How Does Nature And Nurture Affect Human Development, Behavior And Personality?

798 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Environmental factors that influence child development

The debate on whether nature vs nurture impacts human development, behavior, and personality is ongoing. There has been an abundance of contributions to the debate throughout the years. This debate is based on two standpoints. The first standpoint is that human development, behavior, and personality is inherited through a person’s genes. The second standpoint is based on the belief that human development, behavior, and personality is learned through your environmental experiences. It’s often easy to determine where an individual gets their physical features from. You can generally look at their family and see similarities between the individual and their parents. Physical characteristic as well as certain diseases such as eye color, skin pigmentation, …show more content…

(Sigelman and Rider 2014) Individuals who support the nature theory believe that the genes passed on from the parents to the child dictates the path in which they will grow and learn. On the nurture side of the debate are those who emphasize change in response to environment. All the external physical and social conditions, stimuli, and events that can affect us. (Sigelman and Rider 2014) Individuals who support the nurture theory argue that an individual’s experiences shape their development, behavior, and …show more content…

If genes matter identical twins should be more similar because they have 100% of their genes in common. (Sigelman and Rider 2014) Scientist conducted a study on a set of identical twins. This study differed from other twin studies because it followed the pair that had been separated from birth to adulthood. Scientist could compare their similarities as well as their differences. The argument was that twins that are raised in the same environment may be alike due to their identical genetics or their identical environment Whereas twins who are raised apart differences between them must be attributed to differences in their environment, while similarities are mainly due to their identical heredity. (Gruber 1981) Paula Bernstein and Elyse Schein had been part of a secret research project in the 1960s and '70s that separated identical twins as infants and followed their development in a one-of-a-kind experiment to assess the influence of nature vs. nurture in child development. (Richman 2007) The birth parents and children did not know the real subject of the study. The twins were separated at birth, and were not reunited until 35 years later. “Since meeting Elyse, it is undeniable that genetics play a huge role, probably more than 50 percent," Bernstein says. “It’s not just our taste in music or books; it goes beyond

Show More
Related

  • Nature Vs. Nurture In The Bad Seed

    446 Words  | 1 Pages

    The nature versus nurture theory is a way to distinguish whether certain traits or characteristics of individuals are impacted more by biological means or environmental means. What the “nature” part signifies in the the theory is that we are more impacted by heredity and biological effects of our personality and what defines us as a person. What “nurture” signifies is that environmental factors have a more powerful impact on our lives and personality. As we mostly know, most things aren’t black and white, and so it’s hard ro determine which type of factors is more effective. Most people believe that it’s a blend of both nature and nurture that makes us who we are.

    Read More

  • Nature vs. Nurture

    1206 Words  | 3 Pages

    Susan Evers and Sharon McKendrick, the famous identical twins from the movie The Parent Trap, were separated at a young age by their divorcing parents. Sharon grew up in Boston to a socialite mother while Susan grew up in California on her father’s ranch. Sharon had structure while Susan’s life was very laid back. They looked the same and liked many of the same things, yet their personalities were very different. What is responsible for these differences? Is it simply that they are two different people with different interests and preferences? Or did the environments that they grew up in play a part in making who they are? In the nature vs. nurture controversy, nature proclaims that our genetic make-up plays the primary role in human development, while nurture declares that our environment dictates our development.

    Read More

  • Nature vs Nurture: Twin Studies and Adoption

    1969 Words  | 4 Pages

    “The term “nature versus nurture” is used to refer to a long-running scientific debate. The source of debate is the question of which has a greater influence on development: someone's innate characteristics provided by genetics, or someone's environment. In fact, the nature versus nurture debate has been largely termed obsolete by many researchers, because both innate characteristics and environment play a huge role in development, and they often intersect”. (Smith, 2010 p. 1)

    Read More

  • Nature vs Nurture: Genetics vs Environment

    1611 Words  | 4 Pages

    The nature vs. nurture debate: the nature side, are those such as biologists, psychologists and others in the natural sciences, argue that behavioral traits can be explained by genetics. Those taking the nurture side are sociologists and others in the social sciences, they argue that human behavior is learned and shaped through social interaction. This argument should be dismissed because you don’t have to look far to see that both genetics and our environment, plays a role in who we are and our behaviors. (Glass). The point is there is a complex relationship between nature and nurture, either one alone is insufficient to explain what makes us human. (Colt). Our heredity gives us a basic potential,...

    Read More

  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Nature vs Nurture

    926 Words  | 2 Pages

    Since the beginnings of psychology the debate of nature verses nurture has been going on. Certain psychologists take the position of the nature perspective. They argue that people are born with predispositions towards certain personalities, traits and other characteristics that help shape them into the people that they become later in life. Meanwhile multiple other psychologists argue the nurture perspective. They believe that people are born as a blank slate and their experiences over the course of life help shape their personalities, traits, and other characteristics.

    Read More

  • Erikson's Theory Of Personality

    1844 Words  | 4 Pages

    A common dispute that has left people speechless for years is the debate between nature and nurture. Are humans influenced by their environments or their genetic make-up? This theory has not gone unnoticed while many theorists attempt to sway the opinions of their audience. Nature is comprised of our genetic and biological components that make us who we are while nurture is founded on the principle that humans are influenced by experience. I believe nature and nurture fall on a spectrum. Within the spectrum environmental, cultural, and genetic influences comprise a person’s unique

    Read More

  • Nature and Nurture, not Nature vs. Nurture

    1763 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...s may never agree on a conclusive degree to which both nature and nurture play roles in human development, but over the years, more improved studies have shown that both are crucial aspects. With all the knowledge we are gaining from these studies, it would be quite limiting to believe that a criminal and his actions are the sole result of heredity. Even in people who do not commit crimes, genes themselves are affected by the prenatal environment. Undoubtedly, the fetus experiences changes in environment, forcing possible changes in heredity and reactionary response. We are likely to never find the answer to how much or how little either, nature or nurture, impacts our lives, but at least we can agree that they both do, in fact, have major roles. Our development is not the culmination of heredity alone, but of a tangled web of experiences and genetics entwined.

