5. Neurophysiology -- the study of correlations between brain structure and electrochemical events associated with thoughts and emotions. This includes the detailed study of hormonal influences (from stress hormones like cortisol, pro-aggression hormones like testosterone and pro-social hormones like oxytocin and endorphins) on emotions and behavior.
6. Behavioral genetics -- the study of the genetic inheritance of temperament, which according to twenty plus years of research, seems to be the strongest determinant of adult "personality." Thus far, four genetically inherited temperament types have been identified: harm avoidant, novelty seeking, reward dependent and persistent.
7. Epigenetics -- the study of the adverse effects of stress during gestation and early childhood on enzyme expression on emotional stability and stress tolerance.
Is Human Nature Innately Flawed? The Research Evidence
1. Impaired Rational Decision Making
Decades of research reveals that all human beings (even those with mental illness or intellectual disability) have some capacity to learn and practice rational problem solving -- though all are susceptible to impaired problem solving when under stress. Individuals with impulsive or emotionally unstable personalities or discrete physical or mental illnesses may experience longer or more frequent periods of impaired problem solving.
At the same time, there is absolutely no evidence that high intelligence or advanced education offer any protection against impairments in judgment or problem solving ability. In fact, putting virtually unlimited power in the hands of a few individuals can have extremely devastating consequences for the rest of society. The decision by three men (Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld) to launch disastrous wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and by a handful of banking CEOs to speculate with trillions of dollars of investor funds are two recent examples.
2. Self centeredness and greed
The assertion that human nature is innately self-serving and greedy directly contradicts the bulk of scientific research which shows the exact opposite -- that human beings are fundamentally social animals who are hard wired to crave social interaction and are strongly rewarded (via pleasurable hormones) for altruistic and socially dependent behavior.
3. Laziness and aversion to work
Studies of our closest living relatives (the great apes) show that higher primates have the same innate craving as human beings for regular stimulation, as well as the same strong propensity for boredom. Human research shows that people also have a strong need for both social engagement and productive and creative activity to function optimally. The Protestant work ethic, which justifies compelling the working class to labor long hours under high stress, unsafe conditions, is a new development with the industrial revolution. Historically there is no comparable work ethic in ancient or medieval cultures.
4. Innate aggressiveness and violence
Studies of both primates and indigenous cultures in naturalistic settings indicate that most social groups live totally harmoniously, except in conditions of food scarcity -- when apes, gorillas and people engage in violence against other social groups (i.e. war) and cannibalism. All recent research indicates that income inequality -- the size of the gap between rich and poor -- is the strongest predictor of violent crime in a society. See http://cjr.sagepub.com/content/18/2/182.short and http://siteresources.worldbank.org/DEC/Resources/Crime&Inequality.pdf
Several overlapping mechanisms contributed to this effect. The stress of poverty and poor nutrition during gestation and early childhood can cause permanent changes in the brain arousal system via epigenetic enzyme derangement. Poverty and stress are also strongly associated with attachment disorders and child neglect and abuse.
Genetic conditions, such as attention deficit disorder and "callous indifferent" conduct disorder, allegedly predispose to aggression and impulsive violence. However psychological and cross cultural research indicates that even these conditions are more strongly influenced by environment than genetics. All five conditions (ADHD, conduct disorder, epigenetic emotional instability, attachment disorder and PTSD from child neglect/abuse) are far less common in cultures with more equal distribution of wealth that raise their children communally and in extended families.
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