Moral Reasoning and Antisocial Behavior

Neural correlates of moral reasoning and antisocial behavior may be linked, according to Adrian Raine and Yaling Yang at the University of Southern California. Their ideas and research, published in the SCAN (Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience) Journal, indicate that the brain regions associated with both moral judgments and antisocial behavior overlap significantly. The brain areas that are compromised in antisocial, violent and psychopathic people and are also activated in moral decision-making (for “normal people”) include the ventral regions of the prefrontal cortex, angular gyrus, and amygdala. Thus, the immoral and abnormal behaviors of antisocial individuals may perhaps be attributed to impairments or disruptions of regions active in moral and cognition and emotion.

Although the research is still lacking with regard to more specific loci within these brain regions and the neural basis for moral processes is yet to be well understood, there are still some interesting points in this article. There could be implications in neuroethics with cases of psychopathic individuals and punishment or justice. Also, further research could possibly contribute to more proper diagnoses of antisocial people and other severe personality disorders with relevant deficiencies.