Is Problematic Behavior Genetics Or Learned?

It is difficult for researchers to isolate specific causes of child behaviour because each child’s environmental settings and values are different from one to another.

Genetics and behavior relations has been a controversial topic for several years, however, as time has passed so has the demand for proof or disproof of the relationship. One of the most important reasons for the need to define this relationship is to uncover the truths behind violent or delinquent behavior. Also, it is important that we can weed out people who make false claims that their genes are responsible for their actions in order for us to appropriately distribute penalties or treatment. Another reason is that if we do find truths to these claims we can find ways to treat these behaviors for better outcomes. Though many studies have been conducted to reveal associations, more research is yet to be done that explores all connections and detailed backgrounds of those involved in the studies. To begin validating our theories, we must use genotyping, which is the comparison of an individual’s genetic make-up through exploration of their DNA sequence then comparing it to the DNA sequence of another individual or a reference sample. Utilizing genotyping, we are able to view the alleles an individual inherited from their parents (slide 4).

There are many environmental factors that can affect a child’s behavior such as poverty and maltreatment. Poverty can have an impact on a child’s overall well-being, academic success, and social behavior. The environment these children are raised in can cause challenging behaviors due to the neighborhoods they live in and the lack of appropriate social behavior they observe. Child maltreatment, which consists of physical abuse, sexual

Evidence indicates that genetic factors may play a role in development of disruptive behavior disorders (Hansell & Damour, 2005). A biological structure of an infant’s brain has preposition genes and chemical responses to develop into an adult (Perry, 2002). Disorders in lifespan development are not biologically set to occur (Dombeck, 2010). Issues’ dealing with environment, education, and way of life has made changes in developments, childhood behavior keeps a child on a continuum between normal and abnormal behavior (Hansell & Damour, 2005). Several disorders currently exist in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV-TR) because studies on children, adolescent, and young adult disorders evolved from DSM-II (Hansell & Damour, 2005).

No one can be certain whether nature or nurture is the cause for criminal behavior. However, research has stated that it is more often an interaction between genes and the environment that predicts criminal behavior (Jones, 2005). Through a biological perspective, it is determined that criminal behavior is due to genetics and/or neurological conducts. It concludes that criminals are born due to their criminal traits being passed down through genetic or chromosomal mutation. Another explanation of criminal behavior within the biological perspective are the neurochemicals within our brains and body. There many regulated chemicals in the brain that determines thought process, perception and action. Like the arguments for genetic and chromosomal mutation, any abnormal anomalies or chemical imbalance can heavily impact behavior (Schram, 2018). This goes for any damages to some parts of the brain that controls emotions, reason and logic. Problems with the biological perspective are the following: 1. It provide little explanations for a small of minority of offenders with specific conditions (Levitt, 2013). 2. Disregard the effect of environmental influences and life experiences that also impact behavior. 3. Since criminality is based on biology, it is unchangeable, therefore, no one is to be blamed for their actions. Lastly, 4. Famous studies on biological factors of criminality (ex: the twin, family and adoption studies) maintained an intertwined relationship with social

The issue of whether or not criminal or aggressive behavior and violence is caused by biological or environmental factors has proven to be one that has caused a dispute for many years now. The biological or genetic factor of violent/criminal or aggressive behavior is certainly a much talked about topic. The idea that certain individuals could be predisposed to violence is something definitely deserving of doing research about. The nature vs. nurture topic has been a continuing debate for many aspects of human behavior, including aggression/violent behavior and criminal behavior. There have been many studies indicating that chemical relationships between hormones and the frontal lobe of the brain may play a key role in determining

Much of the behavior found in adolescence is rooted in biology combine with environmental influences that causes teens to have conflicts with their parents, take more risks, and in some cases experience low self-control. By understanding what is going on biologically during adolescence we can prevent some of that antisocial behavior in kids. Parents have a greater deal of control over their kid’s behavior but little or none beyond the genes they have pass on to them over their personality traits. Those personality traits could be fearlessness, aggressiveness, sensation seeking, empathy, and impulsiveness which could be associated with delinquent, and criminal behavior early in life. The environmental influences meaning what kind of people have

Giving a disorder a name can be easy, but locating the origins can be a greater challenge. Disorders can be genetic or from the environment, but most problems can be a combination of the two. People growing up in a certain environment can have different outcomes, yet twins, having the genes, can follow different paths. Conduct disorders are just the same, not giving a clear source. Are genes a large defining factor? Yes, but there’s more to the formation of conduct disorders otherwise the disorders could be treated with near perfect efficiency. Not only does genetics and the environment have a cause in forming conduct disorder, even physical amoralities contribute too. Conduct Order and Optional Defiant Disorder are similar disorders, yet still

There are many ways to explain the way a child is the way they are and why they act the way they do. One explanation is through intergenerational transmission. Intergenerational transmission is a process that leads to perseverance of one’s culture, can be selective, and is a bidirectional process (from parent to child or child to parent) (Scabini & Marta, 2006; Schonpflug, 2001). There are many different characteristics and/or temperaments that can be intergenerationally transmitted, such as values, parenting behaviors, gender, and much more. Another trait that can be intergenerationally transmitted, from parent to child, is externalizing problem behaviors. An externalizing problem behavior “refers to a grouping of

The world of Genetics is one that is both fascinating and interesting. When tackling how genetics plays a role in behavior, one must look within the scope of what genetics is before dealing with how it plays a significant role in one’s behavior. Simply put, genetics is the study of genes. It is a biological component within the entire study of biology itself. Scientists who study genetics and perform research do so with the intent to learn more about how genetics affects the overall attitudes, behaviors and dispositions of individuals. It could be said that genetics is somewhat of a psychological-biological science as researchers look at the underlying patterns within the genes that cause

Researchers have also looked at criminal behavior from a genetic aspect. In fact, "behavioral genetic research has show that genes influence individual differences in a wide range of human behaviors -cognition, academic achievement, personality and temperament (including such traits as aggression and hostility), psychopathology, and even vocational interests and social attitudes" (Meadows, 2010, P.16). There may in fact be a connection between how an individual is wired and the behavior that results. This does not necessarily mean that some individuals are inevitably going to become a criminal. However, some individuals may simply have a greater tendency "to be more aggressive and thus less likely to control emotions absent some type of positive interventions" (Meadows, 2010, P. 16). Furthermore, genetic research looks at the heritability of certain disorders and specific genes that

Finally Ridenour explores other genetic causes that could be connected and or related to anti-social behavior, such as alcoholism and ADHD

Behavior is the way that one conducts themselves and their actions towards others. Behaviors can be learned through a series of methods such as observations, imitation, reinforcement, punishment, etc. if one is learning behavior through one or more methods of learning, could this make the notion acceptable that behavior is

Many children are raised by parents who make bad decisions but not all of those children grow up to make the same mistakes. Obviously our overall physical appearance is something decided before birth, by nature. That is something environment will never have any effect on. Our personality however, can be shaped by the people we meet, situations we find ourselves in, how we are raised, and many other varying factors.

Over the years, psychologists have been concerned with determining the relative amount contributed by genetics or environmental factors to different behavior. They also often ask the