There is so much empirical evidence that points more to environment than genetic determinism. So much. I have to weed through it all of the time for school. There are reams of it.
Hand gestures, voice inflections, and physical traits are not the same thing as sociopathy and lack of empathy. Those are definitely more a long genetic lines, the latter are learned.
Sociopathy, personality disorders, pathology, lack of empathy....those things are behavioral and they are learned and shaped by environmental factors. We are not born with them. Other than the most primal reactions to hunger and need for touch and eye contact,behavior is learned, we are not born with complex behavior patterns or a complex personality. We go through very predictable stages of development. Baby should be reaching. Baby should be gurgling. Baby should be crawling. Baby should be walking. It is what happens in response to their needs that matters. Does their mother pick them up when they cry? Does she feed them when they are hungry. Does she hold them enough, talk to them enough, look in their eyes enough. A unique innateness exists yes, but it is not fleshed out yet. That is socialization.
I respect your right to a differing opinion but we will have to agree to disagree. Anything but a mixture of biological and sociological factors or just socialization, flies in the face of everything that I have learned and utilize in the field of social work and in the realm of psychology and helping people.
I have never personally heard one psychologist say say that their antisocial client was just "born that way." All of the ones that I have met, been taught by, or worked with would scoff at the idea. Are there papers questioning it? For sure. As there should be. We should always question what we think we already know. Is there empirical research proving it? No. There are no absolutes, such as a person being born evil. Usually the "evil" response is a way of us trying to understand the unthinkable. It must be "evil" because it is unexplainable. For me, it is easy to see how Casey's personality was shaped and evolved into what it is today.
Lets just say, that if the small snippet of her parents behavior that was on display for the past 4 years is an indication of what went on in that house daily, then I am hardly surprised.
What baby could be evil before they have learned to walk, talk, attach, empathize, love, or hate? As it is, children cannot be diagnosed with a major personality disorder. It is unethical. Not only are their brains not fully developed yet, but they are still developing socially. Genetics do not determine behavior especially deviant behavior, more than environment and socialization.
