The Genetics of Violence
Introduction
We, in the 1990’s, are slowly and inevitably being faced with the sociological and biological implications of impending genetic power. This power is analytical, in such cases as the Human Genome Project, which will hopefully succeed in mapping out the genetic code for the entire human genetic composition.
Moreover, this power is preventative and participatory in that it can be, and is being, used to control the behavior of humans and other animals. This new power, in the eyes of many, is as risky and potentially hazardous as atomic energy: it must be treated carefully, used under close supervision, performed under professional consent and observation, otherwise, people will begin to see this new genetic power as a dangerous drawback, rather than an advancement of human culture. One of the most highly contested and objectionable topics of genetic power is the analysis of crime, violence, and impulsivity. Doubtless, most will agree that children are not born with a natural affinity for violence and crime; yet, new genetic studies are beginning down a long road of finding the hereditary basis for impulsivity. While these studies continue to search for the genetic source of aggression, child testing programs, drug manufacturers, civil rights activists, lawyers, and anxious citizens await the resulting testimony of the scientists. The social implications of the genetic search for aggressive tendency is seen by some as a great step forward, by others as a dangerous power with the ability to give birth to another Holocaust, and by still others as racist. At one time, it was believed that one’s character could be determined from the bumps in one’s skull. Much later, in the 1960’s, as science marched on in its regular pace, it was theorized that carriers of an extra Y (male) chromosome were predisposed to criminality. Today, we are faced with the power to determine and alter one’s character through genetics. We must collectively decide whether the ultimate price, not of money but of natural evolution, is worth the ultimate result.
Behavioral Genetics and Aggression
One day in 1978 a woman entered the University Hospital of Nijmegen, the
Netherlands, with complaints regarding the men in her family. Many of th...
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Geoffrey Canada, the author of Fist, Stick, Knife, Gun; A Personal History of Violence, grew up and worked his entire life near or in the underclass society. Through his keen observation on behavior of children in these regions, he has noticed how with the introduction to guns, in particular to children created even more dangerous neighborhoods. Throughout his lifetime in New York, he tells us that violence has changed to be less organized and the social stability of the children is tested with (fire) power that they are too young to fully understand, it was an evolutionary decent. His observations on the violence that children can commit to each other parallels well with fictional story Lord of the Flies written by Nobel prize winning writer, William Golding. Golding, like Canada, looks what kind of environment is needed for violence to prevail in children. Although Golding’s 1954 book Lord of the Flies is fiction, it describes our current impoverished America’s epidemic on violence very well.
The question of whether or not man is predetermined at birth to lead a life of crime is a question that has been debated for decades. Are serial killers born with the lust for murder, or are their desires developed through years of abuse and torment? Many believe it is impossible for an innocent child to be born with the capability to commit a horrible act such as murder. But at the same time, how could we have corrupted society so much as to turn an innocent child into a homicidal maniac? Forensic psychologists have picked apart the minds of serial killers to find an answer as to what forces them to commit such perverse acts. Their ultimate goal is to learn how to catch a serial killer before he commits his first crime.
Due to crime-inspired shows that air on television, fascination with serial killers presents itself more and more. People want to learn what makes a person break to the point of taking another’s life. Some suggest that killing releases a sexual desire, while others suggest that revenge may be the motive. A serial killer has the stereotypical look of a white male who tends to act socially awkward, not easily approachable, and possesses a mental illness. While the accuracy of this look tends to be true occasionally, the majority of the time a serial killer looks no different than anyone else and appears rather social. Some experts believe that a serial killer has codes in his DNA which causes him to kill; nonetheless, other experts believe environmental
“Dime con quien andas, y te dire quien eres.” This popular spanish phrase translated in english states “tell me with whom you walk with, and I’ll tell you who you are.” The question is, can you? Does a persons surroundings play a role on who they become and their behavior in life or is it innate? Since philosophers like Plato, Aristotle, Hermes, and even Socrates there has been great debates about whether we as humans are born wired a certain way versus becoming products of our environments. This argument, commonly referred to as Nature versus Nurture continues today to be a topic of debate amongst us today. Most recently, the concept of nature versus nurture has been used in the gay, homosexual, bi-sexual community. While many argue that sexual preference is a decision one makes based on sexual exposure and experiences, others argue that people are actually born that way. The idea is that they were born with the “gay gene” and have no control over their sexuality. While sexuality is currently the “hot” topic within the nature versus nurture concept, the makeup of killers and mass murderers has long been a part of this back and forth debate. Are people born to kill? If you believe in the theory on evolution, then as animals, it is quite possible that we are born to kill by nature as killing is a survivability trait. On the contrary, if you are a believer of the church and the idea that man was created by God, then that would mean we must be creatures of our environment. In this paper I will be discussing a variety of theories and ideologies often used by scientists and psychologist alike when arguing their views. I will also discuss and compare different cases involving serial murders trying to find similarities as well as diffe...
Popular Culture and Violent Behavior Introduction In 1871 E.B. Taylor defined culture as 'that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, customs, and many other capabilities and habits acquired by... [members] of society. '[1] Taylor was talking about 'high' culture, an aristocratic view of the past-times such as ballet, theatre and art. Popular culture, on the other hand, is a form of 'low' culture and is based primarily on marketing, mass production and revenue.
Is there a biological basis for violent behavior in the brain? Recent research links "neurological impairments and psychoses" to violent behavior (1).
