Sharon Begley

A recent concept in the debate over the causes of violent behavior combines the existing arguments that either biological or environmental factors are to blame for juvenile crime. Experts are now considering that some children are born with a predisposition to violence that can either be reinforced or suppressed by his or her caregivers. In the following viewpoint, Sharon Begley makes this argument, claiming that a specific biology and a specific environment combine to produce juvenile violence. Begley is a science writer and senior editor for Newsweek magazine.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What does the author cite as two arguments against the attempts to trace violence to biology?
2. According to the author, what is the difference between antisocial aggressors and hostile, impulsive aggressors?
3. How does the author describe boys who feel...