"Live fast, die young": biology explains deviant behavior

The story of one girl

Marvel Robin (Robin Marvel) should not have to become successful. Marvel as a teenager she learned what it is - to see how your mother brutally beat his father and numerous boyfriends, being a victim of sexual violence. The family was constantly moving from place to place, Robin started to drink and became pregnant.

Marvel says:

There was generally no stability. Us or evicted from their home, or we moved to another place. There was no electricity for months... We were thrown out of the camps for people affected by domestic violence. Just because Mom is constantly violated the rules of stay there.

Sometimes Robin came home and discovers drugs on the table. "My mother was very unstable. She would wake up in the night and say that we're moving to Michigan. The same thing happened after spontaneous move, all returned to their former places. I missed the first three months of studying in the third grade. Because at that time we are constantly living in a trailer in Sacramento. "

Robin gave birth to 17 years. It helped her to hold out for a while, but after a few years she started to drink again.

I could not see my daughter a couple of days. I was so horrible person. I spent all that was on the credit card. Several times I laid the machine. I do not understand why you need to pay the bills, and worry about your credit history. Yes, and special need in this, too, I did not feel.

Remembering those days, Robin said: "You have no control over life. It is as if sucked. But it was fine for me - to live in such a horrible and miserable way. "

Rabbit or an elephant?

Sociologists and psychologists confirm that people like Robin Marvel, that is, those whose existence is accompanied by lack of resources, instability and violence, often shorten their lives, and at the risk of falling into trouble. Vladas Grishkevichus (Vladas Griskevicius), a social psychologist at the University of Minnesota, wants to change what we think about these people and the choices they made.

The essence of the majority of works on behavioral psychology is this: if you were born under adverse conditions, you will always be inferior. Poverty violence and hinder the development of your talents. But there is another view. From the point of view of evolutionary biology, people who grew up in adverse conditions, it is better adapted to them.

If you grow up with the idea that you have no future, I try to give everything you have, your present. And the birth of a child at a young age for a troubled person, not only justified, but also a useful step.

Grishkevichus relying on the theory of r / K-selectionHe believes that every person has a limited amount of time, energy or money and must decide how to dispose of this capital. He or invests it in the future by investing in their own health and well-being of the children, in the multiplication of knowledge and building relationships, or spend the frequent pairing to leave behind as much as possible genetic copies.

In the animal world there are examples of such behavior. For example, rabbits can not control their environment and do not last long. Therefore, their approach to life is described simply: they are many, many breed, and then die. This "fast life strategy." A study of 48 species of mammals showed that animals with high mortality is likely to grow up sooner and produce numerous offspring frequent litters. Those mammals that pass through puberty later, such as elephants, are long-lived, so they can afford to give birth to one offspring. This "slow life strategy."

Scientists believe that growing up in a dysfunctional environment accelerates the development of the individual. So, the girls growing up in a poor and unstable families, first period is earlier than their same age. Their bodies seem to feel threatened by the external environment and develop faster.

Women from third world countries, where life expectancy is not so high, give birth to their first child very soon.

Maybe someone would think that this behavior is self-destructive, but scientists see in it sense. It's like to invest their capital in the most profitable business, having scarce resources. But such a scenario can be avoided. The main thing - to understand what kinds of things make a person really happy.

Bengal tigers

With the help of this theory can also explain why the disadvantaged children are often at risk, they get involved in trouble and fall into a criminal history.

Scientists believe that the lower the average income of the family, the more kids want to grow up quickly, get a family and raise children. But they also have a different view of a normal future: there comes to the fore career. And aggression and criminal activities is the fastest way to implement an idea of ​​his own worth in life. When intellectual and financial resources are low, people are trying to achieve your goals with the least, they think the cost.

There is another possible explanation destructive behavior: when a person comes face to face with sad reality and the lack of prospects, he had already felt defeat and tries resist.

It is the unpredictability of the future provokes deviant behavior of children from disadvantaged families, pushing them to the crime. Unpredictability affects the child more than the low social status or poverty.

Man - a being crafty, he is trying to achieve goals the shortest path. He feels that if quickly improve their present, and then tomorrow will be good.

In this light, the slogan "Live fast, die young, leave a beautiful corpse" looks like a full-fledged strategy for some people. Moreover, even those who were able to break the vicious circle, very often continue to be guided by the same principles.

For example, Stanley Borela (Stanley Burrell, MC Hammer) had eight brothers and sisters, and his mother raised them alone. He earned millions of dollars in music, but quickly pulled it on games and horse racing. Mike Tyson (Mike Tyson), one of the most successful boxers of the world, brought up a single mother. He could earn a fortune in the battles, but the Bengal Tigers - including - helped him become bankrupt. Larry King (Larry King) - the greatest broadcaster - grew up in the slums of Brooklyn. Showman together a good capital but spent all the endless divorce and own whim.

Grishkevichus says that the brain of these people has been calibrated in this way, to live fast. After all, according to the scenario in their head, tomorrow may never come.

Who's guilty

Grishkevichus and his team figured out exactly what triggers cause similar scenarios of behavior in children from disadvantaged families. They found that the scenes of violence and constant talk about economic problems lead to the fact that a person tends to take risks trying to get as much as possible, and at once, and not be satisfied with a small dose of satisfaction. Such a person will choose a small amount of money now, rather than after a large, tends to over-consumption.

To all fault - the ephemeral sense of control over their own lives, which give such acts.

Uncertainty of life leads to the fact that people are trying to find at least some kind of foothold. They become more impulsive, overestimate their own capabilities and rely on the strategies that promise them instant benefit.

What's worse, these policies turn into a guide for future life, because such people are constantly waiting for trouble.

What to do

Grishkevichusa experiments have shown that if the difference between social classes erased, and the future seems to be stable, it truly works wonders with people. It turns out that we can not expect those who grew up in dysfunctional families, responsible and highly moral behavior.

People to behave according to the rules, you need to create the optimum conditions for their life, to prove that they can control what happens.

Robin Marvel rid of victim complex. She gave birth to a second daughter, and her husband tried to help her in all your endeavors. She recalls once inside it as if something clicked. She looked at her daughter and realized that he wanted to be a good example for her. Therefore Marvel tried to do everything possible to program itself to positive thinking. In so doing, it has helped the relevant literature.

After Robin cope with, she tried to help others - those who were in the same situation as it was once. First Marvel communicate with people through your site, and then wrote five books for children. She will soon see the light of its work on the 6th. This time, Robin turned to adults.

Marvel every day begins with a conversation with the youngest daughter. Little girl four years old, but my mother said to her in all seriousness: "Today - is your day. Who is responsible for it? "