Warrior Gene

"These days, our senses are bombarded with aggression. We are constantly confronted with global images of unending, escalating war and violence."

~Margaret J. Wheatley

In science and psychology and sociology, it has long been debated whether the basis of human nature is derived from "nature" or "nurture." Sociology proposes the "cycle of sociology" to combat this large question that many grapple with. This cycle essentially lines out the things that influence us and suggests multiple concepts such as the looking-glass-self as a way to show that humans are developed through "nurture." The looking-glass-self concept suggests that we see ourselves through the eyes of our influences. We see what our parents want us to be like, we see what our peers want us to be like, our teachers, our grandparents, our siblings...These outside forces drive our creation of ourselves. What this means is that the things that other people expect and want from us shift our mindset into a space where we can create ourselves to match the outsiders vision of us. The other thing that the sociology cycle suggests is that we are the way we are because we have been formed that way by our environment. For example, if a person is aggressive or full of rage, it is because of the way they were raised, or the people they surround themselves by. Maybe this is true and we are nurtured into being who we are....
....But what if...this could all be disproved? 

In recent studies, geneticists have found that there may be mutations that cause behavioral changes. One of these is a mutation of the X chromosome in the monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A). This mutation  happens in the eighth exon of the MAO-A gene. In both mice and humans this has been the case. Monoamine oxidase (MOA) is a neurotransmitter than promotes production of serotonin, dopamine, and noradrenaline in the brain. MAOA and MAOB are enzymes that are closely linked on the X chromosome. In fact, "they share 70% similarity in amino acid sequence." (Brunner) When both of these are missing, mental retardation occurs. Scientists believe that a lower level of MOA's in the brain causes this aggression. Through this research, scientists have also found that males are the only ones affected by this gene. Women still carry it, but they do not show any difference in chemical changes in the brain or aggression levels compared to that of women who do not carry the mutation. This mutation has been used in multiple law suits where the defending attorney uses this genetic proof in hopes to lessen the punishment of their client. In the argument, the attorney claims that the client cannot help themselves because it is part of their genes and this makes them more likely to fall into violence and aggression. However, through the media. this scientific information is mangled and often the misinterpreted by the public which leads them to "shunning the field of behavioral research." (Murphy)

All of this information is ridiculously interesting...is it not? If I could, I would spend much more time researching this and figuring out how genetics plays into behavior. Basically, what this did for me was to combine psychology and science in a beautiful way. If our aggression levels are determined by a gene, how many more of our genes code for behavior? Is there a special gene that makes people super friendly? How about a gene to make people empathetic? For me, this research got me thinking more about "nature" and "nurture" and how little science is brought into the argument when discussing this topic. I think I may have found my senior project topic! 

Works Cited: 

Brunner, H.G. "Abnormal Behavior Associated with a Point Mutation in the Structural Gene for Monoamine Oxidase A H. H.; van Oost, B. A." Science 262 (1993): 578-80. Biosci. Web. 24 Feb. 2013. <http://biosci.usc.edu/courses/2001-fall/documents/bisc403-science.pdf>.

Murphy, Sarah Anne. "BORN TO RAGE? : A CASE STUDY OF THE WARRIOR GENE." WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES: 1-74. Print.

Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 24 Feb. 2013. Web. 24 Feb. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monoamine_oxidase_A>.