Summary: The Homicide Adaptation Theory

ESSAY TITLE: “Aggression is necessary for survival: Discuss. Base your answer on psychological theories and models introduced in class.”

For as long as humanity has existed, men have committed violence against one another. Assuredly, Nancy G. Guerra’s and Lyndee Knox’s entry on violence in the Encyclopedia of Crime and Justice affirms that, “As historical and cross-cultural records demonstrate, our evolutionary history is laced with examples of violence. Indeed, paleontological data reveal a rather continuous stream of human violence dating back thousands of years.” It is clear that violence is a part of human nature that has always existed and will likely never be eradicated. One of the aspects that all forms of violence seem to share is that, societally (in terms, at the very least, of Western societies), they are looked down upon. Consequentially, those who commit violent

If human beings are a part of nature, it can be assumed that they too have violent tendencies; in that respect, violence is a natural and innate response. Though we pride ourselves on being able to control these urges, they are always lurking somewhere beneath the surface of our most serene and civilized moments.

Modern biology is focused more on understanding behavior, like violence and crime, through research on indicators and influences. Rather than attempting to determine a single root cause, researchers are discovering markers of predisposition and identifying factors of risk. In a recent interview about his new book, The Anatomy of Violence: The Biological Roots of Crime, criminologist and professor at the University of Pennsylvania, Adrian Raine asserts that there is a “biology of violence” that should not be ignored; “Just as there’s a biological basis for schizophrenia and anxiety disorders and depression… there’s a biological basis also to recidivistic violent offending” (Gross, 2013).

The past violence that the subject and his brother suffered through is a large factor in their need for violent satisfaction. The lack of emotional support and adoration can connect with the subject’s sexual gratification that he achieves through killing. Relentless abuse ongoing throughout childhood backed by neglect in school (often connatural with social mistreatment) can “create a violent, deviant personality” (Pakhomou, 220). Children are greatly impact with what surrounds them. The negativity and violence that are exposed to them will form lasting flashbulb memories that can shape not only their actions in the future but how they understand and perceive life. Violence plays a big part in developing the characteristics of a serial killer, but there are also other components that can lead to a distraught and homicidal person. In a research composed by James Beasley, he presents several different factors of development into becoming a serial killer through the case studies of seven offenders. Offender number three had multiple challenges that led him to become as aggressive and hostile as he was. As a child, his mother was completely absent and was an alcoholic. His stepfather, who physically and verbally abused him, lacked the comfort and attention any child would need. After learning that he would repeat the third grade, his behavior became hostile and he showed a lack of self-esteem. At the age of seven, the subject already began to show

In the article by Jones, the research presented demonstrates that humans are not genetically programmed to be destructive--instead, our goals, culture, and society create motivations that cause violence to manifest. Two evolutionary

Why are we drawn to the many different facets of violence that we experience in our lives? Is violence a learned behavior or has it become a part of our evolutionary progression. As hunters and gatherers, we used violence for survival. Now, it seems that humans react with violence to resolve multiple types of conflict. Is it just primal instinct? Does our subconscious ‘fight or flight’ control the way

Organisms that were successful at acquiring reproductively relevant resources survived long enough to reproduce and thereby pass on the means by which their offspring would develop the adaptations of its parents. Thus, from conception onward, an organism's development is characterized by an ever-increasing ability to acquire and consume resources. Rather than debate which violent traits are biological adaptations and which are not, we posit that all acts of physical and sexual violence have an evolutionary history associated with resource acquisition. (para 15)

