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Author Topic:   Human Violence
JustinC
Member (Idle past 4844 days)
Posts: 624
From: Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Joined: 07-21-2003


Message 1 of 7 (59255)
10-03-2003 3:07 PM


Does anyone know of any references that discuss humans being naturally inclined towards violent behavior(atleast in some circumstances, I don't want to make a broad generalation)?
It's for a paper I'm writing. Any help would be appreciated.
JustinC

Replies to this message:
 Message 2 by Rei, posted 10-03-2003 3:18 PM JustinC has replied

  
Rei
Member (Idle past 7013 days)
Posts: 1546
From: Iowa City, IA
Joined: 09-03-2003


Message 2 of 7 (59259)
10-03-2003 3:18 PM
Reply to: Message 1 by JustinC
10-03-2003 3:07 PM


You're going to need more than that.
Are you looking for conditions in humans that make them more inclined to violent behavior than the average human?
Are you looking for evidence that humans are more violent than their near relatives?
Are you looking for types of violence committed by humans that are rare among other species?
------------------
"Illuminant light,
illuminate me."

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by JustinC, posted 10-03-2003 3:07 PM JustinC has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 3 by JustinC, posted 10-03-2003 3:35 PM Rei has replied

  
JustinC
Member (Idle past 4844 days)
Posts: 624
From: Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Joined: 07-21-2003


Message 3 of 7 (59262)
10-03-2003 3:35 PM
Reply to: Message 2 by Rei
10-03-2003 3:18 PM


Yeah, I guess I was pretty vague. The prompt is to describe your theory of violence. I'm doing a pluralistic approach and evolutionary predispositions may be one of my factors. Of course I need evidence for this.
Are there any case studies that examine human groups agression towards "outsiders" around the world?
Any gene for agression/violence?
Would demonstrating that our close relatives also exhibit violent tendencies be a piece of evidence that we might have violent natural tendencies?
Can the tendency of humans to form gangs and act agressively towards non-gang members be evidence?
I might try and argue its a nature/nurture deal and might throw in "Broken Windows Theory" to describe different situations in which we act violent.
Does that give you a better idea what I'm looking for?
JustinC

This message is a reply to:
 Message 2 by Rei, posted 10-03-2003 3:18 PM Rei has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 4 by Rei, posted 10-03-2003 4:04 PM JustinC has not replied
 Message 5 by Quetzal, posted 10-04-2003 3:36 AM JustinC has not replied

  
Rei
Member (Idle past 7013 days)
Posts: 1546
From: Iowa City, IA
Joined: 09-03-2003


Message 4 of 7 (59265)
10-03-2003 4:04 PM
Reply to: Message 3 by JustinC
10-03-2003 3:35 PM


I don't have time for all of those, so I'll just do one.
The genetics/crime issue is an incredibly difficult to study one, due to fears of eugenics. XYY males are a perfect example of this: in the 1970s, there was a huge controversy over a study which had indicated that 2% of the US prison system was XYY, while only 0.05% of the US population as a whole was. There were cases argued in court that the client wasn't guilty because of their genes, it was called the "criminal genotype", etc. Public pressure on this front effectively halted all future research on the subject. There have been some minor studies since then, but nothing that could remotely be called conclusive. There also are other "causation" issues. Since XXY children look different, there is the risk of an increase in being teased as a child, which may or may not contribute to violent behavior. While its causes are still not completely known, there may well be a link to alcoholism or drug use in the father - which itself may increase the likelyhood of the children developing violent behavior. Etc.
That said, there are quite a few genetic conditions that affect behavior, so it only seems likely that a predisposition to violence may also exist. Examples of genetic conditions that affect behavior are Lesch-Nyhan syndrome, schizophrenia, Tourette's syndrome, and even the rare syndrome (confined to a single family! They can actually trace back the mutation) called MAOA (a mutation in the production of monoamine oxidase A, which is tied to impulsive violent behavior).
------------------
"Illuminant light,
illuminate me."

This message is a reply to:
 Message 3 by JustinC, posted 10-03-2003 3:35 PM JustinC has not replied

  
Quetzal
Member (Idle past 5872 days)
Posts: 3228
Joined: 01-09-2002


Message 5 of 7 (59329)
10-04-2003 3:36 AM
Reply to: Message 3 by JustinC
10-03-2003 3:35 PM


Ouch Justin. I wish you'd asked this question yesterday. I have a whole list of references on my other computer that I collected during my search for material on maternal infanticide. Can you wait until Monday? Although only one related to humans, IIRC, there was a lot of info on the genetic and environmental basis for aggression in other animals.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 3 by JustinC, posted 10-03-2003 3:35 PM JustinC has not replied

  
JustinC
Member (Idle past 4844 days)
Posts: 624
From: Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Joined: 07-21-2003


Message 6 of 7 (59331)
10-04-2003 3:56 AM


It sounds like you have some good references. Its due Tuesday, so Monday's fine. Thanks for helping out.
JustinC

Replies to this message:
 Message 7 by Quetzal, posted 10-06-2003 8:52 AM JustinC has not replied

  
Quetzal
Member (Idle past 5872 days)
Posts: 3228
Joined: 01-09-2002


Message 7 of 7 (59680)
10-06-2003 8:52 AM
Reply to: Message 6 by JustinC
10-04-2003 3:56 AM


Hi Justin,
I'm just going to list the citations as I copied them into my computer. Sorry I don't have the time to clean 'em up. Hopefully you'll get a chance to dig a few up at the library before your paper is due.
Overall conclusion - there's no "gene for aggression". There is a genetic underpinning, as with most behaviors, but the expression appears highly variable depending on environment, species, development, and even litter size. I copied the articles that I thought would be appropriate or have some bearing on your topic.
"Parent-offspring conflict and the genetics of offspring solicitation and parental response", ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR, 2001, 62, 395—407
MATHIAS KOLLIKER & HEINZ RICHNER
"Low central nervous system serotonergic activity is traitlike and correlates with impulsive behavior. A nonhuman primate model investigating genetic and environmental influences on neurotransmission" J. D. Higley and M. Linnoila 1997 Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, Vol 836, Issue 1 39-56
"The Other "Closest Living Relative": How Bonobos (Pan paniscus) Challenge Traditional Assumptions about Females, Dominance, Intra- and Intersexual Interactions, and Hominid Evolution" Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 907:97-113 (2000) AMY R. PARISH, FRANS B. M. DE WAAL and DAVID HAIG
Klaus Hacklnder and Walter Arnold "Male-caused failure of female reproduction and its adaptive value in alpine marmots (Marmota marmota)" Behav. Ecol., Sep 1999; 10: 592 - 597
EJ Yang and W Wilczynski, "Relationships between hormones and aggressive behavior in green anole lizards: an analysis using structural equation modeling." Horm Behav, September 1, 2002; 42(2): 192-205
"Progesterone receptors mediate male aggression toward infants"
Johanna S. Schneider, Marielle K. Stone, Katherine E. Wynne-Edwards, Teresa H. Horton*, John Lydon , Bert O'Malley , and Jon E. Levine, PNAS 2003 100:2951-2956
You might want to see if your library has a subscription to the journal Behavioral Ecology - it usually has a lot of articles on aggression, kin selection, etc.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 6 by JustinC, posted 10-04-2003 3:56 AM JustinC has not replied

  
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