Browsing the TV channels to find a fitting programme, came across a revealing and a pristine programme on BBC Two named "Are you good or Evil?" I found it extremely interesting with some of the new discoveries in the field of moral psychology. Main issue that I gathered from it was, why do behind bars killers and psychopaths succumb to violence?
Children are born with good morality. Despite their limited growth of the brain, they choose good impulses as opposed to the bad impulses which is true. If a child discovers that someone is in pain, its basic impulse leads the child to show sympathy and affection. For instance if mother is sick, child does feel sympathy but it won't be able show the sympathy like adults. Thus the scientists in California have proved with few experiments that Children usually choose good moral impulses.
The concept of "warrior genes" are present in some of the people. They are innate and genetic. But in the case of marines these warrior genes are trained and motivated. No marine or any humans would like to kill another human but marines are trained to posses these 'warrior genes' which makes them 'bloodless' humans who will be ready to kill the opponents. This may be the same case with the team sports. The team has to be trained to posses these warrior genes in order to fight against their opponent team. Therefore in this circumstances these genes are inflicted. In the process they loose their basic moral impulse they had in their childhood. Could we place terrorists and suicide bombers in this category where they are trained in warrior genes?
Scientist Prof. Jim Fallon learns from an extensive experiments with the psychopaths from the behind bars that the violent criminals and psychopaths have or inherit "warrior genes" by birth. They are unique people with some little impulsive disorder. These warrior genes take priority in their lives. Their genes feed on the abuses and bad experiences these children have in their childhood. And they grow to be violent with having nourished their warrior genes. This triggers their brain to act in a different manner. They don't feel but they think. Any feeling is the same feeling for this, whether its rape, or a table, its the same. This is an extraordinary problem which leads them to act violently event to the extreme of killing other fellow humans. If at all they had been treated well in their childhood they would have turned out to be good people as it happened to the scientist Jim himself who is supposed be having a warrior gene but he was well taken care of in his childhood.

Hence we have to understand why people are behind bars. Do we think they really want to be behind bars and not experience the light? Do we think that they have murdered or raped because they really wanted to be? I think above scientific discovery will throw much light on the afore mentioned questions. This will pave a path to proper criminal justice system and judge according to their ability to commit the crime not just the act of crime. Parents have to be more careful in handling their tender children.
1 comment:
Good one Jerry.This article interests me as I spend my time with inmates at Sanquentin.I would not have known about moral psyhcology, if not for your article. I personally encounter human mystery and misery, when I see men behind the bars. I pray for their healing and rehabilitation and god blessed reintegration into larger society.
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