October 18, 2012
“The Ghetto Made Me Do It”
Violent behavior is a direct result of heredity, environment, and parenting. The author of
“Seeking The Roots Of Violence” believed that genetic heredity has to do with violent behaviors. I
believe in her hypothesis, but also believe that environmental factors play a big role as well.
How you are raised and people you are most closest to have a greater chance of influencing you
in many ways. There is a saying my parents used to tell me when I was younger “show me your friends,
and ill show you your future”. The people you surround yourself with on a daily basis do illegal drugs,
eventually you will too. Friends and family carry a great impact on a person’s life, especially when he or
she is young. For example, in the essay “The Ghetto Made Me Do It” Lisa Morgan was brought up in a
violent home. Lisa Morgan’s mother once had set her father on fire.
Environment isn’t the only thing that has an impact on violence, it also has to do with ones
heredity. Our DNA and our genes make us who we are. Our DNA controls our height, weight, how we
look, as well as how we act. In the essay “seeking the roots on violence” Anastasia Toufexis stated that
“for one thing, genes help control production of behavior relating chemicals. One suspect substance is
the neurotransmitter serotonin.” Someone that has a chemical imbalance in the brain can cause
depression and violence. Serotonin is chemical in our brain that controls ones mood. When a person is
clinically classified as depressed he or she is prescribed to take serotonin to balance out the chemical
imbalance that is causing these irrational mood swings. If we were to evaluate criminals for there
behaviors and give them these drugs, it could potentially help control there violent thoughts.
Not only is this a possibility, but if we study this it could lower a lot