Does Violence
Beget Violence? Nature and Nurture of Antisocial/Criminal Behaviors among Young
People
The criminal / antisocial behaviors
are very pervasive in the contemporary civilizations. The rising trend of criminal behaviors is
very alarming for the fabric of society and needs special attention of the
researchers, sociologists, anthropologists, and psychologist to control the
situation. The statistics of the United States alone indicates that over 2
million young people are annually arrested. The extent and level of crime or
antisocial behavior are widespread and covers many adverse aspects.
Categories of Antisocial/Criminal Behaviors
According to the behavioral disorder
may divide into two broad domains; internalizing and externalizing behavior.
The Internalizing behavior manifests the hidden, covert or invisible
characteristics and deficits, such as withdrawal, depression, and isolation.
In contrast, externalizing behaviors
are visible or overt action and may be observed as physical and verbal
aggression disturbing others, and in acts of violence. According to a study, the normative and
problematic patterns of antisocial behavior occur during adolescence The
previous data signifies that the external behaviors are more prevalent among
boys and the internalizing behaviors are more common among girls. Biologically
the boys are more expressive and manifest their aggression in their action in
the form of verbal or physical aggression including self-harms and harm to
others. In contrast, the girls manifest more internal aggression such as
anxiety, depression, and somatization. Antisocial behavior in youth is a
serious health problem with adverse consequences such as prison, social and
emotional decline and professional underachievement in later life. The boys
rarely manifest the internalizing problem in the western cultures, and the
girls infrequently manifest externalizing behaviors.
The Antisocial or Criminal Behaviors Involve in What Type of Activities
The antisocial or criminal behaviors
indulge in multiple activities, such as failure to confirm law, manipulation of
people for personal gain, inability to maintain consistent employment,
deception of people, and failure to sustain or develop secure interpersonal
relationships. Antisocial behavior (AB) in adolescence is predictive of
numerous problems in adulthood including crime, mental health concerns, substance
dependence, and work problems. Countless young people have been arrested for
the charge of committing crimes by the juvenile courts in England and Wales
during the last 15 years. The antisocial and criminal behavior has been a topic
of debate for many researchers, sociologists, and psychologist for an extended
period. Some studies indicate that antisocial behavior is a foremost health
concern among youngsters, is also found to be associated with high risk for
contemporaneous and mental or physical health-related issues. The large
proportion of the UK population is involved in unhealthy activities, and the
nature of unhealthy or inappropriate behaviors varies on a high scale. The most
common offenses of antisocial behaviors are the destruction of property,
excessive use of illegal drugs, self-harm. According to literature the offenses
rate in young people is in the peak that blemishing the fabric of the society
and the majority of youth is poisoned in jail or admit to mental hospital for
their deviant behaviors.
Age Onset
The statistics of crime indicates
that distribution of age crime found to be on the peak in young people and then
gradually turn down in adulthood. The young people are more vulnerable towards
the criminal or antisocial behaviors. The young people encounter many
challenges in the school, home setting that distorts their thinking pattern,
and they began to indulge in non-healthy activities. The physical, emotional,
and psychological alternation also disturb their way of thinking and comprehending
the situations. As a result, they manifest deviant or undesirable behaviors.
According to DSM V, the antisocial behavior turned into antisocial personality
after the age of 18 that cause more alarming consequences for him and the other
peoples as well.
Prevalence of Antisocial Behavior
The prevalence of crime rates is
increasing alarmingly in the United Kingdom. The annual crime statistic report
of UK indicates that the young people with age range of (10-17) proven
committed crime are 176,511. Prevalence estimates of Antisocial Behavior
recommended that approximately 88% of young people among population report
Antisocial or criminal behaviors. The increasing crimes and antisocial
behaviors of young people are not merely blemishing the fabric of society, but
also devastating the future of the nation and the youth as well. Young people
considered a backbone of any nation, the economic, and social expansion
entirely depends upon them.
Etiology of Criminal or Antisocial Behaviors
The
prejudice, upbringing, discrimination, extremism, terrorism and advance living
standards are the causes of criminal behaviors among young people. The
prejudice about opposite groups, sect religion or nation cause discriminatory
behavior that further leads to extremism and terrorism among youth. The
extremism and terror raised the inclination towards crime and antisocial
behaviors. Here the question arises what is antisocial behavior or criminal
behavior. The literature suggests that in West Midlands region 32 different forms
of offenses have been identified as ASB and in other regions the nature of the
crime and anti-social behaviors are different. The extents that differentiate
the criminal behavior from non-criminal behavior are social norms and
standards. Each society and social standards have some norms that people are
supposed to follow. Temperaments also play a significant role in committing
criminal or antisocial behaviors. An individual with an easygoing temperament
take the undesirable situation lightly and better cope with the unwanted
circumstances.
On the other hand, a person with
difficult temperament manifests numerous unhealthy action when encountering the
objectionable situation that further cause many problems. A particular behavior
might be average at one place or country and considered criminal in another
place or society. According to DSM V, the antisocial behaviors refers to
socially exploitative, guiltless and irresponsible behavior. According to a
study of the parenting style, parenting practices; parental attachment and
parental mutual harmony are responsible for antisocial behavior among people.
Media is playing a central role in promoting antisocial behaviors as a theory
‘’Does violence beget violence’’ suggest that the violence evoke the feeling of
vengeance, and the unreliable news of media create the feeling of hatred for
opposite group. As a result, the individual indulges in threatening activities.
The youth fascinated by the action movies or advance reality shows and practice
the unique behaviors that lead them towards deviant and antisocial or criminal
behaviors.
According to some studies, children
who break laws in their childhood tend to develop antisocial behaviors at their
young age. Some contradictory studies indicate that the decline in antisocial
behavior occurs in late adulthood or old age. Furthermore, they recommended
that parenting and antisocial behaviors have strong connections. The antisocial behaviors comprised of illegal
patterns such as vandalism, theft, setting fires, assault, crime and other
delinquent actions, which violate the social norms. The factors that contribute
to the antisocial behavior problems in childhood are imperative to study, to
design the management plan for prevention and intervention strategies. As young
minds considered immature, emotional, and more vulnerable towards crimes,
therefore the terrorist, media, and politics have targeted them. The young
people targeted for developing the radical beliefs by the criminals to misuse
their minds and body for devastating purposes. Therefore, it is imperative to
study the adolescent behaviors to develop insight into the right and wrong.
However, the literature has some gaps regarding an environmental or genetic
factor that leads to antisocial behaviors.