In the 1980s the very first functional brain scanning study of killers was carried out by British neuroscientist, Professor Adrian Raine. The Professor and his team scanned the brain of many killers and found that all the scans were quite similar (Appendix D); they then compared them to the brain scans of people who weren’t convicted murderers (Appendix E). These scans support Dr Richard Davidsons findings related to the anterior cingulated cortex, orbital frontal cortex, and amygdale. The results showed that serial killers appear to have brains which make them more prone to anger and rage and unable to control themselves (Davidson. 2000). Raine suggested that childhood abuse may have caused physical damage to the brain, which caused the subjects to be predisposed to violent tendencies, however, only a small proportion of those who had a terrible childhood grew up to become murderers. In 1993, a family from the Netherlands found that all the men had a history of violence. After 15 years of research, it was discovered that all the men lacked the same gene which produces an enzyme called monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) which regulates the levels of neurotransmitters involved in impulse control (n/a. 2015). Jim Fallon, a professor of psychiatry in California, discovered that there were many murderers in his family tree and so decided to have himself genetically

Aggression is verbal or physical behavior intended to cause harm. Although we may not like to admit it, we all participate in aggressive behavior at some level and at some time in our lives. Do evolutionary factors play a large role in aggression? What was Freud 's theory about violence? What does more recent research say about a likely evolutionary role for violence? What does Hawley 's research say about this?

Every day, hundreds of people fall victims of violent crimes. The FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports show that roughly 1,165,383 violent crimes were reported (Uniform Crime Report, 2014). Due to the dark figure of crime, the amount of unreported violent crimes is unknown. To try to prevent these crimes from occurring, researchers first need to understand why individuals become violent. The Nature verse Nurture debate argues that people are either born violent due to their genetic make-up or due to their environment; they are conditioned to have violent behavior. By using theories such as the Social Learning Theory and the Homicide Adaptive Theory, each side with be broken down. Through the analysis of Nature verse Nurture, it can be argued

The current event I examined, from an online scientific news database, exemplified research on evolutionary biology of humans and the roots of violent nature. The article, “Nature or nurture: is violence in our genes?”, discusses how scientists recently researched if savage behaviors in homo sapiens are hereditary. Considering that lethal violence is closely related to the linage of primates, specifically monkeys and apes, it’s no surprise that humans also exhibit similar behaviors to these ancient ancestors. The Spanish researchers which conducted this analysis examined over four million deaths in various species of primates and mammals investigating the amount of brutal deaths in each. For accuracy, the investigation included human population from the stone age till present day. As a result, the researchers saw an increase in violent deaths or killings as they examined more recent primate groups. Concluding, the tendency for violence in humans is indeed phylogenetically inherited. On the other hand, while the article highly focused on the genetic aspects of violent human behaviors, near the end the article also acknowledges environmental factors. Besides being inherited, social and territorial tendencies also increase levels of

Physical assault and aggression is the second leading cause of death among 14 to 17 year olds, next to vehicular accidents (Loeber). But why are humans so aggressive in the first place? There are two sides of the debate: Nature, and Nurture. Some say that it’s human nature, genetics that cause most behaviors, while others say that we act as we learned during childhood. This argument applies to aggression as well. Aggression is mainly caused by things during childhood and adolescence where people learn from various sources about aggression, although, human psychology plays a slight factor.

The Anatomy of Violence presents the latest findings in the field of biological psychology and human behavior, focusing on brain chemistry, as it relates to human behavior, and offers great insight on how brains of those who commit acts of violence or crime differ from those who do not. Mr. Raine provides solid scientific data regarding the ways in which brain chemistry differs and how injuries can alter personality using medical MRI and fMRI and various neurotransmitter studies. A clear connection between human biology and behavior emerges, bringing

There are clearly no simple genetic or hormonal factors that can explain the variation in aggressive in males and females. Studies of human males suggest that there is at most a small genetic component to aggression, but a greater one for personality traits associated with such behavior. The biological mechanisms translating the message in the genes into antisocial or criminal behavior are not known. Therefore, there is clearly no simple aggressive gene effect. Many genes are likely to be involved, and each may have a weak effect on aggressive behavior. A direct genetic effect on aggression, for example, may determine how quickly an individual responds to aggravation. Aggression may also be influenced indirectly; for example, a man's size and strength may affect the way he behaves and how others react to him. (Turner, 253)