The Argument Of Nature Vs. Nurture

Psychologists have debated the argument of nature vs. nurture for years on end. Although more evidence is being discovered, the topic is still very arguable. The debate started back in 1869, when Francis Galton was the first to use the phrase, “Nature vs. Nurture” (ORIGINS). The debate circles around whether people are who they are from their genes, or if their environment impacts their actions and personality. Most psychologists believe it is a one or the other decision, however there are still a few who believe both are right. Nature is defined as, “our genes” (Definition); it is what we are born knowing. On the other hand, nurture is defined as our “environment and experiences” (Definition). Clearly things like eye color, height, and other physical traits are solely connected with your genes.

Two highly debatable arguments are if people are born criminals or not, and are people born gay or does their environment affect their sexuality? Homosexuality has always sparked debates within psychology. Up until recently, there was no evidence to support nature’s role in it. In 1957, Karen Hooker went through with the first psychological test that tested for biological determinism (Heffner). Hooker was mainly testing to find the correlation between homosexuality, psychological development, and illness. “The results of Hooker’s experiment yielded no significant differences…because both groups’ answers scored very similarly, she concluded a zero correlation between social determinism of sexuality.”(Heffner). In 1973, the APA took out homosexuality from Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Psychological Disorders due to Hooker’s findings (Heffner). After the results of Hooker’s experiment confirmed that sexuality is not sexually determined, D.F. Swaab conducted the next notable experiment that would be the