About Jack Darkes

Jack Darkes, Ph.D. is a Clinical Psychologist and currently the Director of the
Psychological Services Center in the Department of Psychology at the University
of South Florida. He is well-known and respected both nationally and
internationally for his research on psychological factors related to substance
use and abuse. He has published numerous book chapters and peer-reviewed
research articles on the role of individual differences, learning, and memory in
substance use and substance-related behavior over the past two decades. He is an
acknowledged expert on the assessment, etiology, and prevention of substance
abuse. He has served on numerous grant projects funded by the National
Institutes of Health and has been funded by the U.S. Department of Education.
During the past decade he has applied his experience to an examination of the
use and behavioral effects of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) and his
writings on AAS are well-known to readers of various internet fitness and
bodybuilding websites. He has been a Licensed Psychologist in the State of
Florida since 1996. He is an invited scientific reviewer for several journals,
previously served on the Editorial Board of the American Psychological
Association journal Psychology of Addictive Behaviors and is currently a Senior
Editor for the internationally recognized journal Addiction. Dr. Darkes is a
military veteran, having served 10 years active duty in the U.S. Army, attaining
the rank of Sergeant First Class.

Muscle Profiling – Is Muscularity Evidence of a Crime?

August 6, 2009 By Jack Darkes

Muscularity (mesomorphy) has a long-time alleged association with negative characteristics such as assertiveness or even criminality (e.g., Sheldon, 1942). The modern pursuit of muscle has also been demonized via allegations of association with undesirable behaviors; condemnations that seem destined to produce a more formal muscle profiling. Modern "muscle profiling" finds … [Read more...]

Anabolic Steroids and Aggression

September 1, 2007 By Jack Darkes

The following is a brief synopsis of a talk given at the 115th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association (APA) in San Francisco, CA on August 19, 2007. Existing research on substance use has had little impact on the public or researchers’ view of anabolic/androgenic steroids (AAS) and their effects. One reason is morality: It is obvious that, standing in … [Read more...]

Chris Benoit Tragedy – Anabolic Steroids, Aggression and Violence

June 28, 2007 By Jack Darkes

The following is an overview of the scientific literature on the relationship between anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) and aggression. It is intended as a brief informational review without references to the larger literature from which it draws. A more in-depth review of these issues can be found in a series of articles on this topic I wrote several years ago that are … [Read more...]

Anabolic Steroids and Suicide – A Brief Review of the Evidence

July 12, 2005 By Jack Darkes

Discussions of the potential role of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) in suicide surfaced recently when AAS and their use among professional athletes were blamed for several suicides of young adult males. These allegations inspired a congressional investigation and renewed anti-steroid rhetoric, but little dispassionate evaluation. The testimony of experts and grieving … [Read more...]

Anabolic Steroids and Aggression, Part 2: Does the Evidence Support a Causal Inference?

September 10, 2001 By Jack Darkes

Findings regarding the AAS use and aggression relationship are inconsistent and vary with the nature of the study and design. Although widely accepted as fact, a review finds little, if any, strong evidence for a direct causal relationship. This may, in part, stem from confusion regarding the specific questions that are answerable by various research designs. For instance, … [Read more...]

Anabolic Steroids and Aggression, Part 1 A Review of the Evidence

September 10, 2001 By Jack Darkes

The association between the use of anabolic-androgenic steroids (hereinafter referred to as "anabolic steroids" or "steroids") and aggression ("’roid rage") has been widely accepted in the culture in general, the mainstream media, and the resistance training subculture. This view has been bolstered by the use of anabolic steroid "induced" rage as a legal defense (Pope & … [Read more...]