSIS OF THE SUBJECT-CORLEONE THROUGH SUTHERLAND’S DIFFERENTIAL ASSOCIATION, THE LACANIAN NOTION OF JOUISSANCE, AND THE CONSTRUCT OF CRIMINOGENIC PHANTASY

This article presents an integrated analysis of the criminal trajectory of the character Michael Corleone, the central figure in The Godfather trilogy. The analysis employs three fundamental theoretical frameworks: Edwin Sutherland’s Differential Association Theory, Lacanian-oriented criminology with specific reference to the notion of jouissance, and the construct of “criminogenic phantasy”. The objective is to demonstrate that the genesis of Michael’s criminal behavior is not merely a process of social learning, but rather the result of profound psychic dynamics that manifest in the act itself. It explores the etiology of “violent scripts” and the phenomenology of “crimes of jouissance”, analyzing these manifestations within the broader context of the Western devaluation of the phantasy and the concept of “hystery” as a mechanism of collective repression. It shows how Michael, initially an outsider to the criminal world, assimilates deviant values and techniques through privileged association with his family, internalizing an unconscious phantasy of transgression. The analysis of the jouissance implicated in his actions reveals an evolution from an initial repulsion to a form of absolute mastery and control that transcends the pleasure principle, configuring itself as a plus-de-jouir linked to the preservation of a symbolic order and a will to power. The convergence of these perspectives offers a complex reading of the genesis and maintenance of criminal conduct, enriching the understanding of individual trajectories in deviance. Finally, therapeutic implications aimed at “deprogramming” the criminogenic unconscious are discussed, positing the rehabilitation of the phantasy’s function as a crucial element for the construction of a more integrated subject.