Is criminal behavior the result of nature or nurture?.
Questions about crime have been around ever since man first committed it. One of the most sought after questions today is whether criminal behavior is the result of nature or nurture. As the debate continues today, research has shown evidence for both sides. However, the majority points towards the side that criminal behavior is the result of nature; it is not inherited or born with. .
Criminal behavior is not inherited, it cannot be. People are not born with their personalities or views on the world; they are formed throughout childhood and life. A proven theory is that crime is partly caused by poverty and economic inequality. Prisons are filled with poor people, not rich people, because of this sociologists look to economic inequality to explain why people turn to crime. The settings of an individual also form the views of the individual. If you are born in a poverty-stricken area, then crime is a norm and you are taught to do whatever it takes to survive. It's the streets and growing up on them you see crime everyday. However in a rich neighborhood, in the burbs, you don't see crime everyday if ever. The individual has everything they need and do not need to turn to crime in order to survive. Crime is not born withed but rather it is learned thru settings and situations. .
Robert Merton, a famous sociologist, had a theory on why criminals become criminals. His theory, known as the "Strain Theory," stressed the idea that because of economic inequality in American society, there is a strain between the culturally held goals and the legitimate, institutional means to achieve those goals. Basically, in our society we have major goals that everyone wants. They are financial success, owning a house, owning a car, and having a family. These are the American dream and most people in our society expect to obtain them in their future.