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8 A Review of the Genetic and Gene–Environment Interplay Contributors to Antisocial Phenotypes

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The Development of Criminal and Antisocial Behavior

Abstract

The biosocial perspective highlights the importance of both genetic and environmental influences on antisocial behaviors. Results from biosocial research reveal that genetic influences account for approximately 50 % of the variance in antisocial phenotypes with most of the remaining variance being attributable to nonshared environmental influences. Furthermore, specific genetic polymorphisms have been found to be associated with an increased risk of displaying antisocial behavior. The effects of these polymorphisms, however, are often strongest when coupled with certain criminogenic environments. We discuss the implications of these research findings and why biosocial criminology is a promising perspective to employ in the study of criminal behavior.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

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

    Kevin M. Beaver & Jamie M. Gajos

  2. Center for Social and Humanities Research, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

    Kevin M. Beaver

  3. College of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Florida State University, 145 Convocation Way, Tallahassee, FL, 32306-1273, USA

    Kevin M. Beaver & Jamie M. Gajos

  4. School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Lincoln, NE, 68588-0561, USA

    Joseph A. Schwartz

Authors
  1. Kevin M. Beaver
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  2. Joseph A. Schwartz
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  3. Jamie M. Gajos
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kevin M. Beaver .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychoeducation, University of Montreal, Montreal, Québec, Canada

    Julien Morizot

  2. Department of Sociology, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY, New York, New York, USA

    Lila Kazemian

Recommended Reading

Recommended Reading

  • Carey, G. (2003). Human genetics for the social sciences. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

  • Hernandez, L. M., & Blazer, D. G. (2006). Genes, behavior, and the social environment: Moving beyond the nature/nurture debate. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.

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  • Rutter, M. (2006). Genes and behavior: Nature-nurture interplay explained. Malden, MA: Blackwell.

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Beaver, K.M., Schwartz, J.A., Gajos, J.M. (2015). 8 A Review of the Genetic and Gene–Environment Interplay Contributors to Antisocial Phenotypes. In: Morizot, J., Kazemian, L. (eds) The Development of Criminal and Antisocial Behavior. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-08720-7_8

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