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Alberto Quinonez

Ms. Carter

Expository Comp

16 October 2018

The Roots of Violence: A Collective Influence

Violence, something that everybody is capable of inciting, some more than others, but

what is the cause for such a propensity for violent behavior? Some violent or aggressive behavior

could be caused by a bad day at work or ingesting one too many drinks, or perhaps it is caused

by something rooted deep within our very beings, within our genes and brains. Aggression is

defined as “hostile or violent behavior or attitudes toward another; readiness to attack or

confront” according to the Oxford Dictionaries, and its exact roots are subject to debate by many.

Nevertheless, there is no definitive cause of violence or aggression. Violence is itself collectively

influenced by a variety of cofactors like biological, environmental, and psychological factors.

Our biology defines what we are and moreover, plays a large role in its influence over

our actions. Within each and every one of us there are things called genes, passed down to us by

previous generations, or heredity, and contain DNA, which most people are familiar with, the

instructions upon which our bodies were built and function. According to an article published on

January 15, 2015, titled, “The Criminal Gene: The Link Between MAOA and Aggression

(REVIEW)” by S Sohabi,”...the strongest link between genetic variation and aggression comes

from monoamine oxidase [...] the low activity form of the MAOA gene (MAOA-L) has been
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linked to increased levels of aggression and violence.”, the article also stated that MAOA was

responsible for neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin. Results stated in the article are

significant because they show that genes can in fact have an impact on violent behavior or one’s

predisposition for it, but biological factors don’t merely just consist of genetics, they refer to

neurological, physiological, and chemical influences as well. “Seeking the Roots of Violence, an

article by Anastasia Toufexis, a writer for ​TIME​ magazine, discusses how,” Experiments at the

Bowman Gray School of Medicine in North Carolina suggest that extremely aggressive monkeys

have lower levels of serotonin than do more passive peers” (Toufexis pg 170), in addition, the

author speaks on how studies at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism have

shown that men who commit “impulsive crimes” like murdering strangers, have lower levels of

serotonin, while men convicted of premeditated murder have normal levels. Toufexis’ article

also mentions that some researchers speculate that aggressive behavior in women could be linked

to a decrease in serotonin before their menstrual period starts.(Toufexis pg 170) These findings

show how biological factors can influence aggressive behavior because serotonin is a

neurotransmitter produced in the brain which contributes to feelings of happiness and well-being.

Ultimately, biology influences aggressive behavior in a variety of ways, and yet it is but a

portion of a multitude of factors that contribute to violence.

Psychological factors are yet another contributor to aggressive behavior. Factors of these

sorts relate to the mind and usually refer to the processes that cannot generally be observed

outside of listening to somebody describe. The way we perceive things influences our attitude

and behavior towards something. For example, hostile attribution bias is a term used in

psychology to describe the tendency for some to perceive hostility when there is none present. It
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lies within the person rather than in the environment, and can foster violence very quickly. A

study in the ​Journal of Abnormal Psychology​ showed how 128 boys aged 14-16, from a

maximum security juvenile institution, were tested on their hostile attribution biases, the results

showed that the biases correlated most to the teens who had committed more violent crimes. The

study conveys how one’s perception of a situation can foster violent actions. Another

psychological factor that contributes to aggression is the concept of deindividuation.

Deindividuation is a loss of self awareness and lessened responsibility for one’s actions when in

a group. An example of this could be seen at sports game where fans start rioting together,

fighting and vandalizing, things they wouldn’t do if they were alone. Cognitive factors greatly

influence who a person is, they refer to ideas, beliefs, and thinking patterns that somebody has.

These factors lie within the person’s mind and can be influenced by experiences. Factors like

these essentially determine how a person reacts to a situation, peacefully or violently.

Psychological disorders cannot go overlooked when viewing factors that contribute to violence.

A disorder called Intermittent Explosive Disorder or IED is what is known as an

“impulse-control disorder”. Those suffering from IED have explosive fits of rage without any

provocation and will often threaten or attack objects, animals, and people, in accordance with

information gathered from ValleyBehavioral.com. Similarly, “​Criminal Behavior: A

Psychological Approach”​, by Curt R. Bartol and Ann M. Bartol says,” Violent people are also

less efficient at thinking of ways to solve social conflict and disagreements [...] tend to be more

accepting of violence in general…”, which further supports the claim that psychological factors

immensely contribute to violent or aggressive behavior. Biological and psychological factors

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both indeed hold a powerful influence on violence and yet there are still more contributors to this

pressing and confounding behavior.

