Nature versus Nurture Criminal Behavior - 2176 Words

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. The†¦show more content†¦This study also found that low parental love and interest including lack of support, were key features within childhood criminal offenders with psychopathic characteristics (Carney, 2004). Theorists such as Comte believe that current methodologies of criminals need to be shifted away from the motives, feelings and internal meanings of criminals (TSR, 2012). Comte believed that there is a need to use methodologies that focus more on collecting information about the phenomena that can be objectively observed, as criminal’s mental states and consciousness cannot be observed or measured within an objective way (Twynham, 2009). Current methodologies usually look for correlations and strengths of relationships to define what determinants influence criminal activity. These determinants researched include the influence that social, environmental, cultural and genetic factors have on criminal behavior and activity (Twynham, 2009). These methodologies a re in place to create better evidence and have a clearer understanding of these relationships, in order to tackle this public health issue and reduce crime rates within society. Positivists and Durkheim believe that criminal behaviors and motives can be discovered by using methodologies that collect objective facts on social world influences in a statistical form and through repeated checking of these findings canShow MoreRelatedThe Theories Of Criminal Behavior893 Words   |  4 PagesCriminal behavior can be defined as any type of disruptive behavior or antisocial behavior that violates a law and is punishable by society. The three main causes of criminal behavior are psychological impacts, sociological influences, and biological factors. Although there are many more factors that can trigger criminal behaviors, they can all be summed up into the never-ending question, nature versus nature? The psychological approach to criminal behavior is categorized into the nurture sideRead MoreEssay Biological Explanations of Criminal Behaviour1357 Words   |  6 Pagesmisunderstood phenomenon with no concrete evidence when it comes to human behavior. Throughout time there have been endless amounts of crime theories, few of which revolve around biological explanations. We have Cesare Lombroso and the Positive School who thought that criminals were genetically different from the rest of the general population, that they were biologically aggressive, had criminal traits and/or born as criminals. There is also William Sheldon’s theory of body types, called the somatotypeRead MoreNature Vs. Nature : Nature And Nurture969 Words   |  4 Pagestheory, nature, is that who people are is determined by genetics. Another theory, nurture, is that people are who they are because of environment. Both theories are in fact correct; however, the cause of personality is not solely nature o r nurture, but on a case by case basis, can be both. According to Saul McLeod in â€Å"Nature versus Nurture in Psychology,† nature is â€Å"what we think of as pre-wiring and is influenced by genetic inheritance and other biological factors.† Nature is our prewrittenRead MoreSerial Killers1314 Words   |  6 Pagestoday is the debate over nature versus nurture. With that debate going on there are many topics that are being researched under it, like serial killers, and what drives them to do what they do. Many scientists are still researching whether or not if serial killers are driven by the way they were raised or if it is a part of their genes. This literature review will analyze what people think about the nature versus nurture debate. It will talk about the nature side and the nurture side of the debate.Read MoreNature Vs. Nurture : An Individual s Criminal Behavior Essay1753 Words   |  8 Pageswhether it is nature or nurture who plays the most vital role in a human’s behavior, specifically an individual’s criminal behavior. Criminal behavior is defined as an act or failure to act in a way that violates public law. Some believe that criminal behavior can be identified as early as conception, meaning that criminal behavior is because of your genes. While others believe that one’s upbringing and social learning environment directly contributes to the individual’s criminal behavior. This paperRead MoreDevelopmental Psychology1194 Words   |  5 PagesHarold, G. T., Neiderhiser, J. M., Reiss, D., Shaw, D. S., Natsuaki, M. N., . . . Leve, L. D. (2014). Adoptive parent hostility and children†™s peer behavior problems: Examining the role of genetically informed child attributes on adoptive parent behavior. Developmental Psychology, 50(5), 1543-1552. This source goes against the belief that nature and nurture even paly that much of a significant role in the way children grow up to portray themselves. Elam and Shaw say that it’s all about personal choicesRead MoreHuman Behavior: Nature vs. Nurture Essay1733 Words   |  7 Pageshave argued the Nature versus Nurture debate for decades. This debate is about the degree to which our environment and heredity, affects our behavior and developmental stages. According to this debate, nature can be described as, the behavior of a person is occurring because of their genetic makeup. Since the behavior of a person is due to their genetic makeup, then, it (nature) should also influence a person’s growth and development for the duration of their life. However, the nurture side of the debateRead MoreTheories Of Criminology And Criminal Behavior952 Words   |  4 PagesIn the early to mid-1800s there were a few perspectives introduced regarding how to determine which individuals were more likely to commit criminal behavior. These perspectives were made to identify and separate the more â€Å"superior† individuals from the â€Å"inferior† individuals. One of the first examples of this belief was brought forth by craniometry. Craniometry is the belief that the size of a person’s brain and the skull can tell a person’s superiority or inferiority in relation to certain racialRead MoreEssay on Human Development: Nature vs. Nurture1393 Words   |  6 PagesThe nature versus nurture debate is an old issue within the field of psychology. â€Å"The nature-nurture issue is a perennial one that has resurfaced in current psychiatry as a series of debates on the role that genes (DNA) and environments play in the etiology and pathophysiology of mental disorders† (Schaffner) The debate is essentially about what is inherited (nature) and what is experienced by environmental factors (nurture) and how they affect human development. Naturally, the nature versus nurtureRead MoreCharacteristics of Criminal Offenders810 Words   |  3 PagesCharacteristics of Offenders One of many studies that gave way to the argument that criminal behaviors can be passed down throughout generations was performed by Henry Herbert Goddard’s (The Kallikak Family: A Study in the Heredity of Feeble-Mindedness) a psychologist who study the mental retardation (Forman, J., 1985). Goddard study 1912 reportedly proved that intelligence was hereditary of Feeble-Mindedness. He believed that if ones lack of ability to make sound decisions for oneself; having