Examines the role of emotions in criminal behaviour, and their importance to the attribution of moral and criminal responsibility.

1. Thematic overview; 2. The role of emotions in legal theory; 3. Structure of the defences; 4. Elements of the defences; 5. Threats and the taking of life; 6. A reappraisal.

Eimear Spain is a Lecturer in Law at the School of Law, University of Limerick, where her research focuses on the interaction between law and psychology, particularly the role of emotions in criminal behaviour and the criminal justice system.