About Criminal Behavior

A person’s behavior and whether or not he or she will engage in criminal activity are determined by a combination of social and biological factors (Hegger, 2015). Psychologists have long been involved in the dispute over the true causation of criminal conduct. Criminal behavior has been attributed to either nature or nurture. Some argue that criminal behavior is influenced by an individual’s genetic composition, while others believe that the environment in which a person is raised is the primary cause of criminal behavior (Connolly & Beaver, 2014).

Research on environmental and genetic composition

According to research on the subject, a person’s criminal behavior is influenced by both their environmental and genetic composition. The evidence for this comes from laboratory experiments, twin, family, and adoption studies. Moreover, the interaction between genes and the environment often predicts criminal behavior in a person. A genetic predisposition for criminal behavior does not necessarily portray the actions of the person, but if the person is exposed to the required settings, then chances that he or she will engage on criminal behavior are relatively high. The evidence shows that psychological problems emerge to be the new source of criminal behavior in our society. When a person is labeled as a criminal by a group of people, it creates stigma, and the person would possibly find himself or herself getting involved in criminal activities mainly because of psychological distress. Often, people who suffer from psychological problems do find themselves exposed to a particular environment that would later make them criminals. Besides, evidence supporting genetic factors as the source of criminal behavior indicates that criminal activity forms part of their physiological features. Such persons will find themselves involved in activities such as stealing. Contrary, the proposers of environmental factors as the chief cause of criminal behavior argue that some behavior can be inherited, but later modified depending on the characteristics of the people they interact with every day (Pratt, 2016).

Definition of Criminal Behavior

For better understanding of whether genes and environment influence criminal behavior, it is necessary to know the definition of criminal behavior. Criminal behavior is unaccepted deeds in the society as prescribed by the social and legal institutions. What constitutes criminal behavior is wider, and for this reason, research focuses on a broader context of antisocial. Defining criminal behavior also becomes a problem since what is considered to be a crime depends on the rules and the norms of the society they come from (Pratt, 2016). Also, beliefs of people define practices they consider criminal or assumed to be normal. What is evil in one group, does not necessarily considered as a crime in another community. Connolly & Beaver (2014) equated criminal to delinquency since the two are not accepted by norms and values of the society. Acts that are known to be crime lead to arrest and conviction of the offender. The investigation is done before trial to determine the truth behind the act and whether it was done knowingly or under the influence of substances such as drugs that can tamper with one’s ability to think upright (Pratt, 2016). Similarly, mental disorders can interfere with someone’s rational thinking and therefore can lead them to criminal activities. People with personality disorders have a high risk of getting involved in criminal activities since personal traits may influence their behaviors.

Argument on the Causes of Criminal Behavior

Research has been done to establish the relationship between twin, adoption, and family studies and criminal behavior (Connolly & Beaver, 2014). Studies on twin, adoption, and family is viewed by some people as a way of promoting the idea of a genetic foundation to criminal behavior. Contrary, others consider it as the best way of understanding the relationship between studies and the role of genetics in criminal behavior. The conflict can be solved best by looking at the available information on twin, adoption, and family studies with regards to subject criminal behavior.

Twins: Monozygotic and Dizygotic

Twins are of two categories; the monozygotic, also known as identical twins, and the dizygotic or fraternal twins. Studies looked at the relationship of each, monozygotic and dizygotic, and the rates of criminal behavior to assess the role of environmental and genetic influence on the criminal behavior of a person. As anyone can conclude without carrying any scientific experiment, a higher concordance rate for monozygotic twins than dizygotic twins in criminal behavior shows genetic influence. Conducing on monozygotic twins raised in different places by non-relatives after birth showed that there was a high degree of heritability involved in antisocial behavior during childhood and adult life (Connolly & Beaver, 2014). The research emphasized on environmental influence to criminal behavior by taking the twins away from their parents and each other. The researchers noticed a higher concordance rate for the monozygotic twins in different environments (Connolly & Beaver, 2014). The result was determined after checking criminal police records for the twins in the regions where they were taken to. After a longer duration, there was a higher percentage of heritability of the liability to crime for the identical twins at different places as obtained from criminal police records. Studies conducted at the same time for both dizygotic and monozygotic twins though did not reveal any dissimilarity in the rate of concordance (Connolly & Beaver, 2014). One can, therefore, conclude that hereditary factors have no impact concerning common crime.

