Explores the interplay between nature and nurture using antisocial behavior as the example, and discusses key genetic concepts and key environmental concepts. The final section considers the nature-nurture interaction in relation to passive, evocative, and active gene-environment correlations and calls for research into the effects of the…

Two studies examined the hypothesis that sexually coercive behavior is part of a larger constellation of non-sexual deviant behaviors. The first study considered the relationship between various antisocial intentions and self-reported levels of sexual aggression. As a part of a larger study, college men (N=108) responded to the Sexual Experiences…

The stereotype of the "drunken bum" wife abuser has a long history in American culture. U.S. population surveys document a positive correlation between alcohol consumption levels and marital violence. In this study risk factors for marital violence among treatment seeking male alcoholics were examined. Subjects were couples (N=107) who had a newly…

Hyperactive children appear to be at an increased risk for antisocial behavior in life. Follow-up studies using self-report and official criminal data have found that hyperactive children are more likely than controls to commit crimes, to be arrested for crimes, to be convicted of crimes, and to be diagnosed with Antisocial Personality Disorder in…

Homelessness is a significant social problem in the United States, with an estimated 2.5 million homeless people in this country today. While criminal activity may become a means for the homeless to obtain resources needed for basic survival, little is known about the level of criminal activity among the homeless or about the types of crimnal…

To investigate sexual aggressiveness in college-age males, a sexual experiences questionnaire was used for preselection of university males high, moderate and low in sexual aggressiveness. High and moderate males were individually interviewed by a trained male graduate psychology student, and all three groups were administered a variety of…

Work attitudes of voluntarily unemployed males were investigated. Young men from four different alternative life style groups--hippies, bikers, surfers, and criminals--whose lives did not include work, and matched workers were interviewed and briefly tested. Data concerning their activities and attitudes were examined, the 88 variables showing…

After the development and distinctions of the concept of deindividuation are given, a single dimension of morally relevant behavior is outlined with aggression and altruism viewed as the two extremes. This dimension is divided accoring to degree of external reinforcement control. The result is a 2x2 scheme for classifying morally relevant behavior…

One explanation for the positive relationship between alcohol consumption and violent crime considers alcohol consumption to be a socially accepted excuse for otherwise inappropriate behaviors. A policy capturing methodology was used to examine judgments of responsibility for rape. Male (N=30) and female (N=66) undergraduates received 40 profiles…

Based on previous research on cohabitation and Levinger's model of marital cohesiveness and dissolution, the hypothesis that a higher level of violence exists in ongoing marriages than in ongoing cohabitating relationships was investigated. Data from a national sample of 2,143 adults did not support this hypothesis. Instead the reverse was found,…

Possible explanatory theories of the relationship between broken homes and crime include the following: (1) broken homes lead to crimes if there are "catalytic agents"; (2) broken homes lead to crime if these homes fail to provide certain conditions which promote socialization; and (3) broken homes and crime have a common source, but not…

Interpersonal communication can be viewed in terms of an aggressive-nonaggressive continuum. Past research has often focused on nonaggressive forms of interpersonal communication, such as understanding how people get to know one another, how trust and intimacy develop, and the role of self-disclosure in relationship development. However,…

Data presented from two studies support the hypothesis that normative expectations of youthful deviance are held mainly by those social classes for which youth as a social moratorium exists for some length of time. As youth is a class-dependent social arrangement, it should be expected that normative expectations be held mostly by members of the…

Children will individually react to television program content according to different psychological characteristics, one of which is self-esteem. Results of one study revealed a definite relationship between a child's self-esteem and his "modeling," or imitative behavior, after observing a televised film. A self-esteem inventory was administered…

This study examined methods of identifying children who display patterns of inhibited behavior in novel social situations or who appear anxious-withdrawn in their habitual preschool environment. Subjects were 118 children of French-Canadian background recruited from 60 preschool classrooms around Montreal, Canada. Children ranged in age from 31 to…