Criminal Behavior

The nature vs. nurture debate has been present for many years in the world of psychology. The scientists have wondered how the human being works. Does it get all of its abilities genetically? Or does the human being learn to do it because of its environment? These questions are posted without any knowledge of who really is right and who is not. I believe that the human being gathers both from the genetics and the environment. I believe that we must inherit something from our parents that is not physical. But I also think that we as kids develop these ideas and new ones brought to us. We may forget some hereditary things if we stop practicing or doing them and this may have influence in what we do and like to do. Criminal behaviors I believe are part of what we see every day and what we learn from our parents and close friends. Most people that are criminals come from a broken family or have a record of being assaulted or have seen some violence when small. There is said that there are many reasons to why criminals do what they do. One of them is antisocial behavior. Children and people who are antisocial are more likely to be involved in criminal acts that lead to incarceration. This antisocial behavior could be hereditary or it could not. Also, some studies prove that adoptions might have an influence on how children behave and if they are possible criminals. The adoption of a child takes away the nature part from him. But researches tell that if a child’s parent was a criminal it is likely for him to be also. The environmental factor applies to many of the criminals today. Families that have weak bonds and poor communication make a child have more probabilities to have an aggressive and criminal behavior. Also families in extreme poverty, lack of education, and a broken home will most likely have a child with tendencies to react violently and do criminal acts. Statistics say that a child who was neglected or abused at their home has fifty percent more chances to become antisocial or a criminal. What some scientists say that affects a lot is age. Age only affects a criminal when they are kids because they have to bear with the family and the environment they are in. When they grow up they can decide in which environment they would rather live in. In many schools there are kids who are outcasts for various reasons. These kids are bullied and will probably be bullied in the future. This will make them react sometimes violently when they have the chance. It is also said that personality traits correlate to how criminals act. Psychologist, Eysenck, said that criminals normally have low arousal levels and this causes them to search for arousals themselves. This may be by violence itself. In conclusion, the nature vs. nurture debate seems to never end, especially in the criminal behavior aspect. Criminals perhaps have genes that make them want to search for violence or genes that make them violent. Or criminals might as well be born normal but because of the family and environment they were raised at, they turned into criminals. I believe a criminal is made partly by nature and partly by nurture. Each criminal has a special case, but there cannot be one without the other.
http://www.deviantcrimes.com/nature_nurture.htm


http://www.personalityresearch.org/papers/jones.html

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