Evolutionary Theory Of Active Gene-Environment Interaction

Active gene-environment interaction has its foundations in evolutionary theory. Evolutionary theorists had identified that assortative mating allowed individuals with similar traits to gravitate toward one another (Rhule-Louie and McMahon, 2007), thus resulting in antisocial behaviour partnerships (Coyne and Wright, 2015). Consequently, these genes and antisocial environments created by these individuals play a massive role in segregated cross-generational criminal behaviour in families (Baum, 2013). To reaffirm the notion of active gene-environment interaction, Wright and Boisvert (2009) identified a reduction in antisocial behaviour in delinquent men who were cohabiting with non-deviant partners. Eysenck (2013) however, highlighted how easy
In this view, it is the society which creates rules and social norms, and anyone who acts out of these norms or rules is thus labelled as deviant (Becker, 1991). This notion however poses a huge problem as these societal labels can consequently victimize certain social groups whose acts may not be deemed as the norms within society. For instance, society may label hooded youths as more likely to be criminal, thus having individuals who fall within this demographic to be perceived deviant. Craighead and Nemeroff (2001) argued that most sociobiologists identified human behaviour to be primarily influenced by their social and physical environment. An individual’s social transactions are therefore circumscribed by the physical and social environment they inhabit (Thornberry,
Behavioural genetic scholars purport that certain genetic traits such as low self-control and low empathy can be stimulated by an individual’s dysfunctional environment, thus exacerbating the probability of criminal behaviour (Coyne and Wright, 2015). In support of this notion, a twin study conducted by Christiansen cited in Mednick, Moffitt and Stack (1987 p.74) identified that there was consistently higher criminality in identical twins than in fraternal twins. Out of the 3586 male to male twin pairs, he found that identical twins made up the 52% of those concordant for criminality, whilst fraternal twins made up 22%. Thus, showing the correlation between genetics and shared environments as a determinant of the individuals’ behaviour. According to these findings it may be argued that the high likelihood of criminal behaviour between identical twins was due to them sharing all of their genes, whilst fraternal twins only share 50% of their genes (Coyne and Wright, 2015). In support to this notion, further research conducted by the University of Minnesota examined twins raised apart in unique environments, also showed similarities in personalities, antisocial behaviour and criminality despite the different social environments (Bouchard et al., 1990). It is therefore possible that genes rather than