ABSTRACT
Perhaps no question in developmental psychology has created more controversy than that of whether psychological traits and behaviors are caused by the child’s “natural” endowment or whether they are caused by the environmental experiences the child has in the course of his or her life. Referred to as the nature-nurture controversy, this issue has been as powerfully debated by those concerned with youthful aggression as by other developmental psychologists. In the context of youth violence, the extreme form of the nature-nurture controversy boils down to the question of whether a child’s aggression is caused by the child’s innate biological disposition, or whether it is caused by environmental factors such as the child’s early experiences, family life, economic conditions, school experiences, and choice of friends.
