Are some people just born bad?

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Are some people just born bad?

by jopolley @ 2006-09-25 – 12:56:57

Ok Sociolology's got me thinking.

Lecturers say you'll have a gut feeling about which side of the argument you belong to.

My gut feeling on whether people are born bad is yes.

Obviously there are factors which can affect people's behaviour.

We are quick to blame the media, computer games, social class and other aspects for "bad" or "extreme" behaviour, but must there be something "in" you to enable a person to murder another in cold blood?

I often think what I would do if someone hurt one of my children, would I hunt the person down and kill them? Probably not.

So born like it or a product of society?
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9 Comments to Are some people just born bad?

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- voxpopuli
- 2006-09-25 @ 13:21:22
But how we can know whether we are born bad or born good?
Suppose I am born good but feel that I am born bad or vice versa.
So one should be exactly aware if person is born good or bad. I think you are born good, like me.
- - jopolley
  - 2006-09-25 @ 13:44:02
  When you've buried a hammer into someone's skull you can probably safely assume that you are bad
  
  But that's a very valid point, also what is deemed "bad"?
  - - voxpopuli
    - 2006-09-25 @ 14:12:06
    You got my hint I guess.
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- Teri_R
- 2006-09-26 @ 00:20:33
I think some or born bad, but some people use life as an excuse to make them that way.
I have a friend whose little boy was a horrid child, and despite treating both her children the same, her daughter was the opposite. He has turned into a horrendous thug, and at 18 will not be long out of prison.
- - jopolley
  - 2006-09-26 @ 09:22:46
  Yeah that's just the kind of example that makes me think there must be something in a person.
  
  I know of a family where there are 5 children, all which had exactly the same upbringing. 4 of them have sucessful careers and just one is in and out of prison.
  
  There must be something different about them.
  - - MarikaSunSeeker
    - 2006-10-07 @ 01:25:40
    Hmm, Interesting, the fact that one child of five is showing signs of being/going bad. I wonder what this child's position in the family is, eldest, youngest, 2nd 3rd 4th? You may think that the children were all brought up the same, but there can be very subtle variables which affect each child in a family, and of course the family are by no means the only influence on a child during the formative years. My own gut feeling is sitting on the fence at the moment, cause I can't percieve the idea that any child is born bad, but I agree that it is tempting to think that there may be a gene for badness, which may or may not be triggered in an individual.
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- samanthakinsella
- 2006-09-27 @ 09:53:39
A bit of both, I should think. You could get a child who was naturally more highly strung or with a shorter attention span and so on, but positive social conditioning could have the child learning to use their personality positively. Also, life experience is very random and the strangest things can affect us in different ways - who is to say how the world is perceived by those around us?

I have to say that my basic belief is that people are basically good. I know it's not such a popular media view but for every time I've had, for example, some act of vandalism perpertrated on something of mine, I have had 10 instances where my purse was handed in, my keys found and returned, my children grabbed and looked after when they fell over out of my line of sight...

It's seductive to dwell on the negative aspects of people because they are so alien in their extremity... but I think it's important to remember that the goodness is there in most people too... and that it outweighs the bad hugely.
- - jopolley
  - 2006-10-02 @ 09:33:32
  Yep certainly the majority are ok
  
  I suppose the real baddies like Ian Brady who are psychotic fall into the "mentally unstable" category - I wonder if he was born like that though?
  
  Perhaps it's genetic....?
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- Mike (Visitor)
- 2008-04-21 @ 07:44:31
Outside the norm always exists, even with people born with physical impairments, retardation, etc. it would be safe to say many who walk the earth have a wide variety of mental impairments that are not noticable to the eye. I am a firm believer that some people can be born "bad", what is bad? To me, it is a child who is a habitual liar, selfish, always playing victim, sneaky, calculating in a negative way, etc etc. Most of all, I believe most have something to do with factors regarding upbringing but more importantly I also believe a percentage exist who are simply born that way. Therapy will never help, it would be like telling water it should not be wet.
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