Why do some adults coming from bad childhoods become criminals, and others from same type of childhood do not?

Question

We hear all of the time about murderers, rapists, serial killers etc. who come from bad and abusive childhoods, yet there are many adults who become successful, or at least not criminals who came from equally abusive childhoods. What makes the difference? Hearing that a murderer should have lienency because they had an abusive childhood when other adults have overcome such an enviornment, is puzzling as to the cause of the murderers choices to be in the position where they are now.

Answer 1

Some adults coming from good childhoods become criminals, and others from same type of childhood do not ...

I think it is safe to say that it is human nature ... some people choose that road and others choose not to travel it .... Either way the background is not so important ... Although product of your environment can be argued ....

Answer 2

Well, we cannot really generalize everyone's life in this way because the details of each life and how they interact with each other contributes to the outcome.

* Biological temperament impacts outcome. Personality is inborn to a large degree, then is impacted by environment. Each one of us, based on our personality, will be able to deal with some life situations well and will do poorly in others. Likewise, some kids who are abused in a particular way have the right mentality/resilience to survive, while other kids will flounder.

* Environmental influentials. Good role models, even if the parents are delinquent, can help turn a bad situation around for an abused kid. Or perhaps the kid finds a pasttime that allows them to cope successfully (such as spending hours doing art or playing an instrument or reading or exploring, etc.)

* The degree of the abuse. Some abusive parents still fulfill other parental responsibilities; some do not do anything right. The degree and type of abuse impacts outcome.

* Personal choice. Criminals ultimately do make a choice to commit the crime. Some do it willingly because they enjoy the feelings of power; others do it because they feel they "have no choice" (because their priorities are all screwed up). But people do choose to commit the crime.

I feel that I must point out that not all kids who "look successful" are actually "okay." Just because they don't become overt criminals or destructive does not mean they aren't suffering a host of psychological and emotional difficulties that are destroying their relationships with other people.

In fact, this is pretty common: We get messed up as kids because of some mistakes our parents made, and as adults we have to see where we've veered off the path and "rethink" our mentality to how we interact with others, etc. So even the people who do not become criminals often still bear the secret scars of what happened to them as kids, and have to heal from those wounds in order to be healthy.

So there are many reasons why kids who begin in crummy situations might either succeed or sink. If I were a judge and in a position to make a decision based on the criminal's background, I would take all of these things into account before making any sort of decision. It's not a simple matter.

If you're curious about what really makes the difference?

IMO, it's "connection" -- either connection to something inspirational or connection to another live human being. A kid who has a goal/passion in life can make it through, and a kid who knows that at least one other person values them and who "mentors" them in some way can often make it out of a bad situation.

Answer 3

This is actually a very good question, and one that psychologists have not quite been able to answer. Even in studies of siblings who had identical environments, role models, etc., there is no clear indication of why one becomes violent and one does not.

There have been studies that have shown differences in function between the brains of those who commit violent crimes and those who do not. For example, glucose re-uptake in the prefrontal cortex is lower in a violent criminal than a non-violent criminal, and both have a lower re-uptake than someone who is not a criminal. Perhaps the difference in function is what makes the difference, even in completely identical environments.

This ties into the whole nature vs. nurture debate, whether criminal behavior and violence are something people are born with or whether their surroundings create it. Because of sibling studies, some psychologists feel it is a combination of both.

There is also a question of coping abilities and strategies. The abused child, for example, who has better coping skills may become a victim's advocate while the child with poor coping skills becomes an abuser.

Regardless of the reason, the fact that so many adults with an abusive background are able to overcome it keeps childhood abuse from being a viable legal defense. It comes up in trials as a way of swaying judge and jury to be lenient in sentencing.

Answer 4

This is such a good question, but a very difficult one to answer. The events that go on during our childhood have a big impact on our adult lives. Even more so if they were traumatic. But there comes a time in which we have to "get over it," and live our lives and take responsibility for our actions. Unfortunately, sometimes it is such a viscious circle that can last through generations, and the bad behavior continues and continues... I can't really give an age, but I'd hope that once we pass the 30 year mark, that most of these issues will be resolved and handled. At least that is what I am hoping... I am 24.

Answer 5

We hear about these criminals having broken homes because it is used as a legal defense in an attempt to garner sympathy from a jury. The truth is that anyone can become a criminal, no matter what environment they grew up in. The propensity to turn towards crime however is greater in broken homes or those in poorer neighborhoods. This is because the children in these homes generally lack supervision and structure on a more rampant basis than those in more well to do families.

Answer 6

People react to things differently.
Some people that had horrible childhoods were effected in a way that they were unable to cope with or felt that they could not change. They ended up reacting to that situation in a negative way. It was how they were individually effected and chose to react to the situation.
Like the people that acted negatively, some acted positively. They looked at their childhood as a learning experience. They rose above the situation. They chose to act on it. They saw that they were living in a negative environment and said, "I don't want to live like this. I want something better for myself."
It is just like abusive parents. Some children are abused and go on to abuse their children, they think that is how to show you love someone or maybe that is all they know. Some go on to be loving parents because they want better for their children. They learn from what their parents did to them and know how it felt to be hurt. They didn't want that for their kids.
It depends on the person, how they see a situation, and how they react to that situation.
It is their choice. In my opinion. Though some people may be so effected by something that it messes with their mind. They may be tortured and become psychotic because of the trauma. That would be kind of like a war veteran that comes home changed. They witnessed awful things that their minds could not handle and it changed them.
It is sad, but that is what happens to some people when faced with horrible things. Some can handle it and rise above it. Some are emotionally traumatized.
Murder is murder, however,and should come with punishment.
There are only a few instances where I feel murder would be acceptable. I think it is acceptable if it is in self defense or in the defense of someone you love. By defense of someone you love, I mean that if someone was hurting my child and hit them with something causing their death, I would be doing my duty as a mother. It is the natural instinct to protect your child. My child would have been helpless without me.
I may not have meant for them to die, but if they did as a result of my blow to the head, it would be acceptable to me because I reacted to them harming my kid. They should have left my kid alone. I would feel sorry and awful for it, but my child would be safe from an awful person. I would never intensionally kill someone, but if, by accident that did occur. I would think it would be understood that I was not evil or a harm to anyone else.
Other than those instances, I think any harm is wrong and should deserve punishment. Murder, abuse, rape, etc.
-Miranda

Answer 7

It's a really long story for the ones that choose the rough road.
But a short story for the ones that choose the happy trail.
IT all depends on the individual ,everybody is about something.
In short I think you just asked a million questions that I am
sure will attract 2 million answers. There is no sure answer,
to many parameters.

Answer 8

I think If individuals have a role model or someone who can guide them while taking them to counseling that might help. It depends also on how long the abuse took place. To survive people become emotionless so they feel nothing which allows them to react to situations instead of dealing with it.

Answer 9

some of it may ahve to do with genetics- the violence gene.

others it has to do with the degree of violence, a person can get to the point where their brain doesn't understand guilt, compassion, or right from wrong. age also factors in, abuse during years whe the brain is developing is worse than abuse after the brain is developed

Answer 10

By personal decison making they rise above the crap, and want to live a better way. I think maybe, on some level, someone taught them, and they listened to wisdom, and realized that lifestyle is a dead end way to go. They rise above, and make a difference. I totally respect that.