Social Psychological Principles, Essay Example

The social psychological principles concerning the interplay of heredity and environment discussed in Module 3.1 of our textbook has major implications for the field of criminal justice.  These principles are interested in the ‘nature versus nurture’ debate in which developmental psychologists and others have sought to find out whether human behavior is influenced primarily by genetic components or environmental factors.  Through studying young children, researchers have tried to determine whether our development as human beings is determined by our genes before we are even born, or whether it can be altered by our social experiences and the deprivation or enrichment that we receive from our interactions with other people.

This principle applies to a social situation that I learned about recently in regards to a neighbor of mine who was sent to prison for beating his wife severely.  This man, who I will call Jim, has a history of violence, theft, and drug abuse.  According to information that was published in our local paper, he himself was a victim of abuse as a child, and was abandoned by his parents at a very young age.  He spent most of his childhood in the foster care system and the majority of his adolescence in juvenile corrections facilities.  During his trial, the prosecutor stated that Jim was “born bad,” alluding to the nature versus nurture debate as a means of explaining his propensity to violence.

Jim’s situation might have been altered had he had more positive experiences as a young child.  I don’t believe that anyone is ‘born bad’–instead, I believe that environmental factors such as social stimulation, education, and parental nurturing play a huge role in the successful development of children.  If Jim had not been exposed to violence as a child, and had instead had parents who taught him about love and stability, then he might not have made the choices that resulted in his incarceration.