...Psychologists have disagreed for great periods of time over which force is more responsible for shaping human traits and behavior: nature or nurture. Nature is simply the unmodifiable factors or genetics that an individual is born with; those who believe that nature is the primary shaping force of who we become are called nativists. While Nurture is the modifiable factors such as the environment or experiences that are unique to each individual; those who consider nurture as the primary driving force in human development are called empiricists. As many articles that are out there concerning the nature vs. nurture debate, there are that many differing opinions and claims that say that the question has finally been solved and that either nature or nurture is more responsible for determining an individual’s traits. Some of the newer articles also claim that they are equally responsible or that neither is solely responsible and that there are multiple other factors that play into the equation. Clearly the debate continues and it has not only two, but many sides. The nature vs. nurture debate can often get heated and is quite controversial. According to an article from Diffen (2015), “Some observers offer the criticism that modern science tends to give too much weight to the nature side of the argument, in part because of the potential harm that has come from rationalized racism. Historically, much of this debate has had undertones of racist and eugenicist policies — the notion...
Words: 1291 - Pages: 6
...Abstract The quest for an answer to what determines human behavior has been going on for many years now, is it nature or nurture? The broad scope of human behavior has compelled researchers across various fields to systematically analyze what compels individuals to act the way they do. Is human behavior encoded in genetics or does it evolve by way of individual experience and environment. Through the review of recent empirical data across these various fields it is clear that both nature and nurture plan an important role in the development of human behavior. Subsequently multidirectional models have emerged with a mounting emphasis on how nature and nurture act independently in addition to collectively each forever shaping the other. Together Nature and Nurture Shape Human Behavior. The discussion concerning the appropriate significance of genetics and environment in human behavior has been around for quite a long while. This topic has generated massive attention, throughout the years, gaining numerous supporters on both sides of the debate. This attention essentially, has lead to some of the most remarkable psychological discoveries in recent years. The terms nature and nurture can be traced back to13th century France, expressed by Francis Galton in 1874 (Nature versus nurture, 2011). The term nurture in refers to the manner in which behavior is shaped by culture and environment. It builds its foundation on John B. Watson's theory of behaviorism...
Words: 1898 - Pages: 8
...number of studies done on individuals in order for researchers to find whether individual’s traits are brought about due to nature or nurture. With all of the studies that have been performed, it is still hard for researchers and scientist to pen-point if certain trails and characteristics are due to nature (the genetic aspect of an individual) or nurture (the environmental aspect of an individual). In 1979 a study began at the University of Minnesota, in Minneapolis. This study is best known as the Minnesota Twins Study. This study was to see if twins that are reared apart, still have the same traits as if they were reared together. Over the years of this study, it has been proven that there are psychological traits that appear in twins that are reared apart. (Bouchard, Jr., 1990) This study showed that there are natural traits between the twins, however they have also found that these sets of twins share some of the same traits when it comes to the nurture aspects of their raisings. When it comes to really know how one comes about having certain traits, this is something that scientist and researchers will continue to do future studies on. This is because an individual’s dispositional trails and other characteristics are created due to both nature and nurture. I say this because there is still not enough sufficient evidence that proves what trait or characteristic is created by nature or nurture. That is why the studies of twins and others...
Words: 394 - Pages: 2
...convenient jingle of words, for it separates under two distinct heads the innumerable elements of which personality is composed. Nature is all that a man brings with himself into the world and nurture is every influence that affects him after his birth” (p.12). It is thought that how one is nurtured is what controls the psychological aspects of child development and the concept of growth applies to the biological facets of human life. When infants bonds to the individual(s) bestowing love and affection, she/he has received, she/he is responding to the aspects of nurturing. To study the influence of environment on humans, scientists often turn to twin studies. By comparing sets of identical twins to those who were raised apart to those who were raised in the same environment, scientists can view the impact of nature and nurture. Since identical twins have the same genetic makeup, comparing twins who were raised apart...
Words: 811 - Pages: 4
...Augustine Appiah Dankwah BTEC Level 3 Subsidiary Diploma in Health and Social Care Unit 4: Development through the Life stages M1 For two of the life stages of your famous individual, discuss the nature/nurture debate in relation to their development. (PIES) For this assignment, my famous individual is Lewis Hamilton. I am going to look at how the nature-nurture debate manifests itself in two of his life stages. The nature-nurture debate is a concept debated by some theorist who argue that we are born the way we are; nature. And that we are brought up and influenced by our surroundings that make us the way we are; nurture We are going to look at Lewis Hamilton’s childhood and adulthood in relation to the nature-nurture debate 4-9years; childhood At this stage, physically Lewis was a healthy child. In relation to the nature-nurture debate, it can be said that Lewis’s health was based on how well he was looked after by his parents, the nurture debate. Also when we look at the nature debate, we could also argue that he had good health because he was born healthy, aspiring to the nature debate. At the age of six, he had the ability to use a radio-controlled car and to ride a go-kart. This ability is more a nurture debate because it was his father that nurtured him to have this ability by buying him a radio-controlled car and go-kart. His father encouraged him. He would not have this ability at birth. Intellectually Lewis attended John Henry Newham School in Stevenage...
