73d ago
KC

Neuroscience and Criminal Behavior

Lee Ellis's Theory of Testosterone and Status Striving

  • Developed to explore differences between males and females in testosterone levels.

  • Focus on prenatal and postnatal development and its impact on behavior.

  • Status striving is seen as a natural, possibly genetic, inclination.

  • Techniques for achieving status must be learned over time.

  • High testosterone individuals may be more impulsive and crude in their attempts to achieve status, sometimes resorting to criminal behaviors.

  • Some individuals may remain criminally inclined throughout their lives if they do not learn appropriate status achievement methods.

Reward Dominance Theory

  • Key Systems:

    • Behavioral Activation System (BAS): Regulates behavior towards pleasure and rewards, influenced by dopamine.

    • Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS): Modulates behavior to prevent risks, influenced by serotonin.

  • Dopamine: Acts as an accelerator, encouraging pursuit of rewarding stimuli.

  • Serotonin: Acts as brakes, helping individuals avoid harmful behaviors.

  • Imbalance between dopamine and serotonin can lead to criminal behaviors:

    • Overproduction of dopamine or underproduction of serotonin can dominate the BAS, resulting in uncontrolled pleasure-seeking.

Neurotransmitter Functionality

  • Neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin act as messengers between neurons (referred to as "boats").

  • They travel across the synaptic gap from axons to dendrites, transmitting their messages.

  • Proper functioning of neurotransmitters is crucial for balanced behavior and emotional regulation.

Adolescence and Neurotransmitter Levels

  • During adolescence, dopamine levels tend to increase.

  • Increased dopamine can influence behavior, including risk-taking as individuals seek status or mates.

  • Critical developmental periods may alter preset levels of neurotransmitters resulting in long-term impacts.

Impact of Parenting and Environment on Neurotransmitters

  • Poor parenting and negative experiences (trauma, neglect) can lead to low serotonin levels.

  • Relationship between serotonin and parenting is complex—uncertainty exists over causation (does poor parenting contribute to low serotonin or vice versa?).

Prefrontal Dysfunction Theory (PFD)

  • The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is crucial for moral judgments and planning.

  • Phineas Gage Case: Example of how damage to PFC can drastically change personality and behavior.

  • Compromised PFC function can lead to antisocial behavior due to difficulty in reading social cues and adjusting behavior.

  • PFC is not fully developed in adolescence, leading to potential emotional and social difficulties.

  • MRIs show strong links between PFC deficits and impulsive behavior, providing support for PFD.

Treatment and Rehabilitation Approaches

  • No singular cure for criminal behavior arising from biological and social factors.

  • Medications can address some imbalances in brain chemistry but must be consistently taken to be effective.

  • Environmental and Cognitive Restructuring: Altering environments and cognitive processes to change behavior patterns can yield some success.

  • Rehabilitation approaches need to be individualized—what works for one group may not work for another due to variations in brain function and damage.

Ethical Considerations in Treating Criminal Behavior

  • Concerns arise around genetic predisposition to criminal behavior and implications for society (e.g., eugenics).

  • Society must balance scientific understanding with ethical treatment to avoid stigmatization and isolation of at-risk individuals.

  • The potential for technological advancements (like CRISPR) raises questions about the future treatment of neurobiological issues affecting behavior.


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Neuroscience and Criminal Behavior

Lee Ellis's Theory of Testosterone and Status Striving

  • Developed to explore differences between males and females in testosterone levels.
  • Focus on prenatal and postnatal development and its impact on behavior.
  • Status striving is seen as a natural, possibly genetic, inclination.
  • Techniques for achieving status must be learned over time.
  • High testosterone individuals may be more impulsive and crude in their attempts to achieve status, sometimes resorting to criminal behaviors.
  • Some individuals may remain criminally inclined throughout their lives if they do not learn appropriate status achievement methods.

Reward Dominance Theory

  • Key Systems:
    • Behavioral Activation System (BAS): Regulates behavior towards pleasure and rewards, influenced by dopamine.
    • Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS): Modulates behavior to prevent risks, influenced by serotonin.
  • Dopamine: Acts as an accelerator, encouraging pursuit of rewarding stimuli.
  • Serotonin: Acts as brakes, helping individuals avoid harmful behaviors.
  • Imbalance between dopamine and serotonin can lead to criminal behaviors:
    • Overproduction of dopamine or underproduction of serotonin can dominate the BAS, resulting in uncontrolled pleasure-seeking.

Neurotransmitter Functionality

  • Neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin act as messengers between neurons (referred to as "boats").
  • They travel across the synaptic gap from axons to dendrites, transmitting their messages.
  • Proper functioning of neurotransmitters is crucial for balanced behavior and emotional regulation.

Adolescence and Neurotransmitter Levels

  • During adolescence, dopamine levels tend to increase.
  • Increased dopamine can influence behavior, including risk-taking as individuals seek status or mates.
  • Critical developmental periods may alter preset levels of neurotransmitters resulting in long-term impacts.

Impact of Parenting and Environment on Neurotransmitters

  • Poor parenting and negative experiences (trauma, neglect) can lead to low serotonin levels.
  • Relationship between serotonin and parenting is complex—uncertainty exists over causation (does poor parenting contribute to low serotonin or vice versa?).

Prefrontal Dysfunction Theory (PFD)

  • The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is crucial for moral judgments and planning.
  • Phineas Gage Case: Example of how damage to PFC can drastically change personality and behavior.
  • Compromised PFC function can lead to antisocial behavior due to difficulty in reading social cues and adjusting behavior.
  • PFC is not fully developed in adolescence, leading to potential emotional and social difficulties.
  • MRIs show strong links between PFC deficits and impulsive behavior, providing support for PFD.

Treatment and Rehabilitation Approaches

  • No singular cure for criminal behavior arising from biological and social factors.
  • Medications can address some imbalances in brain chemistry but must be consistently taken to be effective.
  • Environmental and Cognitive Restructuring: Altering environments and cognitive processes to change behavior patterns can yield some success.
  • Rehabilitation approaches need to be individualized—what works for one group may not work for another due to variations in brain function and damage.

Ethical Considerations in Treating Criminal Behavior

  • Concerns arise around genetic predisposition to criminal behavior and implications for society (e.g., eugenics).
  • Society must balance scientific understanding with ethical treatment to avoid stigmatization and isolation of at-risk individuals.
  • The potential for technological advancements (like CRISPR) raises questions about the future treatment of neurobiological issues affecting behavior.