Elliott Thomas

Mr. Stowe

English 103, Section 20

19 October 2011

Nature versus Nurture Bibliography

This article considers a criminal’s responsibility for his or her crimes, since genes play such a large role in behavior. Paul Arnold brings up a case in Italy where a man’s murder sentence was shortened because of his predisposition to aggressive behavior. Arnold does not believe that everyone will take on criminal behavior if he or she has the gene for it. Bad genes do not excuse people from being responsible for their actions.

Arnold, Paul. “Nature vs Nurture of a Criminal Mind.” Bright Hub. N.p., 20 Nov 2009.Web. 18 Oct 2011. <http://www.brighthub.com/science/genetics/articles/55218.asp&xgt;>.

Italian courts reduced a murderer’s sentence by a year after testimonies proved he had bad behavioral genes. The court looked over 3 psychiatric reports that claim Bayout was not mentally stable when he committed the murder. Brain scans turned up abnormalities and 5 violent behavior genes. People are questioning the legitimacy of the psychiatric reports because so much factors into gene expression. Ethnicity and gene function are among those factors.

Feresin, Emiliano. “Lighter sentence for murderer with ‘bad genes’.” Nature news. N.p., 30 Oct 2009. Web. 18 Oct 2011. <http://www.nature.com/news/2009/091030/full/news.2009.1050.html>.

This article describes two experiments that were done with twins. Identical twins are more likely to both exhibit criminal behavior than the fraternal twins. Another study was done where twins were adopted by two different families and raised apart from each other. It concluded that a child is as aggressive as his or her guardians, not his or her biological parents. Obviously, nurture plays a role in violent behavior. 

French, Joanna, Lindette Thornton, Matt Kuhls, and Adam Himebauch. “Sociological and Environmental Factos of Criminal Behavior.” Genetic Predisposition to Criminality- Should It Be Monitored?. N.p., 21 Nov 2000. Web. 18 Oct 2011. <http://www.udel.edu/chem./C465/senior/fall00/GeneticTesting/enviro.htm>.

Dr. Farber is well versed in identical twins studies pertaining to their upbringing. She identifies a pattern seen in many twins’ studies, which is that twins who are raised together have more personality differences than those raised apart. This supports the argument that nurture does in fact play a role in personality development. Even though this study has nothing to do with criminal behavior, it highlights the importance of nurture.

Gruber, Howard. “Nature VS. Nurture: A Natural Experiment.” The New York Times. N.p., 01 Mar 1981. Web. 18 Oct 2011. <http://www.nytimes.com/1981/03/01/books/nature-vs-nurture-a-natural-experiemtn.html?pagewanted=all>.

This is an extensive article that will provide me with a multitude of research. It discusses the neurochemicals that play a role in violent behavior and what the level of each chemical indicates. Certain personality traits and disorders are known explanations for criminal behavior, as well. Serotonin and dopamine are responsible for certain behaviors and how they are activated.

Jones, Caitlin. “Genetic and Environmental Influences on Criminal Behavior.” Personality Papers. N.p, Feb 2005. Web. 25 Sep 2011. <http://personalityresearch.org/papers/jones.htm>.

Psychologists believe that deviants came to be that way because of “’unsuccessful’ socialization”. They believe personality develops through social experiences, even though some traits are inherited. A study done by Walter Reckless and Simon Dinitz shows the behavioral tendencies of schoolboys who are categorized as good or bad. The conclusion of the study indicated that certain personalities could control deviant behavior.

Macionis, John. Society the Basics. 11^th ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2011. 173-174. Print.

A 1993 study expressed Americans' beliefs on how people turn out later in life. The article also discusses the role of sexuality. People cannot overcome the drive because it blocks out rational thought. This could explain why violent rapes take place. Also, Culture has been proven to shape our innateness.

“Nature vs. Nurture: How much free will do really we have?.” Social Psychology. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Sep 2011. <http://www.trinity.edu/mkearl/socpsy-2.htm>.

This article explains the complexity of nature versus nature. Basically, violent behavior manifests from both nature and nurture. Certain alleles and genotypes combined with early childhood environment can explain why people are more violent later in life. Only the abstract is used for this source because the rest of the source is complex and very thorough.

Reif, Andreas, Michael Rosler, Christine Freitag, marc Schneider, Andrea Eujen, Christian Kissling, Denise Wenzler, and Christian Jacob. “Nature and Nurture Predispose to Violent Behavior: Serotonergic Genes and Adverse Childhood Environment.’ Neuropsychopharmacology. Nature publishing group., 07 Mar 2001. Web. 24 Sep 2011. <http://nature.com/npp/journal/v32/n11/full/1301359a.html>.

Even though this article solely talks about serial killers, it provides insight into the argument of nature versus nurture in relation to criminal behavior. Most serial killers were raised in an abusive or neglectful environment, which would contribute to their violent tendencies. Problems with the frontal lobe of the brain, which controls normal human behavior, have been found in many serial killers. Most serial killers commit deviant acts due to a change in environment, which goes to show that environment is an important factor in criminal behavior.

“Serial Killers: Nature vs. nurture.” Serendip. N.p., 18 Dec 2007. Web. 25 Sep 2011. <http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/1598>.

Joe Richman describes a study of twins separated at birth and raised by two different families. They later find out that they are twins and seek out each other. The twins believe that they have the same basic personality, and one of them argues genetics have larger role in personality development than the nurture side of development. Certainly, this study is perfect because it started from their birth, which is unlike any other of its kind.

Richman, Joe. “’Identical Strangers’ Explore Nature Vs. Nurture.” npr books. N.p., 25 Oct 2007. Web. 18 Oct. 2011. <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15629096>.

This source discusses the problems with viewing behavior as either nature or nurture. Inherited genes do affect behavior, but one cannot discount the environment in which the person grows. People learn different behaviors in order to replace the ones that are already inherent. In conclusion, all behavior is the result of gene expression and environmental influences.

“The role of nature and nurture in the development of behaviour.” University of Plymouth Department of Psychology. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct 2011. <http://www. flyfishingdevon.co.uk/salmon/year1/psy128animal_bahviour/animbeha.htm>.

Cochran, Gove, and Wood explore the motivations behind violent crimes by sampling 295 inmates from two correctional facilities in Oklahoma and asking them specific questions. Most people are driven to commit deviant acts because of the pleasure or “high” they get from the crime. The psychological process that takes place when someone is committing a crime can be compared to the same process that occurs when someone becomes addicted to drugs. One can see that nature and nurture play a part in criminal behavior.

Wood, Peter, Walter Gove, and John Cochran. “Motivations For Violent Crime Among Incarcerated Adults: A consideration of Reinforcement Processes.” N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct 2011. <http://www.doc.state.ok.us/offenders/ocjrc/94060G.HTM>.