ABSTRACT
Perhaps no question in developmental psychology has created more contro versy than that o f 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 o f 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 o f youth violence, the extreme form o f the nature-nurture con troversy boils down to the question o f whether a child’s aggression is caused by the child’s innate biological disposition, or whether it is caused by environmen tal factors such as the child’s early experiences, family life, economic conditions, school experiences, and choice o f friends.
