Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Evolutionary Behavioral Genetics of Violent Crime

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
The Evolution of Violence

Part of the book series: Evolutionary Psychology ((EVOLPSYCH))

Abstract

The goal of this chapter is to provide an overview of the existing literature pertaining to evolutionary behavioral genetics and violent criminal behaviors. In doing so, we provide an introduction to the methodologies that are used to estimate the heritability of violent crime, and we review studies that have estimated the heritability of violent crime. We then offer some background information related to molecular genetics and also examine research that has attempted to isolate the specific genetic polymorphisms that might relate to violent criminal involvement. Finally, we explore the potential role of gene–environment interactions as they relate to the development of violent criminal tendencies and discuss the various explanatory perspectives that are used to explain gene–environment interactions as they relate to crime and violence.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
eBook
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Alcock, J., & Crawford, C. (2008). Evolutionary questions for evolutionary psychologists. In C. Crawford & D. Krebs (Eds.), Foundations of evolutionary psychology (pp. 25–45). New York: Taylor & Francis.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, G. S. (2007). Biological influences on criminal behavior. New York, NY: CRC Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J., & van IJzendoorn, M. H. (2006). Gene-environment interaction of the dopamine D4 receptor (DRD4) and observed maternal insensitivity predicting externalizing behavior in preschoolers. Developmental Psychobiology, 48, 406–409.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Beaver, K. M. (2009a). Biosocial criminology: A primer. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beaver, K. M. (2009b). Molecular genetics and crime. In A. Walsh & K. M. Beaver (Eds.), Biosocial criminology: New directions in theory and research. New York: Taylor and Francis.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beaver, K. M., Wright, J. P., DeLisi, M., Walsh, A., Vaughn, M. G., Boisvert, D., et al (2007). A gene × gene interaction between DRD2 and DRD4 is associated with conduct disorder and antisocial behavior in males. Behavioral and Brain Functions, 3, 30–38.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Beaver, K. M., Wright, J. P., & DeLisi, M. (2008a). Delinquent peer group formation: Evidence of a gene X environment correlation. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 169, 227–244.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beaver, K. M., Wright, J. P., DeLisi, M., & Vaughn, M. G. (2008b). Desistance from delinquency: The marriage eï¬ect revisited and extended. Social Science Research, 37, 736–752.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beaver, K. M., Gibson, C. L., Jennings, W. G., & Ward, J. T. (2009). A gene X environment interaction between DRD2 and religiosity in the prediction of adolescent delinquent involvement in a sample of males. Biodemography and Social Biology, 55, 71–81.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Beaver, K. M., DeLisi, M., Vaughn, M. G., & Barnes, J. C. (2010). Monoamine oxidase A genotype is associated with gang membership and weapon use. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 51, 130–134.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Beaver, K. M., Nedelec, J. L., Wilde, M., Lippoff, C., & Jackson, D. (2011). Examining the association between MAOA genotype and incarceration, anger and hostility: The moderating influences of risk and protective factors. Journal of Research in Personality, 45, 279–284.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Belsky, J., & Beaver, K. M. (2011). Cumulative-genetic plasticity, parenting and adolescent self-regulation. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 52, 619–626.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Belsky, J., & Pluess, M. (2009). Beyond diathesis stress: Differential susceptibility to environmental influences. Psychological Bulletin, 135, 885–908.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Belsky, J., Jonassaint, C., Pluess, M., Stanton, M., Brummett, B., & Williams, R. (2009). Vulnerability genes or plasticity genes? Molecular Psychiatry, 14, 746–754.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bouchard, T. J. Jr., Lykken, D. T., McGue, M., Segal, N. L., & Tellegen, A. (1990). Sources of human psychological differences: The Minnesota study of twins reared apart. Science, 250, 223–228.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Buss, D. M. (1994). The strategies of human mating. American Scientist, 82, 238–249.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buss, D. M. (2005). The murderer next door: Why the mind is designed to kill. New York: Penguin Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buss, D. M., & Shackelford, T. K. (1997). Human aggression in evolutionary psychological perspective. Clinical Psychology Review, 17, 605–619.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cadoret, R. J., Langbehn, D., Caspers, K., Troughton, E. P., Yucuis, R., Sandhu, H. K., et al (2003). Associations of the serotonin transporter promoter polymorphism with aggressivity, attention deficit, and conduct disorder in an adoptee population. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 44, 88–101.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Caspi, A., McClay, J., Moffitt, T. E., Mill, J., Martin, J., Craig, I. W., et al (2002). Role of genotype in the cycle of violence in maltreated children. Science, 297, 851–854.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Comings, D. E., Gade-Andavolu, R., Gonzalez, N., Wu, S., Muhleman, D., Chen, C., et al (2001). The additive effect of neurotransmitter genes in pathological gambling. Clinical Genetics, 60, 107–116.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Daly, M., & Wilson, M. (1988). Homicide. New York, NY: Aldine De Gruyter.