Adoption studies

Adoption studies also expose us to different nature and nurture by examining the relationship between the adopted children and their biological parents. Specifically, the studies relate to the criminal behavior of the adopted children and that of their biological parents. Besides, it covers the genetics of criminal behavior of the adopted child through a test. The adopted children from incarcerated female offenders showed a higher rate of criminal involvement. The outcome, therefore, indicates some evidence of heritable component to criminal behavior in a person. (Connolly & Beaver, 2014). The children grew in a different place, but portray character traits of the parent. Children with criminal backgrounds have higher risks of criminal behavior in the future regardless of who raised them and the surroundings. The same applies to the children whose fathers had been victims of crime. In cases when the biological father had criminal records, the child also has high chances of being a criminal. Even though, violent crimes seem to be less inheritance according to research on adoption. In most cases, property offenses form a genetic component to behavior (Hegger, 2015).

Family Studies

Family is also another instrument used to examine the relationship between genetics and environmental influences on criminal or antisocial behavior. The family was people are brought up plays a significant role in determining their behavior. When children are brought up in an environment characterized by misbehaviors, there is a higher chance of them being criminals (Hegger, 2015). The problem with family studies with respects to factors influencing criminal behavior is that sometimes it becomes difficult to determine the cause of criminal behavior. For example, where parents have criminal records, as well as the child, it is difficult to tell whether the reason is their parents’ genes or the environment in which they are raised. The child sees his or her parents’ practices criminal activities, and at the same time, it is assumed that they must have inherited the behavior from the genes of the parents (Connolly & Beaver, 2014). The research in this area has not established proper findings in this area.

Social Environment and Criminal Behavior

Further, the social environment should be considered to understand what shapes the behavior of a person. Human social environments have a great impact on traits of a person and will determine their social relationships. The behavior of persons is determined by morals, values, and beliefs instilled in them from childhood. They later facilitate the decisions one makes throughout his or her life. The decision includes whether to go against the laws and regulations set by institutions in the country which later turn to be a criminal act. Hegger (2015 associated urban societies with criminal behavior. He stated that urban societies provide a social environment that contributes to some behavior that is not accepted in the society owing to the fact that most criminal offenses happen in urban centers. Controlling this requires parents to intervene in proper counseling otherwise the child would turn criminal.

Social Learning Environment

In addition, there is a direct link between social learning environment and criminal behavior. The traits that contribute to criminal behavior have their roots from how the person was brought up and the social learning environment. An experience people have from childhood shapes their viewpoint of the world and the decisions they make concerning how they live. People make rational decisions depending on social influences and therefore what is rational to one individual may not be logical to another person depending on how they view things. Thus, social influence may lead someone to crime. The social environment includes peer groups that have a direct influence on decisions made by a person. An adolescent with exposure to an environment where people participate in criminal activities has a high likelihood of doing the same as his or her decisions are made under the influence of others. Young people sometimes get themselves involved in some activities just to fit in the peer group and may find themselves developing criminal behaviors (Hegger, 2015).

Gene-Environmental Interactions

Personality psychologist Hans Eysenck explained how gene-environment interactions determine a person’s behavior using a model. He used a model based on psychoticism, extraversion, and neuroticism to describe the relationship between genetic and environmental influences and criminal behavior of people interacting (Eysenck & Wilson, 2013). Eysenck & Wilson associated psychoticism with traits of aggressive, antisocial, impersonal, un-empathetic, and impulsive. Extraversion, on the other hand, was linked with traits of carefree, assertive, sociable, active, dominant, sensational-seeker, and lively. Lastly, neuroticism was related to attributes of depressed, moody, low self-esteem, and anxious, tense, and emotional. Eysenck and Wilson found that extraversion could help in predicting the difference between criminal and non-criminal behaviors among young individuals while neuroticism works best for older individuals (Eysenck & Wilson, 2013). The interactions between the three factors described in the Eysenck model are important in determining personality traits associated with a person, and traits can be inherited. A person with such traits as mentioned by the Eysenck has a high risk of developing antisocial or criminal tendencies (Eysenck & Wilson, 2013). The theory accounts for both genetic and environmental influences on criminal behavior as it describes the interaction between individuals of different traits and inheritance of the genes gained through interaction.

Biological Factors

Biological factors also have a link between genetics and criminal behavior. Genes may have an impact on how the brain functions and therefore mold their behavior. At the point of conception, genes start developing, and their patterns of development will later determine the behavior of the person (Hegger, 2015). The growth is affected by social, physical, and cultural factors. Children brought up in an aggression and violence environment have a high probability of being impulsive due to the difficulty in expressing emotions. They naturally develop unaccepted behaviors that would lead them to criminal actions due to the environment in which they are brought up, and hence it is assumed that the development starts in their genes. Another example is a case where a child is born to a parent who uses illegal substances. The child has high possibilities of being an addict due to the exposure by the parent. The biological trait in addition to illegal substances is assumed to have been passed from one generation (Hegger, 2015).

