Darn it! I had a reply almost done, and then our electricity flickered... (impressive storm!)... <sigh>
--- Doug Pensinger <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Ronn!Blankenship wrote: > > Dan Minette wrote: > >> From: "Julia Thompson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >> > Jan Coffey wrote: > >> > > --- Andrew Crystall wrote: > >> > > > >> > > > And lemmie restate - if the UK had the US's > gun laws, I WOULD be dead. > >> > > > >> > > And if the US had UK gun laws I would be dead. > >> > > >> > Good thing each of you has been in the country > with the gun laws that kept each of you alive. > >> > >> Since single examples are equal, would it make > sense to ask the following > >> questions to determine which is actually > beneficial to most: > >> > >> 1) Which country has fewer people killed? > >> > >> 2) Are people more likely to be killed by someone > engaging in another > >> criminal act at the time, or more likely to be > killed in an argument? > > > > 3) Are people more likely to be killed by someone > sober or by someone > > who has been using drugs or alcohol? > > > > 4) Are some people genetically inclined to become > criminals > (killers), are their inclinations solely due to > their environment, or is it a combination of factors? Most research thus far supports 'genetic tendencies but certain environmental factors required to trigger them.' This abstract is not particularly enlightening, but clicking on 'related articles' pulls up a number of studies involving twins, children of psychotic parents, and so forth: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=9196916&dopt=Abstract Here is an article about impulsive aggressive disorder; the intro & discussion have several linked articles as well, such as reference 7, which discusses early brain damage -> antisocial behaviors. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed&pubmedid=12034876#B7 Prenatal insults like alcohol exposure can contribute to impulsivity and impaired 'executive functioning,' which can get the affected teen or adult into potentially violent situations. This is the NIH site on fetal alcohol exposure, with effects ranging from obvious physical/medical deformities to very subtle learning difficulties: http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa13.htm Here is a Canadian site on fetal alcohol exposure and the correctional service: http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/text/rsrch/reports/r71/r71e_e.shtml#30 Another moderating factor which may be genetically influenced is "resilience," which is the current term used to describe what I'd call the "overcoming it factor" - children/adults who endure bad or even horrific conditions, yet emerge without antisocial or self-destructive behaviors. Here is an NIMH article on resilience: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/baschap2.cfm "...What is the source of individual differences in personality traits? Are they determined solely by genes, or are they molded solely by the environment? During the past two decades, behavioral genetics research on the heritability of personality traits has shown that neither extreme is correct. Studies of twins, adoptees, and ordinary families have demonstrated that genetic factors only moderately influence individual differences in most personality dimensions and that environmental factors are also important. "When the approaches of behavioral genetics and developmental psychology are combined, some novel findings emerge. For example, longitudinal studies of childhood temperament and early adult personality strongly suggest that personality stability over time stems more from genetic factors than from environmental constancy. "However, other studies suggest that genetic influences are dynamic being activated at different times in life..." This is the Program Announcement of an NIH project on "novel research integrating genetics, behavior and aging." http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAS-03-128.html Debbi P.S. This has nothing to do with violence, but did link up as related to emotions and brain activity/structures and is a [listref]: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11573015&dopt=Abstract "Intensely pleasurable responses to music correlate with activity in brain regions implicated in reward and emotion." __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
