Classification of motives for crime: scientific approaches

Abstract

Among all the components of the subjective side of the crime, the motive is given the meaning of the driving force, the engine that pushes a person to commit an illegal act. Being the core of the motivational process, the motive must be taken into account when qualifying a criminal act and sentencing. The analysis of the current Criminal Code of Ukraine indicates the existence of various motives, each of which has a different socio - psychological basis and ethical assessment. On the one hand, these differences complicate the possibility of classifying motives, on the other - is one of the reasons for the emergence of different approaches and criteria for their delimitation.
It is impossible to develop a single classification system of motives with uniform criteria, given the diversity of the category of motives and its different perceptions. Any classification due to its conditionality is not able to take into account all possible states in which a particular category may be. Meanwhile, any category can increase or decrease the value given to it in the classification system. This also applies to the motive of the crime. Therefore, when assessing the motive in a particular classification, it is necessary to take into account the specific circumstances of the objective and subjective plan, under the influence of which a particular motive arose.