Is sociopath a genetic behavior

Answer 1

Yes, that's part of it. But there are other factors. Some of these are not yet known, but it is known that starting in infancy, some babies begin to develop neurologically in a very abnormal manner. First off, whereas most people have specific areas in one or the other hemisphere of the brain that handle various tasks, the sociopath has them scattered randomly in both hemispheres, so that memory and information are broken into small pieces; this is why their speech is often wildly contradictory. And even worse, the areas of the cerebral cortex that normally handle emotional information do not work at all, for reasons unknown, so they never develop at all, remaining as they were in infancy. Other areas process this information but in such a different way that it is incomprehensible to people who are not sociopaths, and vice-versa. The actual structure of the brain can be lopsided. Overall, it is believed that the condition is congenital but that extremely intensive therapy of an entirely different sort than usual and starting in childhood can at least keep the sociopath from causing massive damage to other people, and possibly even alleviate some of his/her own misery.

Answer 2

In this case theres a difference between genetic and "running in the family".

Antisocial behavior may be a direct attempt to alter the environment. Social learning theory suggests that negative behaviors are reinforced during childhood by parents, caregivers, or peers. In one formulation, a child's negative behavior (e.g., whining, hitting) initially serves to stop the parent from behaving in ways that are aversive to the child (the parent may be fighting with a partner, yelling at a sibling, or even crying). The child will apply the learned behavior at school, and a vicious cycle sets in: he or she is rejected, becomes angry and attempts to force his will or assert his pride, and is then further rejected by the very peers from whom he might learn more positive behaviors. As the child matures, "mutual avoidance" sets in with the parent(s), as each party avoids the negative behaviors of the other. Consequently, the child receives little care or supervision and, especially during http://www.answers.com/topic/adolescence, is free to join peers who have similarly learned antisocial means of expression.

Answer 3

It is belived that sociopathy is caused both by a genetic link and early childhood life. Somone could have the genetic trait to become a sociopath but never develop into one because their early life was fine, or they could live in a completely abusive home and never become one becuase they do not have the trait. However if you have both it is belived you will become one.

Answer 4

The theory is that it is either there from birth or due to environmental factors. It is a blockage of the usual neurological pathway that transfers information.