08/09/2025
The feelings and behavior of people near us directly impact how we feel and respond to our own emotions. If parents or other social agents are abusive, indulged in alcoholism or substance abuse and expose children to extreme violent or stressful environment for a prolonged period, it makes kids traumatized, and they sensitize themselves to distress. As a result, they might indulge themselves in acts that are not socially acceptable as they have poor self-regulatory systems.
Family dynamics since childhood has its contribution at the various levels of self-esteem, autonomy and emotional wellbeing. Parenting has a vital role in personality development and the environment which is toxic and doesn’t respect the boundaries of children, harass them emotionally, physically and psychologically contributes towards the development of acting in non-moralistic ways among them. If dig deep, we will find evidence that most if not all criminals had a disturbed and traumatic childhood and were from broken homes. Early introduction to challenging conditions in environment heavily dictates and influences the prominence of fear response. Early trauma exposure impairs the ability of high-order cortical function (rational thinking) to regulate sub-cortically driven fear reflex. Together these responses mediate increased risk for defensive and aggressive responding, substance use and impulsive behavior. All the above mentioned increase the risk for criminal behavior.
Research shows that the common cause at childhood stage that contributes towards criminal behavior is dominating fathers involved with drug addiction anti-social personality features. Domestic violence, sexual abuse and exposure to excessive alcoholism along with psychological, emotional and physical exploitation significantly shape their adulthood. Revulsion against woman figure may develop in childhood and later taken out on females.
It may be fairly concluded that nurture plays a more vital role in the development of anti-social behavior as compared to biological predisposition. Conducive environment is more likely to promote better personality development. Even if there are negative genetic bearings, a healthy nurture may help overcome those through strong brain development. It is therefore essential to create awareness among people that early age need special attention by providing children with insight to be self-regulated and having control among themselves. On the contrary, exposure to domestic violence, substance abuse, fractured family and constant stress is likely to make a child sensitized and eventually lead to antagonist behavior.
