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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Nature versus nurture has been argued in attempt to understand how criminals behave. The theory of what influences psychopath and serial killers’ violent and destructive pathways has not been agreed on till this day. Criminals such as psychopaths and serial killers have been researched for the past two decades. Scientists have found that genetics is a determining factor of who becomes a serial killer. It is important to understand the determinants involved within a serial killer, because if these social and environmental causes are discovered, they can be altered and controlled to reduce crime (Lykken, 1993). With more studies, we would therefore prevent mass murders and could assist in significant reductions of crime within society.
“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...
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...
"Two Gunman at Colorado School Reportedly Kill Up to 23 Before Dying in a Siege." On Tuesday, April 20, 1999, two students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, of Columbine High School, shocked the nation when they entered the school armed with guns and explosives, killing fellow students and a teacher before taking their own lives. Stories of random violence and aggression such as this all too often plague the media. While the attention of the nation has recently been focused on the Colorado slayings, history reveals countless other similar crimes of aggression targeted towards innocent individuals. In both Nazi Germany and the more recent Bosnia conflict, ethnic cleansing has been used to violently eliminate certain races. In the early 1990s, Timothy McVegh's vengeful intentions led him to use a car bomb to kill hundreds of innocent people in the explosion of the Oklahoma City Federal Building.
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.
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?
The article written by Dan Jones essentially dislikes the lower violence rates in humans with evolution. The article hinges on a couple points, the first being that there simply hasn’t been enough time to adequately measure if lowered homicide rates can be attributed to evolution. Overall, Jones’ article offers many points of view and allows the reader to formulate his or her own opinion on the matter. The column offers possible explanation to some of the violence readers see in Voltaire’s novel, Candide.
Thoughout history acts of violence have been committed against humanity, based on evidence read in this course, the most targetted has been women and even more women of African descent. An act of violence, it’s consider both, to prevent someone other than one self from meeting the basic needs and spectrums represented as a form of crime, in which the actions victimizes somebody; physically, emotinally and mentally. The rise of violence intensified when colonizers conquered a New World, the lack of acceptance of different people, allowed White supremacy mentality to become a tool of subordination that worked in cycles and affected, first indiginous people and then African slaves.
...& Snipes, J. (2010). Biological Factors and Criminal Behavior.Vold's theoretical criminology (6th Ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.
What has violence ever accomplished? Why do we choose to be violent? Can you imagine a world without fighting, shootings, abuse, and terrorism, a world free of violence, what a better place it could be?
Investigating What Causes Violence in Humans Violence is evident in our daily lives and in literature. In the past it meant extreme, brutal or sadistic behavior. Today, it is used to describe any act thought to be aggressive or hostile or destructive to another person. Violence is a human condition and we tend to understand ourselves through violence. The various types of violence include physical violence, psychological violence and sexual violence.
Childhood, according to wordnetweb, is the time of a person's life when they are a child or the state of a child between infancy and adolescence. The period defined as childhood might not change, because it will always be between infancy and adolescence, but the activities and development acquired in that time changes from generation to generation. If you ask an adult how was their childhood they might tell you thousands of different stories regarding their friends, the games they used to play, the lives they used to live and the simplicity of life they had. They might tell you about how they used to run through the neighborhoods with their friends, kill bugs, eat soil and “discover” new territories. They might tell you about the time the broke their arm when they fell off a tree they were climbing or how fun it was to swim at the lake with their friends. Now, if you ask a kid born on the new millennium, the new generation, he might give you a completely different scene for what childhood is for him. For him, childhood might mean staying up late watching TV series regarding sex and drugs, or playing Play Station, X-Box or Wii for 5 or even 6 straight hours. They might also tell you about the time they accidentally found porn on the internet or when they were grounded for using obscene language that they previously had learned from a movie. Life as we used to know it has changed, drastically. This world has become a very hostile world, were advertisement owns the streets and all the means of communication. The kids of this new “technology” era are the ones who suffer the most with his hostility, and we have to do something about it.
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
There are various theories within the biological explanation as to why individuals commit criminal behaviour, these include: genetic theory, hereditary theory, psychosis and brain injury theory. In the next few paragraphs examples of each will be shown.
The scientific study of violence in human says that everyone has, what scientists call, a “Seat of aggression” known as the limbic system. This area is located low in the central brain which is regulated by the brain’s frontal lobes. The two different areas communicate by sending chemical transmitters and hormones. One of them is called serotonin which heightens aggression in humans. Scientifically, humans have found that aggression in humans is natural but just because violence is scientifically natural does not mean it has to be socially innate. Violent behavior is “A response to particular sorts of provocation or stimulation,” therefore, focusing on interpersonal violence, aggression is caused by an unfavorable interaction with another human being or group. To then find the origin of violence, on a social level, the question of what the root is of unfavorable interactions between individuals and groups needs to be answered. The answer: the source of violence comes from tribalism and pressure.