    Google Scholar 

  • DeKeseredy, W. S. (2013). The myth that “criminals” are fundamentally different from “non-criminals.”. In R. M. Bohm & J. T. Walker (Eds.), Demystifying crime & criminal justice (2nd ed., pp. 13–24). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • DeLisi, M., Beaver, K. M., Wright, J. P., & Vaughn, M. G. (2008). The etiology of criminal onset: The enduring salience of nature and nurture. Journal of Criminal Justice, 36, 217–223.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Derks, E. M., Dolan, C. V., & Boomsma, D. I. (2006). A test of the equal environment assumption (EEA) in multivariate twin studies. Twin Research and Human Genetics, 9, 403–411.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Faraone, S. V., Doyle, A. E., Mick, E., & Biederman, J. (2001). Meta-Analysis of the association between the 7-repeat allele of the dopamine D4 receptor gene and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry, 158, 1052–1057.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Feinn, R., Nellissery, M., & Kranzler, H. R. (2005). Meta-analysis of the association of a functional serotonin transporter promoter polymorphism with alcohol dependence. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B (Neuropsychiatric Genetics), 133B, 79–84

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferguson, C. J. (2010). Genetic contributions to antisocial personality and behavior: A meta-analytic review from an evolutionary perspective. The Journal of Social Psychology, 150, 160–180.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ferguson, C. J., & Beaver, K. M. (2009). Natural born killers: The genetic origins of extreme violence. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 14, 286–294.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gill, M., Daly, G., Heron, S., Hawi, Z., & Fitzgerald, M. (1997). Confirmation of association between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and a dopamine transporter polymorphism. Molecular Psychiatry, 2, 311–313.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Guo, G., Ou, X.-M., Roettger, M., & Shih, J. C. (2008). The VNTR 2 repeat in MAOA and delinquent behavior in adolescence and young adulthood: Associations and MAOA promoter activity. European Journal of Human Genetics, 16, 626–634.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hawley, P. H., & Buss, D. M. (2011). Introduction. In D. M. Buss & P. H. Hawley (Eds.), The evolution of personality and individual differences (ix–xix). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kanazawa, S. (2004). General intelligence as a domain-specific adaptation. Psychological Review, 111, 512–523.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Koller, G., Bondy, B., Preuss, U. W., Bottlender, M., & Soyka, M. (2003). No association between a polymorphism in the promoter region of the MAOA gene with antisocial personality traits in alcoholics. Alcohol and Alcoholism, 38, 31–34.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lahdenpeä, M., Lummaa, V., Helle, S., Tremblay, M., & Russell, A. F. (2004). Fitness benefits of prolonged post-reproductive lifespan in women. Nature, 428, 178–181.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laucht, M., Skowronek, M. H., Becker, K., Schmidt, M. H., Esser, G., Schulze, T. G., et al (2007). Interacting effects of the dopamine transporter gene and psychosocial adversity on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms among 15-year-olds from a high-risk community sample. Archives of General Psychiatry, 64, 585–590.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Loehlin, J. C. (2009). History of behavior genetics. In Y. K. Kim (Ed.), Handbook of behavior genetics. New York: Springer Science.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mason, D. A., & Frick, P. J. (1994). The heritability of antisocial behavior: A meta-analysis of twin and adoption studies. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 16, 301–323.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mayr, E. (2001). What evolution is. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Medland, S. E., & Hatemi, P. K. (2009). Political science, biometric theory, and twin studies: A methodological introduction. Political Analysis, 17, 191–214.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miles, D. R., & Carey, G. (1997). Genetic and environmental architecture of human aggression. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 72, 207–217.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Moffitt, T. E. (1993). Adolescence-limited and life-course-persistent antisocial behavior: A developmental taxonomy. Psychology Review, 100, 674–701.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Munafò, M. R., Roberts, K., Johnstone, E. C., Walton, R. T., & Yudkin, P. L. (2005). Association of serotonin transporter gene polymorphism with nicotine dependence: No evidence for an interaction with trait neuroticism. Personality and Individual Differences, 38, 843–850.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nedelec, J. L., & Beaver, K. M. (2012). The association between sexual behavior and antisocial behavior: Insights from an evolutionary analysis. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 28, 329–345.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nederhof, E., Belsky, J., Ormel, J., & Oldehinkel, A. J. (2012). Effects of divorce on Dutch boys’ and girls’ externalizing behavior in gene X environment perspective: Diathesis stress or differential susceptibility in the Dutch Tracking Adolescents’ Individual Lives Survey study? Development and Psychopathology, 24, 929–939.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Plomin, R., DeFries, J. C., Craig, I. W., & McGuffin, P. (2002). Behavioral genetics. In R. Plomin, J. C. DeFries, & I. W. Craig (Eds.), Behavioral genetics in the postgenomic era (pp. 3–15). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Plomin, R., DeFries, J. C., Knopik, V. S., & Neiderhiser, J. M. (2013). Behavioral genetics (6th Ed.). New York: Worth Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ponce, G., Jimenez-Arriero, M. A., Rubio, G., Hoenicka, J., Ampuero, I., Ramos, J. A., et al (2003). The A1 allele of the DRD2 gene (TaqIA polymorphisms) is associated with antisocial personality in a sample of alcohol-dependent patients. European Psychiatry, 18, 356–360.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Posthuma, D., & Boomsma, D. I. (2000). A note on the statistical power in extended twin designs. Behavior Genetics, 30, 147–158.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Raine, A. (1993). The psychopathology of crime: Criminal behavior as a clinical disorder. San Diego: CA: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rhee, S. H., & Waldman, I. D. (2002). Genetic and environmental influences on antisocial behavior: A meta-analysis of twin and adoption studies. Psychological Bulletin, 128, 490–529.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rowe, D. C. (2002). Biology and crime. Los Angeles, CA: Roxbury.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rowe, D. C., Stever, C., Card, J. M. C., Cleveland, H. H., Sanders, M. L., Abramowitz, A., et al (1998). The relation of the dopamine transporter gene (DAT1) to symptoms of internalizing disorders in children. Behavior Genetics, 28, 215–225.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rowe, D. C., Stever, C., Chase, D., Sherman, S., Abramowitz, A., & Waldman, I. D. (2001). Two dopamine genes related to reports of childhood retrospective inattention and conduct disorder symptoms. Molecular Psychiatry, 6, 429–433.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz, J. A., & Beaver, K. M. (2011). Evidence of a gene × environment interaction between perceived prejudice and MAOA genotype in the prediction of criminal arrests. Journal of Criminal Justice, 39, 378–384.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Segal, N. L. (2012). Personality similarity in unrelated look-alike pairs: Addressing a twin study challenge. Personality and Individual Differences, 54, 23–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Symons, D. (1995). Beauty is in the adaptation of the beholder: The evolutionary psychology of human female sexual attractiveness. In P. R. Abramson & S. D. Pinkerton (Eds.) Sexual nature, sexual culture. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tellegen, A., Lykken, D. T., Bouchard, T. J. Jr., Wilcox, K. J., Segal, N. L., & Rich, S. (1988). Personality similarity in twins reared apart and together. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54, 1031–1039.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Thapar, A., O’Donovan, M., & Owen, M. J. (2005). The genetics of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Human Molecular Genetics, 14, R275–R282

