It’s important that you understand what the above statistics mean, and what they do not mean. A 50% genetic risk does not mean that a single individual is at a 50% risk. It only means that of 100 people with that degree of genetic disposition, 50 of them will exhibit the trait. It’s never clear who within that group will actually display the trait.
The genetic statistics cannot tell me as a forensic examiner, for instance, if the defendant I’m evaluating is genetically prone to violence; that requires a thorough individual evaluation of risk. And regardless of a genetic tendency of any given trait, personal experience makes a significant difference. Let’s say, for instance, you’re a person with a genetic and temperamental tendency to be emotionally detached. Your parents are people who are supportive, empathic and affectionate. That wouldn’t change your basic temperament, but you’ll likely mature into an adult who is, relatively speaking, emotionally responsive and engaged. On the other hand, if you were unlucky enough to have gotten saddled in childhood with parents who were emotional neglectful, abusive and violent, you might have turned out to be emotionally cold, callous and angry, and possibly end up on the wrong side of the law.
If you’re interested in learning more about these issues, see the references below as a way to begin. Plomin’s book is clear, an easy read and a good introduction.
References
Gunter, T. D., et al. (2010). Behavioral genetics in antisocial spectrum disorders and psychopathy: A review of the recent literature. Behavioral sciences & the law, 28(2), 148-173.
Hicks, B. M., et al. (2012). Psychopathic personality traits and environmental contexts: Differential correlates, gender differences, and genetic mediation. Personality disorders: Theory, research, and treatment, 3(3), 209.
Plomin, R. (2019). Blueprint: How DNA makes us who we are. MIT Press.
Viding, E. et al. (2008). Quantitative genetic studies of antisocial behaviour. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 363(1503), 2519-2527.