Words: 813 - Pages: 4
...known as empiricists. (McLeod, 2007) Why has this debate become so controversial? According to McLeod, 2007 this debate has become heated because it begins a way of evaluating behavioral differences in society which then becomes a political debate about distributive justice and power in society. Many in psychology have come to the realization it is not an all or nothing view. Therefore, the debate has become one of deciding which one is most important. Leaving the question of if both factors influence our development which one is more responsible? Case Study A The Italian National Institute of Health, Rome Italy performed a twin study of the attachment styles in young adults. They assessed the relative contribution of both genetic and environmental influences to individual differences. They used the Experiences in Close Relationships questionnaire. They had a volunteer sample of 677 twins ages 23-24 drawn for the Italian Twin Register....
Words: 791 - Pages: 4
...Perspective Paper Teresa Haumschild PSY/375 August 12, 2013 Kay Rubin, MA Life Spain Perspective Paper When it comes to life span development you have to understand what it is and where it comes from or even how it got its name. As it was said by Boyd and Bee that life span development is the name that psychologists have given to the physical and cognitive changes that occur throughout a person’s life (Boyd & Bee, 2009). So I will be first explaining the life span of development, along with summarizing two different theories of life span development, and then the last one is just explaining how heredity and the environment interact to produce individual difference in the development. So what is life span development it is the study of which human development is the changes that do occur within each different period of one’s development and along with the changes they must be interpreted into terms in which the culture and the context do a occur. So it truly beings with conception and birth, because it has stages just like the transition stage that one goes through from childhood to adulthood. With this perspective it has the very same level of important to a person’s changes that lead into adulthood, in which had been just focused on changes in ones childhood instead. It can even be characterized in different things such as interdisciplinary research, multi contextual along with just emphasis on plasticity as well. The two theories that I have chosen are controversial...
Words: 721 - Pages: 3
...Have you ever wondered why you are the way you are? What makes you brave or shy? Intelligent or lacking common sense? For years psychologists have been debating if your genetics or your surroundings are more important to determine personalities. In this paper I will explain both sides of the debate and my own personal opinion, which is that genetics lays a base structure for who we can become and our surroundings build the rest. Some psychologists strongly believe that genetics have fairly little to do with people's personalities but rather it is our surroundings, culture, and traditions that shape who we are. According to Saul McLeod, author of "Nature Nurture in psychology from Simply Psychology, "At the other end of the spectrum are the environmentalists – also known as empiricists (not to be confused with the other empirical / scientific approach). Their basic assumption is that at birth the human mind is a tabula rasa (a blank slate) and that this is gradually “filled” as a result of experience." Other people for nurture believe our childhood and experiences are the only thing that determines how well each individual deals with social situations. In the article "Taking the 'vs.' out of nature vs. nurture" the author, Alana Snibbe, states how culture is a big part of nurture and who we are. Culture is humans way of answering life's unanswerable questions and it's this that shapes a lot about how we think and our individual psychology. People who believe in the same things...
Words: 1000 - Pages: 4
...ways of life, others believe that it is the environment that affects us, and some believe that both of these influence our behavior. Either way, social scientists have been struggling for centuries deciding whether our personalities are born or made. Tests are done often on identical twins that were separated to see how they are each influenced by their separate environments. In the past twenty years, it has been discovered that there is a genetic component to every human trait and behavior. However, genetic influence on traits and behavior is partial because genetics account on average for half of the variation of most traits. Urie Bronfrenbrenner, who studies genetics, said, "It is not nature vs. nurture, but the interaction of nature and nurture that drives development." Researchers are finding that the balance between genetic and environmental influences for certain traits change as people get older. Also, people may react to us in a certain way because of a genetically influenced personality and, we may choose certain experiences because they fit best with our instinctive preferences. This means that our experiences may be influenced by our genetic tendencies. One way researchers study the development of traits and behaviors is by measuring the influence of genetics throughout one’s life span, and it is found to be that the genetic influence on certain trait increase as people age. A research was done to see whether a trait would show up in a child if it was environmentally...
Words: 759 - Pages: 4
...when there is a role model that illustrates bad behaviour, that behaviour could be imitated by young children. A few psychologists criticised Bandura’s theories- where children behaved more aggressively after observing violent acts from their family members. This meant that children, who witness their parent’s aggressive behaviour, have a higher risk of being abusive later on in their life. This theory is also questionable as there could be other factors, like genetics, which affect the behaviour. Our behaviour is more influenced by the genes we inherit than the environment we are brought up in. When socialisation does affect our identities, genetic and hormonal factors have a greater impact. For instance, there was a twin study, where the research twins had been separated at birth and adopted by different families. They both had met a wife with the same name, and their dogs had the same name, with many other striking...
