Low serotonin levels can mean higher levels of aggression, with many studies finding this to be the case with violent offenders. What have research studies in the field of genetics had to say about the possible causes of crime? What is sociobiology? How do sociobiologists explain criminals? Sociobiology is the study of how biology affects behavior, with specific focus on how human nature is affected by genetic composition of a group of people sharing specific characteristics.
Freud believed that aggression was the result of Thanatos, the death instincts. Freud proposed that aggression is an instinctive biological urge that builds up in everyone and must be released. The release can be in the form of either verbal or physical abuse against others, or sometimes yourself, resulting in suicide or harming ones self. 3. What is the evolutionist theory of aggression?
Us Against Them In wars, in cruelty, and even in sports there is a force that allows humans to fight, to abuse, and to compete. We separate ourselves from our opponents; we dehumanize them in order to justify our actions against them. The examples of this are many, they are driven by fear, and they only hurt those involved. In Matt Ridley’s book The Rational Optimist, he shows that humans prosper when they do not separate themselves from each other. In John Steinbeck’s book, The Grapes of Wrath, he shows the cruelties people are capable of when they do separate themselves from others and District 9, a film directed by Neill Blomkamp, makes clear what can happen when people dehumanize another species.
Military commanders use proven tactics to produce unquestioning obedience in these wistful children while transforming them into killers. In the novel a long way gone, one notes how Ishmael Beah and the other soldiers were brainwashed by repetition by their lieutenant and how they were physically abused by senior soldiers. Being forced into the army created an excessive amount of negative impacts on Ishmael and changed his life drastically. Clearly, children can be altered into "child soldiers" by using brainwashing, forced recruitment, drugs and physical abuse. Can you imagine yourself in that same position as those soldiers and how your life would change based on the series of events you would
Are Humans Inherently Violent? Human history and evolution has been shaped by war, aggression, rage, and violence. Biological anthropologists are still seeking out information to this day trying to decide on whether humans are inherently violent. Some biological anthropologists, such as Richard Wrangham and Dale Peterson, believe that humans and chimpanzees are very closely related species. So this correlates with humans having a very aggressive violent past dealing with defending territories, sexual selection, and natural selection.
The idea that humans are naturally violent has conceivably been examined and tested in psychology by the use of genetics, Milgram’s experiments, and the idea of Piaget’s cognitive development. To delve into the topic of whether humans are naturally violent or not, one must first have to understand, from a psychological aspect, if evil is a genetic trait ascribed from birth. While ascribed with a blueprint of life, our genes do not harbor a measurable philosophical trait of violence. It would be an absurdity to believe that at the time of infantry, where one’s basic thought processes are minimally structured at best, humans are capable of measuring philosophical feats such as right and wrong, or attune to a belief such as good and evil. This belief that genetics is not responsible for transferring violence is bolstered by an experimental incident.
The phrase; “bred to kill” and “aggressive killer” are thrown around without hesitation from those that are not familiar with the breed. In the Pit Bull debate, the word "vicious" functions to vindicate the breed and cause a lot of negative reactions from the press and the general public, this aggression is nurtured and not innate. The fact that they are publicly ousted as a particularly fearsome breed doesn’t allow people to form their own opinions and forces them to feel afraid of them. Fear is a feeling of apprehension and a response that is both physiological and psychological, to the perception of danger or harm (Petersen 1996). When we hear of horror stories in the media our minds are made up for us without having an informed argument from both sides of the Pit Bull debate.
Now, in part three of the book this is where he gets punished for his actions and the process of turning him “sane” begins. The process of punishment which Winston experiences, reemphasizes the theme of fundamental horror of physical pain, all that is happening to him cant be stopped, he is under the control of the party through O’Brien who is more then determined to change Winston. In this part of the book, we find out that Winston starts thinking that nothing in the world is more worse then the physical he is experiencing. O’Brien’s power over Winston is an example of the manipulation of the mind the Party has over their subjects, it is impossible to resist it as the body too is under control. We know that O’Brien is part of the
Tommy L. Sells hinted about child abuse at a young age. He even stated that when he took the lives of children, he was sparring them the life he endured. However he also said “ the feeling he got the first time he tried drugs, was the same feeling he got when he killed someone for the first time.” Depending on the length of time and what drug he used that would have caused an imbalance in his brain. Drug use, and family dysfunction is a recipe for disaster. There are many links discovered that show a connection between biological factors and criminal tendencies, however, I don’t believe that biological factors alone can cause people to become violent or become criminals.
It is necessary to take a closer look at whether or not violence in the media really is responsible for this development and then to examine what censorship may entail before taking such a far-reaching decision. Many concerned people, ranging from worried parents through to reputable psychologists, deplore the ever-present nature of violence in the media, claiming that this is the reason why people are increasingly prepared to commit violent acts. They argue that violence is being propagated as normal or even entertaining. Violence is in the newspapers, on the news, in film plots and in cartoons. Violence is a source of laughter in children's programs; films present it as staple fare; it is served as pseudo-information in sensation-hungry newspapers and on reality TV; and it is even glorified by some musicians in their lyrics and performances.