In general, I don’t believe that juveniles can be born evil or bad. Environmental factors carry a lot of weight when it comes to how children develop and grow into adults. However, in the uniquely gritty case of Willie Bosket, I believe it’s safe to say that if there were ever a case of a child being “born bad”, then Willie definitely meets the mark.
When looking back at his lengthy family history filled with extreme deviance and outright violence, you can quite easily see that Willie fits right into the mold that was created long before he was even born. I think that a lot of Willie’s violent and criminal tendencies were learned from what he was exposed to while growing up. That being said, it also seems like there could have been something
…show more content…
There are a few theories that come to mind when I think about how Willie Bosket became the “monster” he took such pride in being. Behavioral Theory, more specifically Social Learning Theory, can be used to explain at least the social aspect of Willie’s behavior since it places an emphasis on how a child bases their behavior on the reaction, or lack of reaction, they get in return. The reactions he received just added fuel to the fire; they did nothing but spur him on. Other theories that can also be applied to him are Interaction Theory and Self-Control Theory. Interaction Theory ... "asserts youth's interactions with institutions and events over the life course determine criminal behavior patterns and that these patterns of behavior evolve over time" ... (Garland). I do think that Willie's interactions played a part in shaping him into what he became. Self-Control Theory states that criminality comes from adding together a lack of self-control and opportunity. That could explain why Willie decided to murder the man on the train without a second thought. He simply saw the chance and he took