The Biology of Violence (How Understanding the Brain, Behavior, and Environment Can Break the Vicious Circle of Aggression) [Hardcover]

Debra Niehoff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 6, 1999

Violent behavior isn't simply a result of poverty, moral decline, or bad parenting; its roots lie in the way our brains work. That is what scientists at the frontiers of neuroscience are discovering as they learn more about the brain.

The first book to examine violence from a complete biological perspective, The Biology of Violence does more than settle the nature vs. nurture debate; it supersedes it. Debra Niehoff explains that the biology of behavior is not a genetic program but a process -- a lifelong dialogue between the brain and the environment. Behavior actually changes our brain chemistry. Biology does not mean that we are or are not born bad; it means we are born vulnerable.

"Get tough" policies are today's solution to the epidemic of violence. But harsh punishment isn't the answer. Niehoff explains that neuroscience, including new drug therapies, offers cheap, effective ways to break the vicious cycles of nature and nurture that threaten our lives. This provocative book challenges us to live up to the opportunities that our scientific understanding of the mind has presented, and to institute policies that work with human nature -- not against it -- to change perpetrators and heal victims.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this ambitious book, Niehoff presents biology's latest findings on the development of violent behavior in an effort to answer a simple question: "Why do people hurt each other?" Aggression, she argues, like all complex behavior, "is a biological process... that begins and ends in the brain." Drawing on a wealth of research in neurobiology, biochemistry, physiology, genetics and anatomy, Niehoff explains in precise prose that the old nature/nurture debate is obsolete: innate drives do not define character from birth, nor, she contends, do environments alone determine our predilections. Rather, she believes, the chemical reactions of the brain develop in constant and complex reaction to the environment. Niehoff resists the temptation to dumb down science, but she does a fine job of elucidating difficult concepts to make them accessible to general readers. In the last chapter, she appraises our current treatment and punishment of criminals and finds that most of our nation's drug and penal policies actually elicit violent, antisocial behavior. Solitary confinement, for example, leads to increased levels of violence in laboratory animals; Niehoff believes isolation of prisoners yields similar results. Though the real world is certainly more complicated than the laboratory, her proposed methods of curbing violence (which include prenatal care, cognitive behavioral therapy and careful use of psychopharmacology) are thought-provoking, and this book is a fine contribution to a debate often clouded by emotion. 7 b&w photos; 9 tables; 24 drawings.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Scientific American

Niehoff, a neuroscientist, asks why some people are violently aggressive toward others and what can be done about it. Her answer to the first question is that a person's encounters with the outside world have lasting effects on the neurobiological processes that underlie behavior. "Negative interactions increase the perception of threat; over time, the process may develop into a 'vicious circle' that leads to violence." Her answer to the second question is counseling and perhaps medicine for the aggressive person and social intervention to deal with the environmental conditions that provoke violence. "Repairing communities, ensuring the welfare and safety of children, sheltering battered women ... and actually caring for the mentally ill does cost money. On the other hand, the alternative--building, staffing, maintaining, and populating more prisons--is going to cost a fortune."

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Free Press; 1 edition (January 6, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684831325
• ISBN-13: 978-0684831329
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #798,958 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Indispensable Book, July 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Biology of Violence (How Understanding the Brain, Behavior, and Environment Can Break the Vicious Circle of Aggression) (Hardcover)

I have read widely in neuropsychology and neurobiology over the last five years by necessity. This book is written by an expert with a thorough grasp of her material and the English language. This is a book with the depth needed by professionals (psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, law enforcement, probation, attorneys, judges, etc.) and the accessibility needed by laymen. Niehoff's analogies simplify complex interrelationships. Her analysis is compassionate, realistic, and sound. Her discussion of working memory and aggressive behavior is indispensible for parents of TBI children. Her discussion of PTSD and of the interplay between nature and nurture are lucid and compelling. She has an excellent introduction to brain functioning that readers will readily appreciate. When I consider the strength of the book I felt that the conclusion was somewhat weak; however, this should not deter potential readers. In another books, I would have considered the conclusion strong. I think highly enough of this book to have two copies. One for my bookshelf and the other to loan to those concerned with aggression and violence.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Found: A Gem Among the pile of Rocks!, March 20, 2001

By 

M. D. MCGINLEY "Chief Highliner" (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Biology of Violence (How Understanding the Brain, Behavior, and Environment Can Break the Vicious Circle of Aggression) (Hardcover)

"The Biology of violence" by Debra Niehoff is the best book on the subject I have read. I've been through over 300 books in the last three months looking for a neuro-chemical link between aggression and violence, specifically "impulsive" aggression, that from which I have, at times, suffered its unpleasant effects.

Niehoff clearly shows her education and scientific background through her writing. This book is throughougly and adeptly referenced down to the smallest detail. Every sentence informs, every page educates. I learned, for example, about the role of serotonin, the master hormone, and norepinephrine, and how they keep each other in check. One controls aggression, the other fear, both having specific receptors which, it is to be discovered, sometimes receive signals from other neurotransmitters and hormones (and also caffeine!). The role of environmental factors is given a fair and impartial comparison in conjunction with the actions of the body's hormones, increasing Niehoff's conclusion and credibility.

There is far too much information to be absorbed briefly; a detailed study is in order, well worth its rewards. I have found this work to be monumental, and while not solving the total violence problem, will at least lead the reader to make better choices at the root: the diet (foods are converted to make certain hormones and neurotransmitters). Also of interest is the treatment of insulin and its role in the body. A complete, highly informative work, unparalleled in depth and understandability by the educated layperson. Top recommendation!

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Indispensible survey of new scientific findings, April 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Biology of Violence (How Understanding the Brain, Behavior, and Environment Can Break the Vicious Circle of Aggression) (Hardcover)

If you wonder what happened in Littleton, Colorado -- or why ADHD is so widespread, how cocaine influences the brain, and who is most likely to commit a crime under the influence of alcohol, Niehoff's book is MUST reading. This is a clear, balanced, and readily accessible survey of new work in neuroscience and behavior genetics. While my own research has revealed an additional factor (lead, manganese, or cadmium toxicity, lowering the levels of the key neurotransmitters Niehof analyzes), the basic science is all here. Given the total failure of the social workers, psychologists, teachers, and police to figure out what happens when kids go beserk, it is astonishing that this wonderful book has not had more public attention. Prof. Roger D. Masters (Dartmouth College)