Lastly, the propensity for violence can be remarkably led on by one’s environment. A

person’s environment or environmental factors include: society, culture, events, and where they

live, to name a few. For example, someone growing up in a violent home where domestic

violence is prevalent can have an adverse impact on their well-being. “[...] children who grow up

in deprived environments where poverty, frustration, and hopelessness are prevalent are at much

greater risk for later involvement in violence…”, as stated in Curt R. and Anne M. Bartol’s,

“​Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach”, g​ ives crucial insight on the influence that

one’s early life has on their proneness to aggressive behavior. Furthermore, Curt and Anne

Bartol also discuss how childhood aggression can predict adult violence,” Research has

discovered that approximately 10% of highly aggressive children grow up to account for 50 to

60% of the majority of violent crimes.”. These staggering statistics show how much power and

influence our environments hold in the development of our personal attitudes and actions. Even

climate can influence destructive behavior. In hotter years, months, seasons, and days, violent

crime and spousal abuse are higher (Meyers pg 751, Psychology 8th Edition). Environmental

factors were major influences on many school shootings as well. Many of the shooters had been

ostracised by their peers which influenced their disposition and outlook towards the value of

others’ lives. Frustration, pain, personal insults, odors, fear and other unpleasant stimuli are also

influences within the environment that lend themselves to violent actions. A negative, violent

environment is dangerous and can influence some but not all to do extremely terrible things.

People in a bad society tend to develop a mob mentality, where people are influenced by others
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around them to engage in certain behaviors like stealing, fighting, and even rape without a

second thought. This sort of behavior can be observed in many prominent gangs like MS-13 and

the Simon City Royals. In essence, the environment in which a person has experienced or is

experiencing is made up of many different situations that all affect the outcome that we know as

violence or aggression.

Yet, many people believe that violence or aggressive behavior stems from on main factor,

and can be pinpointed to one central cause, which would sound pretty reasonable if you disregard

the wide array of elements that go into making the decision to incite a violent or perhaps even a

deadly act. “Each case of possible or actual violence is unique and addressing the issue may

require different interventions.”, a quote by Dr. Sheri Jacobson, Clinical Director at Harley

Therapy in London, gives insight on the diversity of violence and how one singular method isn’t

applicable to all varieties. Violent behavior cannot solely be pinpointed to genes, mental

disorders, the way we think, or environment, rather it is a collective contribution of many factors

that result in a person’s violent behavior.

In short, the cause of violence cannot be directly attributed to a main cause, rather it is a

slew of cofactors that contribute to violent behavior. Biological, Psychological, and

Environmental factors collectively contribute and play significant roles in the outcome and cause

of violence. Research must therefore be directed to all aspects of violence in order to solve it.

Searching for one small answer to a huge problem shouldn’t possibly be the way to tackle this

major epidemic.
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Works Cited

● “Aggression | Definition of Aggression in English by Oxford Dictionaries.” ​Oxford

Dictionaries | English,​ Oxford Dictionaries, n.d,

en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/aggression.

● Sohrabi, S. “The Criminal Gene: the Link between MAOA and Aggression (REVIEW).”

BMC Proceedings​, BioMed Central, 14 Jan. 2015,

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4306065/.

● Toufexis, Anastasia. “Seeking the Roots of Violence.” ​Viewpoints,​ by W. Royce. Adams,

Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2013, pp. 168–172.

● American Psychological Association​, American Psychological Association,

psycnet.apa.org/record/1991-10097-001.

● Dodge, K. A., Price, J. M., Bachorowski, J.-A., & Newman, J. P. (1990). Hostile

attributional biases in severely aggressive adolescents. ​Journal of Abnormal Psychology,

99​(4), 385-392.

● “The Causes of Violence.” ​Criminal Behavior: a Psychosocial Approach​, by Curt R.

Bartol and Anne M. Bartol, Pearson Prentice Hall, 2008, pp. 272–273.

● “Signs, Symptoms & Effects of IED | Valley Behavioral Health.” ​Valley,​ Valley

Behavioral Health System, n.d,

www.valleybehavioral.com/disorders/ied/signs-symptoms-causes/.

● “Chapter 18, The Psychology of Aggression.” ​Psychology,​ by David G. Myers, Worth

Publishers, 2007, pp. 751–751.

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● Balkhi, Amanda. “25 Notoriously Dangerous Gangs.” ​List25,​ 5 June 2018,

list25.com/25-notoriously-dangerous-gangs/.

● Jacobson, Sheri. “What Are the Causes of Violence & How to Respond?” ​Harley

Therapy™ Blog,​ Harley Therapy, 30 Dec. 2017, n.t,

www.harleytherapy.co.uk/counselling/causes-of-violence-how-to-respond.htm.