FabSwingers.com forum: Nature or nurture...?

By *phrodite OP Woman
over a year ago

(She/ her) in Sensualityland

I often wonder when I hear about people committing crimes of any sort but particularly those against humanity, what ever may have happened to those people in their lives that turned off their empathy switch. To me no child is born evil so at some point things go wrong - what is it that has gone wrong and what could be done to prevent it?

I dont want this to turn nasty - I am just curious what thoughts people have on the matter.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *icketysplitsWoman
over a year ago

Way over Yonder, that's where I'm bound

I often think about this too. I suppose that is why 'We need to talk about Kevin' was such a riveting read. I don't have an answer.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

An old proverb the American Indians used was something like this.

We are born of two wolves, one good, one evil.

Which will we become?

The one we feed.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *oodmessMan
over a year ago

yumsville

you got somthing you want to tell us?

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *icketysplitsWoman
over a year ago

Way over Yonder, that's where I'm bound

"An old proverb the American Indians used was something like this.

We are born of two wolves, one good, one evil.

Which will we become?

The one we feed.

I like that. It does lead me to wonder if it's the one we feed or the one that is fed...

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *phrodite OP Woman
over a year ago

(She/ her) in Sensualityland

"An old proverb the American Indians used was something like this.

We are born of two wolves, one good, one evil.

Which will we become?

The one we feed.

I really like this one, too. Never heard it before but it does make me think....

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I think, for what it is worth, that people are born with wills- that can be nurtured or damaged as they grow by bad parenting/teaching/conditions in one or more combinations (and likely other things too) but some people are born with psychopathic tendencies that are outwith social reform. Those people go on to commit spectacularly awful crimes.

That's not to be said that a few 'ordinary' children will not grow up to commit awful crimes but some are most definitely born with the propensity for evil

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

We all have random crazy where that come from thoughts ( i hope!) some people don't end let them go and end up growing and acting upon them

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I think it's a bit of both, not everyone who has been wronged will wrong, tho I do think for some what happens in their life will trigger feelings it's what's really inside us that's makes us decide how to handle those feeling

For example some children who are amused will turn abuser where as some it will make them less likely to harm anyone else as they know how or feels

It comes down to the individual person, two kids can have suffered the same ordeal but handled it different and took different paths as adults

Not all killers had bad upbringings and not all kids who have had a hard childhood will turn out bad

It's a bit of a how longs a piece of staring question I feel

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I once had a long conversation about this with a highly-skilled psychologist who works with some of the worst offenders, including child murderers.

I asked if these people were actually cognitively aware of the wrong that they were doing - or if they "switched off"?

Current understanding seems to be that they are, in general, fully aware that it's wrong, but that they carry on and do it anyway....

Makes me so scared that we might all be capable of that, no matter how strong or self-certain we might be that we wouldn't...

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *phrodite OP Woman
over a year ago

(She/ her) in Sensualityland

Makes me so scared that we might all be capable of that, no matter how strong or self-certain we might be that we wouldn't..."
We all seem to have the potential for being Mother Theresa and Hitler. I agree it is a scary thought. I am curious when, how andunder what circumstances we lean one way or another...

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"I once had a long conversation about this with a highly-skilled psychologist who works with some of the worst offenders, including child murderers.

I asked if these people were actually cognitively aware of the wrong that they were doing - or if they "switched off"?

Current understanding seems to be that they are, in general, fully aware that it's wrong, but that they carry on and do it anyway....

Makes me so scared that we might all be capable of that, no matter how strong or self-certain we might be that we wouldn't..."

But what about psychopaths? As in the clinical term. Unable to empathise with others. And narcissists. I think some people are born with those traits, but depending on a lot of other factors they choose different paths.

Some people may 'learn' how to empathise and the sorts of emotion to show. They may also use these new found skills in either good or evil ways.

I agree that it's a mix of nature and nurture. Some people may experience horrific things in their younger years, but not all go on to be evil adults.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

".We all seem to have the potential for being Mother Theresa and Hitler. I agree it is a scary thought. I am curious when, how andunder what circumstances we lean one way or another..."

if the Daily Mail was to be believed we are in for a bad time lol

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *phrodite OP Woman
over a year ago

(She/ her) in Sensualityland

".We all seem to have the potential for being Mother Theresa and Hitler. I agree it is a scary thought. I am curious when, how andunder what circumstances we lean one way or another...

if the Daily Mail was to be believed we are in for a bad time lol"
Perhaps I should have said that we all have the potential to be saints and sinners... not sure what makes us become swingers in the process

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *ranny-CrumpetWoman
over a year ago

King's Crustacean

Some people are born without the capacity to empathise..... there are those born 'evil' for want of a better word. There are those born without compassion;those born to kill.

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *iamondsmiles.Woman
over a year ago

little house on the praire

Some people are born sociapaths and psycopaths

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *phrodite OP Woman
over a year ago

(She/ her) in Sensualityland

Richard Dawkins was talking about research on our ability to empathise as being "already there" - and it can be seen in scans as some areas of the brain display this (I am not doing it justice as keeping this very simple) - but I remain curious what goes wrong inside people's brains that turns one into an empathetic and the other into a psychopathic person...

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

By *ighclassfunMan
over a year ago

Cheshire

"I often wonder when I hear about people committing crimes of any sort but particularly those against humanity, what ever may have happened to those people in their lives that turned off their empathy switch. To me no child is born evil so at some point things go wrong - what is it that has gone wrong and what could be done to prevent it?

I dont want this to turn nasty - I am just curious what thoughts people have on the matter."

It has to be nurture - I am sure I wouldn't be like I am left to my own devices!

Reply privately

Reply in forum

Reply +quote

Post new Message to Thread