A popular question in society is that of “Nature versus Nurture.” Are people born with a predisposition toward music, art, math, or science, or was it a result of their upbringing that they excel in those areas? The question has also come up in the context of homosexuality, with many on the far right side of the religious and political spectrum maintaining that it is a choice and can be “un-learned”, whereas emerging research is proving ever more conclusively that it is likely a genetic trait.

But in the case of violent behavior, the answer to whether a bully is born that way or if they are influenced by external physical and psychological factors, the answer is clear:

Yes.

Bullying is a vague term, so it will be instructive to try to more clearly delineate what qualifies as bullying behavior. Unfortunately, the term itself – bullying – sounds very innocuous while it is anything but. One definition of “bully” is “a blustering, quarrelsome, overbearing person who habitually badgers and intimidates smaller or weaker people.” While it sounds harmless enough, it is no joke. The physical and emotional scars on victims of bullying can last years, leading to depression, anxiety, mental illness and suicide. But what factors contribute to a bully becoming who they are?

In several studies, Dr. James Fallon of University of California, Irvine, has determined that the PET (positron emission topography) scans of the brains of certified psychopaths, in most cases, fundamentally differ from those of mentally healthy individuals in several aspects. Firstly, the activity in the orbital lobe (behind the eyes) is much less in people with aggressive tendencies. This will, according to Fallon, hinder one’s ability to consider ethical implications, and can be a part of the reason for violent of dominating behavior. He does note that the violent offenders’ brains were either born with limited activity in the orbital lobe or became so as the result of physical trauma.

While the study shows that there does appear to be a common factor with respect to orbital lobe activity, it explicitly states that the brain activity itself is not sufficient to create a violent person. Many people can and do have these similar traits without becoming bullies. The general reaction to Fallon’s PET scans is that additional trauma, such as physical or emotional abuse during the formative years, would need to supplement the predisposition of the alterations in brain function in order to develop violent behavior.

Some books on the subject maintain that bullying is a form of coping, that we, as humans, need to blame someone in order to manage the stress of our lives. In multiple interviews with bullies, it’s clear that this reaction is not uncommon, and that the bullies are often acting out of a sense of shame or even feelings of inferiority. Sometimes the bullying can even be a result of misguided social angst, unintentionally leering and missing social cues or ignorance of social norms.

But the most common form of bullying – that of physical and emotional abuse of weaker or more timid peers – is usually the result of an unstable home life. The abuse or neglect suffered at home is reflected in the attempts of bullies to try controlling other facets of their life through brute force or intimidation.

Bullying is a type of aggressive behavior, essentially turning the bully into a predator who will seek out weaker prey in an attempt to satisfy certain psychological needs. Some of these needs are the result of the “Nurture” side of the bully’s upbringing, while still others – the physical alterations to brain chemistry – fall under the “Nature” umbrella. With special care, the tendency for bullying can be mitigated in some people, but the unfortunate fact is that with many bullies, the home life is such that no one is available or interested in providing that care.

Bullies are both born and made – the physical characteristics leading toward a predisposition towards aggression must combine with the desire to put that aggression into action. But with the advent of the twenty-four hour news cycle and ever-increasing information technology, the visibility of bullying is becoming more heavily identified as the dangerous and harmful threat it is, as opposed to previous notions of “kids being kids” that allowed the behavior to continue.