Sunday, March 15, 2009

Bad Behavior inherited from Bad Genes

The article I read spoke about how aggressive antisocial behavior and bullying can be inherited through genes. I found it interesting to read that it's actually more likely to be inherited than are non-aggressive antisocial behaviors such as theft, delinquency and truancy. It was also fascinating to read how there is such a degree of genetic and environmental factors that influence both children and adolescents when there is a combination of aggressive and non-aggressive behavior. Also, various psychologists believe that boys learn non-aggressive antisocial behavior more from environmental influences that they encounter, whereas girls get it more because of their genes. In terms of peer pressure, girl relationships are different from guy relationships and that too, plays a role. The reports from the study were supported by grants from the Child Health Research Appeal Trust, Institute of Child Health, University of London and Pennsylvania State University. The discussion has become a major debate. I wasn't really aware that aggression could be inherited to such a degree. The article was very thorough and it was quite interesting.

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