GENETIC -ENVIRONMENTAL INTERACTIONS AND ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOUR (FROM PSYCHOPATHIC BEHAVIOUR - APPROACHES TO RESEARCH, 1978, BY R D HARE AND D SCHALLING - SEE NCJ-57500)

• NCJ Number: 57504
• Author(s): C R CLONINGER; T REICH; S B GUZE
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 13 pages
• Corporate Author: John Wright and Sons, Ltd
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom

Annotation

A MULTIFACTORAL MODEL OF DISEASE TRANSMISSION IS USED TO DETERMINE THE RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF GENETIC AND FAMILIAL AND NONFAMILIAL ENVIRONMENTAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOR.

Abstract

ANTISOCIAL PERSONALITY OR SOCIOPATHY IS DEFINED AS A DISORDER BEGINNING EARLY IN LIFE (BEFORE THE AGE OF 15) AND CHARACTERIZED BY RECURRENT ANTISOCIAL, DELINQUENT, AND CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR. WHILE AVAILABLE EVIDENCE SEEMS TO INDICATE THAT GENETIC, FAMILY, AND NONFAMILY FACTORS CONTRIBUTE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIOPATHY, STUDIES USING A MULTIFACTORAL MODEL OF DISEASE TRANSMISSION (I.E., A MODEL ASSUMING THAT THE PATHOGENETIC FACTORS RELEVANT TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS DISORDER ARE MULTIPLE AND ADDITIVE) ARE PARTICULARLY SUPPORITVE OF THEORIES OF THE INTRAFAMILY TRANSMISSION OF ANTISOCIAL PERSONALITY. WHILE THE MODEL MAKES NO ASSUMPTION ABOUT THE RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF GENETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS, THE PATHOGENETIC FACTORS TOGETHER ARE ASSUMED TO CONSTITUTE A SINGLE CONTINUOUS UNDERLYING VARIABLE WHICH IS NORMALLY DISTRIBUTED AND IS TERMED THE 'LIABILITY' TO DEVELOP THE DISORDER. INDIVIDUALS WHOSE LIABILITY EXCEEDS A CERTAIN CRITICAL LEVEL OR THRESHOLD ARE AFFECTED, WHILE THOSE WHOSE LIABILITY DOES NOT EXCEED THE THRESHOLD ARE UNAFFECTED. USING TWO THRESHOLDS DEFINED BY SEX, THE MODEL PROJECTS DISEASE TRANSMISSION IN TERMS OF THE CORRELATION BETWEEN FIRST-DEGREE RELATIVES, THE PREVALENCE IN MEN, AND THE PREVALENCE IN WOMEN. THE MODEL HAS BEEN USED TO AFFIRM OBSERVED FAMILY AND POPULATION DATA ABOUT SOCIOPATHY IN FAMILIES; THAT IS SEX DIFFERENCE IN THE PREVALENCE OF SOCIOPATHY APPEARS DUE TO SEX-RELATED CULTURAL AND BIOLOGICAL FACTORS CAUSING THE THRESHOLD TO BE MORE DEVIANT IN WOMEN THAN IN MEN. POSSIBLE EXAMPLES OF FACTORS WHICH MIGHT INFLUENCE THE THRESHOLD DIFFERENTLY IN THE TWO SEXES INCLUDE ANDROGENIZATION AND CULTURALLY DEFINED DIFFERENCES IN GENDER-ROLE BEHAVIOR. WHEN APPLIED TO HYSTERIA IN WOMEN AND CRIMINALITY IN TWINS, THE MODEL AGAIN SUPPORTS SUGGESTIONS OF INTRAFAMILY TRANSMISSION. IN CONTRAST, DATA CONCERNING SEX DIFFERENCES IN THE PREVALENCE OF ALCOHOLISM ARE NOT COMPATIBLE WITH MULTIFACTORAL TRANSMISSION. REFERENCES AND TABULAR AND GRAPHIC DATA ARE PROVIDED. (KBL)