Criminal behavior and behavior disorders - Research Paper Example

What people eat and take into their bodies may control their behaviors. In some instances, excessive amounts of harmful substances such as food dyes and artificial colors and flavors seem to provoke hostile, impulsive, and otherwise antisocial behaviors. Vitamin deficiency and dependency can also have an effect on behavior; studies show that a major problem proportion of all schizophrenics and children with learning and behavioral disorders are dependent on vitamins B3 and B6. Another suspected nutritional influence on behavior is a diet high in sugar and carbohydrates.

Diets high in sugar and carbohydrate have been linked to violence, high aggression, and associated with attention span deficiencies. Research shows that among adolescent males, iron deficiency is directly associated with aggressive behavior. Furthermore, one study found that iron deficiency was nearly twice as prevalent in a group of incarcerated adolescents as among their non- incarcerated peers. Research has also linked hypoglycemia to outbursts of antisocial behavior and violence. These bio-criminologists, who believe that food and crime are associated, think that if diet can be improved then the frequency or violent behavior would be reduced.

Biosocial theorists also have been looking at the link between hormonal levels and violent behavior. Hormones exert a strong influence on behavior testosterone, and other androgens, are probably the most important hormones in criminology. Testosterone has been related to aggressive criminal behavior in a number of studies, almost as many as those linking crime to the female menstrual cycle. It is believed that high levels of testosterone reduce a persons social integration, making them more of a loner, and freeing them up to deviate from societys norms.

Female menstrual cycles have been linked to irritability, aggression, and a patterned increase in hostility. Recent studies have linked dangerous