How to Be A 'Good Man': Tracing War's Imprint Upon the Life Course.

This article examines how the macro-level sociohistorical context of war and genocide shapes individual developmental pathways, focusing on the life history of Omar, a former child soldier and self-identified violent criminal from the Bosnian war and genocide (1992–1995). It highlights how war imposed severe constraints on Omar’s identity resources, precipitated early adult role entry, fractured social bonds, and influenced his investment in violent masculine discourses as a means of asserting agency. Through an integrated theoretical framework combining life course theory, narrative identity, and psychosocial criminology, the study explores Omar’s shifting self-narratives and unconscious defenses that both justify and complicate his violent behavior. The findings underscore the complex interplay between historical trauma, subjective meaning-making, and masculinity in shaping criminal trajectories over the life course, advocating for greater criminological attention to war’s long-term psychosocial impacts.