Biological Genetics and Criminal Behavior
Over the of course of the years, different criminologists and scientists have tried to understand the reasons and origins of crime and deviant behavior. What makes a person commit the most atrocious and heinous crimes? This is a question many people try to understand. Many factors affect the actions of these criminals, from biological factors to psychological issues. The big debate among these studies is whether such criminal behaviors are inherited or acquired. This is a concept that many psychologists know as Nature vs. Nurture. Where nature is influenced by genetic inheritance and other biological factors; while nurture is influenced by external factors, such as experiences and learning by the …show more content…
Another study performed where equal pairs of MZ and DZ twins were analyzed under the same circumstances showing higher rates of criminality for MZ twins. Adoption studies also show a correlating factor on children that are separated at birth from the parents showing higher criminal behaviors than those who are raised by their biological parents. A study performed with adopted children, who were born to incarcerated offenders, or biological mothers that had a criminal history, showed they had higher rates of engaging in criminal behavior than adopted children whose biological mothers had no criminal history.
This demonstrates that these children present both the influence of their parent’s genes and the environment they are raised in. Criminal behavior is primarily affected by how someone is raised. The family is the central role in the development of young children; it has extraordinary influence on the kind of person they will become and the place they will occupy in society. The way in which people interact in a family has a very strong impact on development. When children grow up in a violent environment, they learn how to behave and act in a criminal …show more content…
Doctor Fallon suggests that humans who possess this specific gene display higher levels of aggression upon provocation. This gene is a mutation on the brain of the neurotransmitter Monoamine Oxide A; humans have various forms of the gene, resulting in different levels of enzymatic activity. Low levels of this neurotransmitter are associated with erratic and abnormal behavior. Unfortunately this hypothesis has only been tested on a limited percentage of criminals, who are now incarcerated. This could mean that other individuals may also posses’ low levels of this neurotransmitter, and have not necessarily behaved in a criminal
Over the of course of the years, different criminologists and scientists have tried to understand the reasons and origins of crime and deviant behavior. What makes a person commit the most atrocious and heinous crimes? This is a question many people try to understand. Many factors affect the actions of these criminals, from biological factors to psychological issues. The big debate among these studies is whether such criminal behaviors are inherited or acquired. This is a concept that many psychologists know as Nature vs. Nurture. Where nature is influenced by genetic inheritance and other biological factors; while nurture is influenced by external factors, such as experiences and learning by the …show more content…
Another study performed where equal pairs of MZ and DZ twins were analyzed under the same circumstances showing higher rates of criminality for MZ twins. Adoption studies also show a correlating factor on children that are separated at birth from the parents showing higher criminal behaviors than those who are raised by their biological parents. A study performed with adopted children, who were born to incarcerated offenders, or biological mothers that had a criminal history, showed they had higher rates of engaging in criminal behavior than adopted children whose biological mothers had no criminal history.
This demonstrates that these children present both the influence of their parent’s genes and the environment they are raised in. Criminal behavior is primarily affected by how someone is raised. The family is the central role in the development of young children; it has extraordinary influence on the kind of person they will become and the place they will occupy in society. The way in which people interact in a family has a very strong impact on development. When children grow up in a violent environment, they learn how to behave and act in a criminal …show more content…
Doctor Fallon suggests that humans who possess this specific gene display higher levels of aggression upon provocation. This gene is a mutation on the brain of the neurotransmitter Monoamine Oxide A; humans have various forms of the gene, resulting in different levels of enzymatic activity. Low levels of this neurotransmitter are associated with erratic and abnormal behavior. Unfortunately this hypothesis has only been tested on a limited percentage of criminals, who are now incarcerated. This could mean that other individuals may also posses’ low levels of this neurotransmitter, and have not necessarily behaved in a criminal