Determinism and Sociology
For as long people have been aware of their own consciousness we have struggled to comprehend the mysterious factors which determine human behavior. Varying schools of thought have been originated within the realms of sociology and psychology, with each adhering to its own interpretation of why the human system naturally organizes itself in the manner it does. Each of these behavioral theories inevitably derives its inspiration from the prevailing social and scientific attitudes of the era from which it was conceived. The theory of biological determinism, for example, is closely linked to the advent of genetics and our growing understanding of the role that genes play in human development. Proponents of biological determinism attribute the entirety of human behavior to the inexorable influence of DNA and genetic makeup. From one's personal taste in music to their level of athletic ability,...
The implication of biological determinism is that environmental influences are significantly outweighed by the genetic coding we are imprinted with before birth.
Standing in opposition to biological determinism is containment theory, which was first proposed in 1961 by sociologist Walter Reckless. The fundamental tenets of containment theory hold that an individual's choice to engage in delinquency and other maladaptive behaviors is a function of their ability to achieve inner and outer containment. These terms are used to describe the internalized processes by which a person relies on positive self-image (inner containment) and disciplined supervision (outer containment) to influence…
