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Description

English soccer hooliganism continues to be a serious problem both at home and abroad. Claims about the success of recent preventative measures taken by the English soccer and police authorities are premature. There are strong indications that soccer hooligans are still active and that they are adapting and changing their strategies and relocating their violent activities. Over recent years, much has been written about soccer hooliganism. In this book, 'Reversal Theory', an insightful and coherent new eclectic approach in psychology, is used to address soccer hooliganism in an innovative way. Few previous accounts can provide the sophisticated understanding of the motivation behind soccer hooligan violence that 'Reversal Theory' achieves. Equipped with a real understanding of the psychology behind violent soccer hooligan activities, those charged with dealing with the problem may adopt more effective counter measures. This book must be of interest to all those who are involved in dealing with or studying soccer hooliganism and other, similar forms of deviant behaviour, such as delinquency and vandalism.

Reviews

"...a convincing documentation of the key issues...an important contribution to the research literature and if the reader is prepared to take some time to absorb the theoretical tenets of reversal theory the book provides a very enlightening read." - British Journal of Educational Psychology

Contents

Reversal theory explained; the paratelic nature of hooliganism and delinquency; soccer and the pursuit of excitement; hostile confrontation - hooligans versus the police; violent assault - hooligans versus hooligans; hardmen, superthugs and psychopaths; prospectus for an improved understanding of soccer hooliganism.

Additional Information

• Illustrations: Illustrations