    Read More

  • Nature vs. Nurture - We are Influenced by a Combination

    1328 Words  | 3 Pages

    significant role in determining our behavior and our well-being. “Through new genetic studies, clinical observation, and research on identical twins and. adopted children, we are becoming increasingly aware that many of the human.

    Read More

  • The Power of Nature and Nurture

    1557 Words  | 4 Pages

    Noted psychologist Jerome Kagan once said "Genes and family may determine the foundation of the house, but time and place determine its form" (Moore 165). The debate on nature versus nurture has been a mystery for years, constantly begging the question of whether human behavior, ideas, and feelings are innate or learned over time. Nature, or genetic influences, are formed before birth and finely-tuned through early experiences. Genes are viewed as long and complicated chains that are present throughout life and develop over time. Nature supporters believe that genes form a child's conscience and determine one's approach to life, contrasting with nature is the idea that children are born “blank slates,” only to be formed by experience, or nurture. Nurture is constituted of the influence of millions of complex environmental factors that form a child's character. Advocators of nature do not believe that character is predetermined by genes, but formed over time. Although often separated, nature and nurture work together in human development. The human conscience is neither innate from birth or entirely shaped through experience, instead, genetics and environmental influences combine to form human behaviorism, character, and personality traits that constantly change and develop throughout life.

    Read More

  • How Nurture is More Dominant than Nature

    1120 Words  | 3 Pages

    Undoubtedly, humans are unique and intricate creatures and their development is a complex process. It is this process that leads people to question, is a child’s development influenced by genetics or their environment? This long debate has been at the forefront of psychology for countless decades now and is better known as “Nature versus Nurture”. The continuous controversy over whether or not children develop their psychological attributes based on genetics (nature) or the way in which they have been raised (nurture) has occupied the minds of psychologists for years. Through thorough reading of experiments, studies, and discussions however, it is easy to be convinced that nurture does play a far more important in the development of a human than nature.

    Read More

  • Research Paper On Nature Vs Nurture

    965 Words  | 2 Pages

    One of the most well-known debates in psychology is nature versus nurture. Nature is pre-determined traits, influenced by biological factors and genetics. Physical characteristics such as height, hair color, and eye color is all determined by the genetics we inherit. Nurture is the influence of environmental factors. Nature and nurture affects the physical, emotional, and social development of a child.

    Read More

  • The Effects of Nature and Nurture on Shaping of Behavior

    529 Words  | 2 Pages

    Nature is the word used to describe the biological aspects that shape behaviour, for example genes. Nurture is the word used to describe the social aspects that shape behaviour, for example interaction with parents. This essay will cover both sides of the argument referring to psychological theory. To start with the psychodynamic theory, this is defined, according to Dictionary.com as “The interaction of various conscious and unconscious mental or emotional processes, especially as they influence personality, behaviour, and attitudes”. This is a theory used on the side ...

    Read More

  • Are We a Product of Nature or Nurture?

    1119 Words  | 3 Pages

    Someone can physically look like their parents, siblings or even ancestors from the third generation. When a baby is born, it is common to learn in a natural way. No one teaches a baby how to crawl or how to react when he and she is hungry. However, talents, qualities and personalities are developed through experiences. The environment in which people grew up can have a lasting effect or influence on the way they talk, behave and respond to things around. According to Steven Pinker, Behavioral genetics has shown that temperament emerges early in life and remains fairly constant throughout the life span, that much of the variation among people within a culture comes from differences in genes, and that in some cases particular genes can be tied to aspects of cognition, language, and personality (2). Researchers believe that the origin of behaviors occur in genes in the DNA or even animal instincts which this concept is known as nature of human behavior. Other researchers believe that people are they were they are because they are taught to do so. This concept is well known as nurture in human behavior. In society, there will always be the doubt between Do we born in this way or do we behave according to life experiences? I strongly believe that nurture plays an important role in the upbringing of a child and the decisions that one makes in the future. Firstly, humans learn from their environment and other’s behaviors. Secondly, culture is a huge remark in people’s life. Finally,

    Read More

  • Nature Vs Nurture Essay

    1522 Words  | 4 Pages

    Nature vs nurture debate is one of the oldest arguments in the history of psychology. It is the scientific cultural, and philosophical debate about whether human culture, behavior, and personality are caused primarily by nature or nurture. Nature and nurture are both equally important. They are the two are major influences that affect the person you grow to be and will determine what your children will be tomorrow. Nature refers to heredity, which are traits and features that are inherited from your parents and ancestors. At birth you, as a person, inherits 50% of each parent 's genetic material that are passed along through the chromosomes found in the DNA. Hair color, height, body type, and eye color are some examples of characteristics

    Read More

  • Nature Vs Nurture Personality Development Essay

    737 Words  | 2 Pages

    It is true that identical twins who are raised together have many things in common,

    Read More

More about How Does Nature And Nurture Affect Human Development, Behavior And Personality?

Open Document