A Theory of Homicidal Behavior Among Women*

This theory explains the homicidal behavior of women in a variety of settings. Structural, social, and cultural conditions of modern societies generate strain for all women, which produces negative affect. Women tend to internalize negative affect as guilt and hurt rather than externalize it as anger directed at a target. This results in a situation analogous to overcontrolled personality, and results in low overall rates of deviance punctuated by occasional instances of extreme violence. The conditions found in long‐term abusive relationships and pre‐ or post‐partum environments are more likely to produce this result, but the theory is not limited to explaining female homicide in these settings.