Adrian RaineReseñas

Edit: I have followed this up with Behave by Robert M Sapolsky and it completely puts this book to shame. I still don't think this book is awful, but the fact that there's a book that basically covers everything this book does, is better structured and written, gives a better idea of what's well backed vs speculation, and does it in more depth knocks a star off here for me. Maybe it's unfair because it's a couple years newer and didn't exist when this book was written, but there's really no reason to read this book over behave. Even at significantly longer length, it manages to be an easier, more coherent read.

**
This one is interesting. There’s a lot here backed by evidence, and overall the book takes an interesting look at how various changes to brain structure/development (from early malnutrition or abuse to genetics to physical trauma) tend to result in a higher rates of criminal behavior, with the focus on violent and sexual crimes. But it’s intermixed with bits here and there of jankiness that’s less supported. When he gets to the final subject discussing the ethics and future steps, he goes off the rails a bit for me. “Your brain made you read this book” is a weird argument that free will is nonsense even if he comes around a little later, and his argument that we should treat the person with a clear tumor basis for wildly out of character behavior the same as someone with a slightly smaller brain region is really uncomfortable. Then I’m not entirely sure he’s not advocating a Minority Report style precrime intervention system when he uses it to raise questions.


Overall, though, I am convinced by the case that we should be focusing on proper nutrition and mental health access and that the better we take care of our kids, as a society, the less likely they are to turn to violence. I think even with its flaws, it does encourage you to think about things that we should probably think about.

I heard the author on NPR Fresh Air a few months ago and was intrigued enough to pick up the book when I saw it at my local library. I suspected that it might fall into the "pushing the science too far" trap, especially with brain imaging and neuroscience, but pushed ahead anyway. Biology must have some role, somewhere along the line, to play--culture didn't spring fully formed without it.

The book opens really, really badly with a trip down the evolutionary psychology wormhole. The problem with ev psych is simple: You observe certain differences in populations. Then you come up with an evolutionary hypothesis to explain it. The problem is, of course, it's difficult if not impossible to prove that hypothesis. Raine steps into a veritable greatest perils of ev-psych, from explaining rape to slapdash anthropology.

The book climbs onto slightly firmer ground in subsequent chapters--at least, here, Raine has some data to work with. The problem is, the data is still in its infancy and despite frequent caveats and reminders of the interaction between biology and environment, he's too quick to rush to conclusions with preliminary data. Despite all the hype about brain imaging, and the very real information it has given us, we still have a long way to go.

The potentially strongest part of the book is on the interaction between biological and social factors. Raine is most convincing when he demonstrates how biology is more than just genetics and evolution, and is also the result of environment. His examples of how poor social factors can influence biology and that parenting and social climate can combine with biological risk factors to influence outcomes get at the real complexity of the situation. For example, he looks at groups of teens with both biological and social risk factors for violence and shows how the combination is far more potent than either risk factor alone.

That said, he also relies too heavily on what may be questionable research (such as the potential of omega-3 supplementation). He is also not above provocation for the sake of it, such as armchair-diagnosing Adam Lanza with a personality disorder, and obligatory potshots at feminists.

The final chapter is a mess. Raine wants to outline a potential future for the uses of neurobiological research. First, he throws out the idea of considering violence as a mental disorder. Then he outlines a dystopic future of precrime detention, child intervention, and parenting licenses before stepping back to ask if this is already happening to some extent and what it means. Raine himself has no great answers--his best effort throughout the book is that his research shows the importance of interventions for very young children, a principle that research into other domains of development has shown--and so he is left flailing.

Raine is a fairly good, if sometimes overly personal and chatty, writer, and there is some interesting information in here, but the book as a whole does not work. I am not familiar enough with much of the research he cites to say whether the individual studies are presented accurately, but he gives the impression that he is overstating his case.

It's a fascinating topic but this book is badly written. Both in terms of style and lack of substance. Anecdotes are told in great detail whilst the studies mentioned lack basic information about them.

This in-depth book about the science of the brain and what psychological factors incite violence is extremely interesting and should be a top five for any science-loving bookworms! It took a bit of convincing to get my auntie to buy me it, but it truly is a good choice for whoever is interested in psychology.

Dit boek is het best samen te vatten als ‘een college neurobiologie’ in het kader van onderzoek naar biologische en sociale achtergronden van agressief en crimineel gedrag.
Met de publicaties van o.a. Swaab en Lamme nog vers in het geheugen is dit boek veel technischer van aard, en zijn de besproken onderzoeken vaak minutieuzer weergegeven.

Voor wie geïnteresseerd is in criminologie en strafrecht is dit een studie om van te smullen.

Zeer de moeite als aanzet om dieper na te denken over vrije wil en misdaad.
- leidt een lage hartslag tot criminaliteit?
- is het de schuld van je rokende of drinkende moeder dat jij een moordenaar bent?
- kan omega-3 misdaad voorkomen?
- moet de staat mensen verbieden om kinderen te krijgen?

Veel genuanceerder dan dat uiteraard. Maar het toont wel aan hoezeer we oog moeten hebben voor biologische factoren als we over mensen willen oordelen.

First, I want to emphasize that this is not a light, pop science kind of read. This is one of those detailed books requiring commitment and attention.

Adrian Raine gives us an in-depth look at brain functions, linking specific factors to the cause of violent behavior. Along with the scientific research, Raine offers fascinating case studies of violent criminals whose behavior can be explained by brain anomalies. In closing, he offers intriguing and controversial ideas for a new approach in dealing with the violent mind.

At times Raine strays from the science, making leaps to a singular conclusion. For instance, he claims children are most often killed by a parent when they are very young because the parent hasn't yet invested much time and energy into the child's upbringing. This alone, he claims, is evidence of evolutionary behavior. There is no science backing his claim. As a parent myself, I know firsthand how overwhelming an infant can be, especially one that is sickly or difficult to handle. As horrible as it is to imagine, I think there are many reasons a parent might kill an infant, most having nothing to do with evolutionary behavior.

The text can also get slightly longwinded at times, particularly toward the end when he is expressing his opinions on the future of neuroscience in dealing with criminal behavior.

Aside from these issues, I found this a powerful book. There is no doubt that our current way of thinking about and dealing with criminal behavior is not working. Adrian Raine offers us a unique understanding of violence that could very well change our criminal justice system.