    Google Scholar 

  • Tielbeek, J. J., Medland, S. E., Benyamin, B., Byrne, E. M., Heath, A. C., Madden, P. A. F., et al (2012). Unraveling the genetic etiology of adult antisocial behavior: A genome-wide association study. PLOS One, 7, e45086.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Vanyukov, M. M., & Tarter, R. E. (2000). Genetic studies of substance abuse. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 59, 101–123.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Vanyukov, M. M., Moss, H. B., Gioio, A. E., Hughes, H. B., Kaplan, B. B., & Tarter, R. E. (1998). An association between a microsatellite polymorphism at the DRD5 gene and the liability to substance abuse: Pilot study. Behavior Genetics, 28, 75–82.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Vaske, J., Beaver, K. M., Wright, J. P., Boisvert, D., & Schnupp, R. (2008). An interaction between DAT1 and having an alcoholic father predicts serious alcohol problems in a sample of males. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 104, 17–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walby, K., & Carrier, N. (2010). The rise of biosocial criminology: Capturing observable bodily economies of ‘criminal man’. Criminology and Criminal Justice, 10, 261–285.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Florida State University, 32306-1127, Tallahassee, FL, USA

    Kevin M. Beaver, Joseph L. Nedelec, Joseph A. Schwartz & Eric J. Connolly

Authors
  1. Kevin M. Beaver
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Joseph L. Nedelec
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Joseph A. Schwartz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Eric J. Connolly
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kevin M. Beaver .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

  2. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Ranald D. Hansen

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Beaver, K., Nedelec, J., Schwartz, J., Connolly, E. (2014). Evolutionary Behavioral Genetics of Violent Crime. In: Shackelford, T., Hansen, R. (eds) The Evolution of Violence. Evolutionary Psychology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9314-3_7

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation