The MAO-A Gene (The Warrior Gene)

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Yes, as I write the next sentence I fully and completely realize the reference is from a dramatized entertainment view of a certain type of person. In a recent replay of a favorite show the subject of a serial killer’s defense came up called the MAO-A gene or what is termed as the “Warrior Gene.” It actually, when defined, provided some interesting information on humans, their resistance to committing harm to other humans and to the concept of othering to achieve violent goals especially in combat. 

The show used the gene as a reference toward the inability to be judged guilty of some heinous crimes because that gene meant the person had no control. The counter argument was given that a person with the MAO-A warrior gene who suffered the same trauma’s could still be a productive and non-violent contributor to society as well. It turns out that the gene does exist and its effects on any one person depends. 

There are actually some traits that can be bumped up a notch if certain things are introducted and induced in humans to achieve a warrior like effect with or without that gene’s involvement. Here are some of those - things:

• Specific kinds of training and pressures are applied to encourage people to indulge in violence and violent behaviors.
• Group dynamics with a certain cohesive connectivity also promotes a willingness to do violence. Teaching the group to feel its superiority and other groups as inferior is one way to achieve this goal.
• Introducing training to create higher levels of group commitment. Training to create and strengthen the groups and individuals commitment and investment, i.e., band of brothers mind-set, leads to a greater willingness to do violence.
• Seeing the others, as others using terms and derogatory labels to lesson their humanity and humanness in the groups mind-state.
• Create negative cognitive images of the “Others.”
• The hierarchy and status of the group so that certain members have authority over the group leading to a strong need to obey and follow orders.
• The use of realism or adrenal stress-conditioned reality training to condition the mind toward a more acceptance of violent behavior. One authority actually believes the realistic and realism of video games can desensitize humans toward violence and handling high stress situations, etc. Reducing inhibitions and improve reactions, etc.

Does this mean that to apply any type of self-defense it might serve the practitioners to use such conditionings to allow them to apply, when no other choice is left them, the more violent physical applications to adversaries? 

I would add in that if this is possible and desirable then we also have to add in a certain amount of restraint. When we practice to verbalize things for training sometimes those verbal ways can be perceived as aggressive and inappropriate so caution toward what and how we train such things becomes just as important. 

I propose that all seven bullet points would be good tools to train the mind-state and mind-set as long as it is done appropriate and within certain guidelines to also survive repercussions later. 

As I have written about in previous articles I see this as the creation of “Triggers.” Triggers are those cognitive mind-states when encountered tend to trigger the appropriate abilities to act in appropriate defensive ways. It is about creating triggers that will bypass social conditioning to allow a person to defend and avoid grave bodily harm. Triggers are those permissions we encode in our procedural zombie sub-routine/functions memory so they act in an instinctive manner opening the gate to other appropriate procedural sub-routines. Triggers that are not often taught in self-defense karate and martial arts dojo, much like the absence of adrenal stress-conditioned reality based training programs. Triggers that will allow our warrior genes to act, quickly and decisively and appropriately. 

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