Refective Thought

8 Pages 1962 Words

The question of genetic and environmental influences on a person’s behavior sparked my interest after the lecture and discussion about the terrorist attacks on September 11th. It also gained my interest after reading the first chapter of the text. The question was raised in class ‘Do you think the actions of the terrorists are genetic or environmental?’ This topic relates to a personal situation, in trying to understand the reasons why my brother has developed considerably different and negative behavior patterns than myself.
My brother is five years younger than myself and we were born to average middle class parents. There were no significant differences in our upbringing and I assume we were taught the same morals and values. His negative behavior began at the age of five, beginning with a shoplifting experience, which led to a path of crime, drug use and social system abuse. My interest is in what caused him to develop into this kind of individual.
I recall, that at the age of thirteen, my parents took him to a psychologist to try and find an answer. The only comment that I remember coming from my parents after the visit was that my brother had a very high IQ and therefore was probably bored. I wonder now if the psychologist undertook the right approach in analyzing him. Why didn’t the psychologist use the Behavioral Approach? He could have interviewed my parents to see how their actions might be influencing his behavior and suggest changes. Could he not have suggested watching my brother’s behavior among his friends and asked teachers to observe his behavior in school as his failing grades were a main reason for the visit? He could have used the Psychoanalytic Approach and maybe found that his behavior was due to some early childhood experience. Could he have thought, as like Freud, that his personality had been etched in stone since he was five? The Humanistic Approach may have suggested that my brother was choosin...