The first set of cold, clammy hands closes around my ribs. Another circles my ankle, my arm, my neck. With an irritated sigh, I restart the level for the third time as the words, “Game over” flash across the screen. Sound familiar? This scene is very common among modern zombie apocalypse games. Though the titles of these games vary, the theme remains the same: to fight for one’s life. Users are thrust into a world where they must combat violence thrown at them with violence of their own. The sheer thrill of it can be very exciting and relates well to many youth because of its life or death component. All of a sudden, eight year old boys are armed with machine guns to blast the heads off of shuffling zombies, bug-eyed aliens, and more commonly, modeled soldiers. But, while the video games continue to be mass produced, the cognitive and social skills of America’s youth suffer. With the mental health of the newest generation on the line, is it really justifiable to pass off buying the newest violent video game as innocent fun?
but also in many ways glorified? Do we glorify boxing (most of the time bloody
“See, people with power understand exactly one thing: violence” (Chomsky). The history of the world is full of blood, greed, and violence. There has only been wars instigated by the rich, powerful and greedy. Violence often lead to more violence which will cause pain everywhere or somewhere in this world (Solter). Just as Issac Asimov once said, “Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent” but things tend to heat up and move up to the next level. Violence, especially in wars, only leads to further violence due to many different elements, especially vengeance, political and economic greed.
Philosophers since the beginning of time have debated over the source and cause of violent tendencies in humans that in turn produce global conflicts, to solve the age old question, man or beast? Global conflict can with out a doubt be completely accredited to the human race, but what are the particular reasons for humans to cause such conflicts? There are many topics that have been argued by philosophers and historians over the connection between the reasons the human race and global conflict. One such topic is the gender based theories and sexual differences of men and women. Others believe that religion, with particular emphasis on monotheistic beliefs, is the major basis of conflict among the human race up to this day. Another important fact to take into consideration when attempting to understand why there is global conflict in the human race; is the significance of individual cultures amongst opposing or simply separated tribes, groups, states, and nations. Lastly, one must consider the physical evidence, for example, figuring out what can be learned about previous prehistoric societies from anthropology and paleontology. The basis of the debate is the nature of mankind; is it in our nature to be like wild animals with a lust to kill with the only difference between us and animals being intelligence, or is it that mankind over the time of existence have developed such things as material goods, religious belief systems, and all different ways of life that are responsible for violence and conflict throughout the history of the world. There is no clear cut answer to why mankind acts in such a way, but one can develop a very strong argument or theory which includes and relat...
The world has a problem with violence. It is not a new problem, and it not one that is likely to disappear soon. It is estimated that around 1.6 million people die of violence each year. Half of these deaths are attributed to suicide, while the other half are attributed to homicide, war and other conflicts combined. Historically, violence was seen as a social ill. Before the 1970’s, when genetic research began to take hold, most researchers believed that violence was caused by a number of social aspects. Even with our increased knowledge, there are still groups that view violence as a social ill. This is evident in the fact that there are groups like MAVAV, Mothers against Video Game Addiction and Violence, and Parents against Violence. These groups aim to reduce the amount of violence shown in video games and other media, in a hope that it will reduce the rate of violence. Technological advances have allowed researchers to delve into the causes behind violent acts and tendencies. Although genetics does not fully predict who will have violent urges, it does play a large role in the predisposition towards violent tendencies. Some of these causes are linked to hormones, like the amount of adolescent testosterone. Others are linked to brain activity, mainly in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and the orbitofrontal cortex. There is even some evidence that the MAOA enzyme can play a role in violent expression. Of course, not all causes are genetically based. Although genetics can help determine who will have a predisposition towards violence, there are other factors at play. The peer group that one associates with, the environment that they are raised in, and the home life that they experience all play a role in determining if the vi...
Why are we as aggressive and can we develop a way to reduce our ever increasing aggressive behavior? What this research paper is going to cover just might answer that. First we’re going to go over different types of aggression and the differences between them. Next will be the several theories about aggression. This will cover from a biological and genetic point of view to how our diet affects our behaviors in negative ways. We will even look into how our culture has an effect on our aggression levels. Last is what ways can we potentially reduce and manage our angry tendencies as well as control the ever rising aggressive behavior in our society.
In this article the two authors research the connection between genetic factors and criminal behavior. They look at the causes that make someone act in a criminal way. There are several factors looked at in connection to the cause such as social factors and environmental variables. The social factors being the more examined of the two. They hypothesized that other factors in performance or alone with environmental variables would lead to better understanding of why some people become criminal. The genetic factor of influence due to mental disorders was posed to have a slight role in affecting people to show criminal behavior. Another cause looked at was the combination of genetic and environmental factors, with a possible result of having a higher risk for criminal behavior.
Many social psychologists agree that aggression can be defined as behaviour which intends to harm another person who does not want harm inflicted on them (Baron & Richardson, 1994; Bushman & Huesmann, 2010). This definition is all encompassing capturing the possible range of aggressive behaviours whilst excluding activities that can ‘hurt’ but to which the target of the hurt willingly consents and are therefore not considered aggressive due to this circumstance, for example, surgery. As aggression can be presented at differing levels and as result of this can range from the act of pushing someone over to domestic violence or even the extremities of terrorism. Therefore, as aggressive behaviour encompasses such a wide range of actions ranging
New inventions are created daily; however, it is those that truly change the world that are remembered. The use and discovery of atomic energy negatively impacts the world because of the danger it entails. Many people across the world believe that the use of atomic energy is a mistake based off of past events that have occurred such as the bombings at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The abuse of atomic energy has been proven to damage society’s morale, population and could potentially destroy entire populations.