Discuss genetic factors in aggression. Human aggression depends in part on biological factors.

Genetic influences on aggression have been clearly demonstrated in non-human animals and twin studies suggest some sort of biological component in aggressive behaviour. Rhee and Waldmans (2002) meta-analysis of twin and adoption studies on anti-social behaviours, which included aggressive behaviour, found that identical twins were more similar in anti-social behaviour than fraternal twins. This supports genetics factors having an influence on aggressive behaviour, even allowing for the more closely similar environment of identical compared with fraternal twins. Furthermore, Rhee and Waldman found that genetics influences are the cause of 41% of the variability in anti-social behaviour. Genes have also been linked to brain chemistry and increased aggression. MAOA is an enzyme that facilitates the breakdown of excess neurochemicals, such as noradrenaline, serotonin and other amines. Support from Brunner at al. (1993) study shows that the MAOA deficiency is in fact genetic and means that those with MAOA deficiency are likely to have raised levels of noradrenaline. This was found in four generations of males in a Dutch family. The men inherited a recessive, Xchromosome linked gene that appears to result in aggressive, sometimes violent behaviour. Further support for the gene hypothesis comes from a study of 110 men who showed an association between abnormalities in the MAOA gene and aggressiveness and impulse control. These findings are interesting because they seem to be showing a direct link between genes, brain chemistry and aggression. However, both sets of participants in the research constitute highly biased samples. This means that we cannot assume that findings can be generalised to the population and so this sort of research has low ecological validity as well as low mundane realism, for example, male-only samples cannot represent females and so ignore half the population, resulting in gender bias. Furthermore, the males in question were highly unusual. Their abnormal aggressiveness does not relate to everyday aggressive behaviour and so cannot contribute a great deal to our understanding of such aggression. There is also the possibility that the unusually aggressive behaviours are now the result of expectation by the extended Dutch family and so aggressive acts made my male children are not discouraged but accepted, which would successfully reinforce such behaviours. In addition, the link between raised noradrenaline levels and increased aggression are correlational and therefore cannot be assumed to be directional or causal from noradrenaline to behaviour. However, the fact that the raised levels are the result of inheriting a maladaptive gene does strengthen the argument for a causal, directional link. Differences in brain structure and functioning are also likely to be genetic, as a study by Raine et al. (1997) suggests. They used PET scans to examine the brains of 39 males and 2 females, charged with committing murder and compared them with 41 controls. They found significant differences in the amygdala suggesting unusual emotional responses such as a lack of fear which could lead to a lack of retribution and a lack of fear of breaking social norms, all of which could increase actual aggressive behaviour.

However, an issue with this research is that the human brain is very complex and so it is not at all likely that a single, simple brain mechanism is the explanation for all aggressive behaviour. Also, it is not clear how similar the aggressive was compared to the control group; surely there are likely to have been powerful extraneous variables such as socio-economic background and level of education. Therefore it cannot be concluded that aggression is caused by genetic brain differences. The question of whether aggression is caused by genetic factors links to the wider debate of nature versus nurture. Genetic influences assume aggression is the result of our internal nature, which is also therefore a deterministic view as it suggests that aggressive behaviour is determined by factors beyond our control rather than the result of our own free will. In addition, this view simply focuses on genetics as the cause for aggression and so is reductionist as it has no scope to appreciate other influences, for example, aggression can be explained by the behavioural perspective, in terms of social learning where aggressive behaviour can be learned via vicarious reinforcement. Finally, the research in this area has taken place in Western individualistic societies with equipped facilities and sufficient finance. This can mean it is culturally specific and generalisation to other cultures is more difficult and subject to cultural biases.