Compulsive Behaviour: An Inquiry from a Legal Perspective in Malcolm Lowry’s Novel ‘Under the Volcano”

The novel “under the volcano” written by Malcolm Lowry covers various aspects of human life. The life patterns and habitual actions play an important role in the context of the actions done by an individual. When a habitual action turns into compulsivity, it starts acting detrimental for the individual. To get a better perspective, the meaning of compulsive behaviour mentioned according to the US National Library of Medicine is “A behaviour where a person feels compelled to perform a behaviour even if the behaviour is inappropriate or counterproductive in order to relieve anxiety or stress” (Luigjes, 2019). This paper attempts to analyze the relationship between crimes committed by humans and the role of compulsive behaviour in it. The paper also tries to analyze the relationship between compulsive behaviour and Addiction and their association with criminal tendencies. The paper tries to understand the psychological aspect involved in behaviours that turns addictive. This research also focuses on the detrimental effect of addiction on the personal as well as the social life of an individual. With the help of various sources, the paper also tries to examine the relationship between addiction and self-destructive behaviour.