Society may create criminals, but it does not originate violence. Most people would refuse to believe that they are destined to become killers just because it runs in the family, a “murder gene” passed on like eye colours. Unfortunately, any repudiation would be unwarranted. According to a psychology study sampling Finnish prisoners, the MAOA and the CDH13 genotypes are closely associated with violent behaviour including homicides and batteries (Tiihonen et al.). Though this cannot indicate that all criminal acts are related to these genes of violence, or that anyone with these particular genes would become a criminal, the findings do suggest that genetics play a part in criminal behaviour. The genetic differences among individuals make some of us slightly more emotional, aggressive, or vengeful, and sometimes these combinations of traits push us to become more prone to committing a crime.
Knowing that some of our criminal behaviour is caused by genes, it is plausible to suppose that these “criminal genes” exist for a reason. Crimes, whether violent or non-violent, with light or heavy consequences, have their evolutionary purpose. While society has skyrocketed in its complexity for the last few hundred years, human nature has hardly been adaptable enough to obey the modern rules of the justice system. Crime is a remnant of our past. In general, violence was once a necessity for early humans to survive, and especially for males, due to the worship of physical strength and their need to compete for females for the Wenmiao Jin opportunity to reproduce. Strong boundaries of in-groups and out-groups also stimulated rivalry for resources using zero-sum game mindsets. They demanded strategies to win, however “unlawful” in the eyes of the current population.
Besides normal competition, there is additionally the presence of cheaters. Psychopathy is often considered a mental disorder and a biological deficiency, but some research recognizes the possibility that psychopathy could be a cheating strategy evolved to help individuals survive in harsh environments (Međedović et al.). The ultimate goal of our genes is to survive and multiply, and while prosocial behaviour in humans like love, trust and loyalty allows us to collaborate and benefit in the long run as a species, individuals with antisocial traits are sometimes able to take advantage of this system and secure their own survival. In the case of psychopaths, being manipulative and cold while others are reciprocally altruistic can maximise the profit and reproductive success of the psychopath, even though this may result in the misery of others. Criminal acts such as theft can be explained similarly, with the tendencies biologically evolved.
(to be continued…)
Sources:
Tiihonen, J., et al. “Genetic Background of Extreme Violent Behaviour.” Molecular Psychiatry, vol. 20, no. 6, Oct. 2014, pp. 786–92, https://doi.org/10.1038/mp.2014.130.
Međedović, Janko, et al. “Interpersonal and Affective Psychopathy Traits Can Enhance Human Fitness.” Evolutionary Psychological Science, vol. 3, no. 4, Mar. 2017, pp. 306–15, https://doi.org/10.1007/s40806-017-0097-5.
by Wenmiao DP20