Words: 770 - Pages: 4
...are, with one of those factors being their religion, and when examining religion it is found that nurture trumps nature in shaping the beliefs of oneself. Since the Ancient Egyptians and even before (Mesopotamians) religion and spirituality have existed, there has been a consensual acceptance that there is a God, and when one closes their eyes for the last time, they become one with God, or in some cases; the devil or the ‘netherworld’. Through those times and the times of the Catholic church according to world renowned psychologist Dr Olivera Petrovich; “Religion has become the natural state-it is now hard wired by families into babies brains, it is atheism that is learned”. She bases the mantra of religion being parental based on a study of four hundred B.C. children of different faiths, and many aged four-six Japanese children. When asking all of these children about their faith they all without any guidance from their parents say they believe in God; whether they were middle eastern and replied they were Muslim or European and replied Christian almost every single child whether they’re parents were atheist or not at the age of four to six had a faith. Then when she (Petrovich) re visited them several years later; the answer was different All of those whom previously had atheist parents now considered themselves atheist and some of the...
Words: 759 - Pages: 4
...Psychologists, philosophers, and others have long tried to determine which factors have the biggest influence on determining who we become. Two of the most debated factors have been Nature vs. Nurture. Were we born the way we are because of our genes, or did we become who we are because of our environment or social interactions? Nature and Nurture have both had influences on my adult physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development. Nature Nature can be defined as our genetic make-up. We inherit physical traits such as height, weight, hair color, eye color, skin color and facial shape. This code is passed on from generation to generation. My son is the greatest example of this heritability. People often refer to him as my mini-me. He resembles me in almost every way. He has the same physical traits as I do, but they are packed into his smaller frame. Our cognitive development may also be determined by our genetics. Intelligence and/or developmental disabilities are often passed down from generation to generation. The most significant trait that I inherited from my mother that influenced my cognitive development is her intelligence. My mother and I both have similar intelligence and we both assimilate and process information in the same way. Nurture Nurture can be defined as different environmental factors and/or social influences that have potential impacts on our development. My mother made sacrifices and selected a safe community where her family could live...
Words: 451 - Pages: 2
...Angel Zamora Ms. Elliot AP Psychology, Period. 5 10-10-12 Nature Vs. Nurture The natural characteristics of a person can be either similar or different to the unnatural characteristics of a person. The natural characteristics of a person are the traits that come from their parents, which are the ones that people are born with which are passed on when you first are born. These traits are developed biologically. The nurtured characteristics of a person are the traits that people develop themselves throughout life. The environment of a person’s life determines a lot of their personality. The traits a person has after they were born were obtained because of the environment they lived in. There are many traits that I have inherited naturally from my mom and dad. I can tell that my athleticism has been inherited from my dad because he is a very hard worker at everything he does and he used to play soccer, football, basketball and volleyball when he was my age. My mom is also a hard worker and she is very smart in math, she is the one that always has to see everything cleaned in the house and homework finished, she basically takes control of any situation every time, which I know, I have inherited. I have also inherited some of my dad’s physical characteristics because my body is almost like his when he was young it came naturally and also some of my mom’s physical traits like her tallness, her whole family is tall, parents, and brothers. I can also tell that I have inherited...
Words: 743 - Pages: 3
...have always been disputes on whether the decision to be homosexual or heterosexual was based on biological or environmental factors. These disputes are known as the Nature vs. Nurture argument. The two sides argue over how gender is chosen within a person. Based on reproductive organs, sex is easily determined at birth: male or female. Gender, however; is the sexual identity an individual takes on. It is possible for sex and gender to be different. For an example of nurture children who were both born with an injured or damaged reproductive organ, males usually can be raised successfully as females. In order to understand which factor is the deciding factor of a person’s gender, both sides of the case must be fully evaluated. DNA studies which appear to prove that gender is a genetic trait. Researchers have analyzed the makeup of the human brain of homosexuals and heterosexuals seeking a connection between gender and the brains physiology. They found when studying the part of the brain directly related to a persons’ sexual drive, that homosexuals had an enlarged hypothalamus, whereas heterosexuals had a normal one indicating a direct correlation between the brain and gender selections (AllPsych). In researching DNA’s role in gender identity, some scientist have identified the gene that determines a person’s sexual preference. Although there are mounting evidence of the existence of a “gay gene, “the opposition denies the existence (AllPsych). |People in support...
Words: 822 - Pages: 4
...Check Point / Nature-Nurture Nature versus nurture is an issue that has been hotly debated for many generations. Because my family life was so disconjointed I have often wondered on what side of the argument my own personality formed. The thought that the way I am is because of genetics has always been a concept I struggle to accept as I lean more on the nature side of the argument as I see my personality formed more by the happenings in my life. I have recently met a few of my siblings for the very first time and found that we couldn’t be more different than if we were unrelated completely. Some professionals air on the side of nature some on nurture and some believe it is a complete combination of them both. Of the people who believe in nature, they believe that we are who we are because of our genetic makeup, while those who believe in nurture believe it is all in the experiences we have had in our lives, and last but not least the professionals that believe in the balance of the two believe that we have some hard wired elements to our personality while others are learned by our experiences. Pro-nature is based off of inherited traits that a person is born with. Pro-nurture means a person can develop traits through experience and one’s environment. Pro-nature perspectives concentrate on the genetic information with claims of that a person with certain genetics will be better than the next and come out on top. Pro-nurture...
Words: 413 - Pages: 2
