By: William D. Slicker
At some point in his or her career, every attorney will have clients that cause the attorney to ask ‘Why is my client doing those things?’
In the 1500’s John Calvin came up with the idea of predestination. He believed that in the beginning, God chose some people to be saved and the rest were out of luck.[1]
Now geneticists are showing that maybe some people are predestined for trouble. Since dopamine levels in one’s brain affect how one behaves, the dopamine D4 receptor gene on chromosome 11, called DRD4 for short, has become one of the most widely studied genes.[2]
Research shows that the DRD4 gene may be associated with a variety of troublesome behaviors. These behaviors include (1) risk taking,[3] (2) alcoholism,[4] (3) nicotine dependence,[5] (4) attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD),[6] (5) schizophrenia,[7] and (6) sexual promiscuity.[8] In fact, some call DRD4 the promiscuity gene.[9] This is probably what drives websites like Tinder and Grindr.
The variations of the D4DR gene may also affect how long a person lives.[10]
So it may be that out of the starting gate, some people have a predisposition for risky and troublesome behavior.
We can add to that predisposition our knowledge about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) that young people are exposed to through no fault of their own. Studies have shown that being beaten, being sexually abused, having parents with mental health or addiction issues, or being neglected, all increase a child’s chances of (1) addiction to tobacco, (2) addiction to alcohol, (3) addiction to drugs, (4) promiscuity, (5) suicide, and (6) a shorter life.[11]
While genetic make-up and adverse childhood experiences do not give someone the okay to do harmful things to themselves or others, sometimes it might be good to recognize that some people are doing what they are doing because of the cards they have been dealt.
John Calvin may have gotten reality reversed. Rather than a few selected by God being the lucky ones, and the rest doomed; it may be that most people are the lucky ones, but a select few unlucky ones are preordained to troubles due to genetics and adverse childhood experiences.
[1] Slick, Matthew J. What is predestination and is it biblical? The Calvinist Corner, (2022) https://www.calvinistcorner.com/predestination.htm
[2] Ptacek, Radek; Kuzelove, Hana; and Stefano, George, Dopamine D4 receptor gene DRD4 and its association with psychiatric disorders, National Library of Medicine (Sept. 1, 2011), https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3560519/
[3] Valentina, How might the DRD4 gene be linked to risk-taking behaviours? Tutor Chase https://www.tutorchase.com/answers/ib/psychology/how-might-the-drd4-gene-be-linked-to-risk-taking-behaviours
[4] Kreswell, Kasey G., DRD4 Polymorphism Moderates the Effects of Alcohol Consumption on Social Bonding, PLOS, (Feb. 8, 2012) https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0028914
[5] Ellis, J.A., PH.D., A Role for the DRD4 Exon III VNTR in Modifying the Association Between Nicotine Dependence and Neuroticism, (Dec. 2, 2010) http://academic.oup.com/ntr/article-abstract/13/2/64/1163877?redirectedFrom=fulltext
[6] Chen, Shuangli, Different effects of the DRD4 genotype on intrinsic brain network connectivity strength in drug-naive children with ADHD and healthy controls, Springer Nature Link,(Aug. 18, 2021), https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11682-021-00521-9
[7] Xu, Feng-ling; Wu, Xue; Zhang, Jing-jing; Wang, Bao-jie; Yao, Jun, A meta-analysis of data associating DRD4 gene polymorphisms with schizophrenia, National Library of Medicine, (Jan. 3, 2018) https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5757990/
[8] Garcia, Justin R. Associations between dopamine D4 receptor gene variation with both infidelity and sexual promiscuity, PubMed, (Nov. 30, 2010) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21152404/
[9] Promiscuity Gene DRD4 Test, SwabTest, https://www.swabtest.com/products/promiscuity-gene-drd4-test/
[10] Genzer, Peter, Personality-Influencing Gene May be a Key to Long Life, Brookhaven National Laboratory, (Jan. 3, 2013), https://www.bnl.gov/newsroom/news.php?a=111481
[11] Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), Cleveland Clinic (Apr. 4, 2023) https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/24875-adverse-childhood-experiences-ace
