Nature v Nurture

Essay by EssaySwap ContributorUniversity, Bachelor's February 2008

download word file, 5 pages 3.7 1 reviews

Who are we? How did we become who we are? Was it caused by our genetic makeup or was it attributed to environmental, sociological, or other outside influences. In attempting to understand human behavior, we have sought the answers from a variety of disciplines and have come up short. Today, it has become the principal focus of criminologists to understand and decipher the intricacies of the criminal mind and crime causation. With the increasing number of criminal offenders, criminologists are using all available theories to undertake such a task and are being assisted by experts in every field of science and human behavior. But where do we begin?         Most of us take for granted those physical qualities which we are born with, such as the color of our hair, eyes, complexion, height, and weight. But do we ever consider where our sense of humor, personality, intelligence and inner character comes from? The overabundance of questions and theories leaves most researchers baffled.

Each theory appears to hold some factual foundation, but no one theory holds the key to what makes us who we are. Consequently, the debate continues with no clear winner. Therefore, we will embark on the quest to find supporting basis to help us understand the debate between nature and nurture and garner some perspective as to what influences criminal behavior.

        Children today are exposed to a variety of things because television plays a key role in their lives. Many children are raised in a household where domestic violence is prevalent and they see it daily. Whether it is the media or a child’s life consistent with violence at home, there will tend to be a higher rate of aggression among those that have been taught and conditioned throughout their childhood that aggression and violence is an everyday occurrence.