Level of Education

Importantly, the level of education plays a significant role in the manifestation of criminal behavior. Students with learning disabilities are more prone to violent behavior compared to the normal ones. The prime reason for this is assumed in a correlated causal pattern of events with education at the center. What people achieve in schools can predict how they would behave in society afterward. School rules are also designed in a way that aims to uphold the moral values of the society. Thus, individuals who cannot fit in the school environment will definably find it hard to fit in society. Academic achievement is directly related to several other variables (Hjalmarsson, Holmlund & Lindquist, 2015). For example, success in academics leads to financial success. Also, the person will enjoy other related things such as high self-esteem, an internal locus of control, and can possibly rise in power by being successful academically. The correlation between academic achievement and rewards may account for the general idea that the higher the IQ, the fewer the propensities for criminal behavior. The hypothesis is that high IQ results in easier academic excellence and several societal factors at the end. On the other hand individuals with low IQ struggle much academically and would face challenges such as low self-esteem and minimal chances of excelling financially, resulting in increased criminal behavior.

Discussion

The debate on the cause of criminal behavior in the society has taken different dimensions depending on the outlooks of the experts involved and how the research was done. The primary focus of this paper was different functions of the environment and genetics concerning the criminal behavior of individuals. The controlling ideas are education, environmental socialization factors, psychological approach, and biological approach. Specific areas of research were twin, adoption, and family studies, gene-environmental interactions, social, environmental influences, biological factors, and the relationship between levels of education and criminal behavior. The study of twins showed a higher concordance rate for monozygotic twins than dizygotic twins in criminal behavior, indicating genetic influence. A similar idea can be justified by the result obtained from adoption studies. The adoption studies revealed related criminal behavior on adopted children with criminal backgrounds. Besides, family studies affirm the notion of the inheritance of criminal behavior since children behave just like the parents who form part the family but it is limited to property offenses according to adoption studies. By relating the social environment and the level of crime, the studies linked urban societies with a high rate of crime. The urban dwellers, therefore, have higher chances of developing criminal behavior. Also, examination of gene-environment interactions by personality psychologist Hans Eysenck (2013) came up with a theory that links both genetic and environmental factors to criminal behavior. Persons interact with their immediate surrounding and again genes that are later passed to the next generation. The genes affect brain functioning and may develop in a way that would lead someone to criminal activities. Finally, it is evident from the research on the levels of education and criminal behavior that learning disabilities may lead people to criminal behavior in the society. The result owes to the fact that being an academic dwarf would mean failure in some essential parts of life such as finance. Learning disabilities also lead to low self-esteem that would increase the disposition of criminal behavior.

Conclusion

Research has been done to establish the root of the criminal mindset. Some are affiliated with environmental factors while others are for genetic factors. There is not enough evidence to conclude the side which plays the most significant role in the identification of the cause of antisocial or criminal tendencies in our society. The genetics side seems to be convincing when it comes to twin, adoption, and family studies. Precisely, if it is possible that identical twins can have the same criminal behaviors irrespective of the environment they are exposed to, then we can be convinced that criminal behavior is biological. Likewise, a child adopted at a tender age behaving just like the parent. Although persons with the viewpoint of environmental factors as the main influence of antisocial or criminal behavior of an individual also put facts to explain their position. They consider factors such as the social environment and social influences to defend their point of view. People surrounding us influence how we behave in every aspect of life. Some people also do things to fit in a group thus finding themselves in criminal activities. The research on the influence of criminals has some flaws and inability to differentiate nature from nurture hence; it is still an open debate on the most appealing side.

However, to some extent, two viewpoints mostly agree on the fact that genes influence behavior and the way people make a rational judgment when facing problems. For example, if a person inherits a trait from parents, and modification takes place due to environmental factors, the modified trait can be passed on to the next generation. Therefore, it is possible to conclude that an individual’s criminal behavior can be contributed by both a genetic background and environmental factors, as a combination of the social environment and biological factors mold the behavior of a person.

References

Connolly, E. J., & Beaver, K. M. (2014). Examining the genetic and environmental influences on self-control and delinquency: Results from a genetically informative analysis of sibling pairs. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 29(4), 707-735.

Eysenck, H. J., & Wilson, G. D. (2013). Experimental Study of Freudian Theories (Psychology Revivals). Routledge.

Hegger, J. (2015). Nature vs. nurture: Which causes crime? Retrieved from https://www.correctionsone.com/probation-and-parole/articles/8685697-Nature-vs-nurture-Which-causes-crime/

Hegger, J. (2015). Six traits that lead to criminal behavior. Police News. Retrieved from https://www.policeone.com/corrections/articles/8552534-6-traits-that-lead-to-criminal-behavior/

Hjalmarsson, R., Holmlund, H., & Lindquist, M. J. (2015). The Effect of Education on Criminal Convictions and Incarceration: Causal Evidence from Micro‐data. The Economic Journal, 125(587), 1290-1326.

Pratt, T. C. (2016). A self-control/life-course theory of criminal behavior. European Journal of Criminology, 13(1), 129-146.