Nature Or Nurture?

1373 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Nature vs nurture in human behavior development pdf

Nick Barreto
Mrs. B
11/13/14
Nature or nurture?
One of the mysteries we as psychologists try to understand is who we are and who we will become. A lot of this concept has to due with whether nature, the genetic makeup, or nurture, the effects of environment, has a more significant influence on who we are. But having done much research regarding the distinguishing factors of nature and nurture on psychological development, I have concluded that neither can be fully responsible. Mokokoma Mokhonoana, idealist and philosopher, believed “Needs are imposed by Nature, wants are sold by society”. In a general sense, this statement is truthful but in dissecting the subject a bit further, the realities about genetic variance, heritability, and the effects …show more content…

Regarding our physical, psychological, and behavioral development, the two sources of stimulus are nature and nurture. Nature involves the inheritance of specific genes, shared by the view of Nativism, which believes that our brains are “hardwired” at birth. This means that we are predetermined at birth to be exactly what our brain has planned for us. The opposing force is nurture, which shares an empiricism view that a “blank slate” or Tabula Rasa theory is the indication that we develop mainly by the influences and experiences of environmental and social experiences. Interestingly, nurture has been expanded to include prenatal, parental, and peer experience as well as media, advertisement, and economic status. Due to modern research, we have found that neither force can account for full developmental responsibility. Donald Hebb, known psychologist, was once asked, “which, nature or nurture, contributes more to personality?" and in response asked, "Which contributes more to the area of a rectangle, its length or its width?". His statement supports the idea that both nature and nurture contribute to human development, and similarly, a rectangle’s width and length are essential for determining its area….. Having distinguished between nature and nurture, I would like to narrow the focus of biological development to the scientific approach of this …show more content…

Nature includes genetic variance and heritability from immediate gene pool. This reflects the concepts proposed by nativists arguing that humans begin development with a “hardwired” set of inherited genes and are predetermined to display either those from their mother or father. Nurture on the other hand encompasses the environmental factors such as family interaction, peer- pressure, and media in an idea titled environmentalism, which counters nativism with a “blank-slate” (tabula rasa) concept of maturation. The “All or Nothing” explanation of this phenomenon proves faulty because, based on the extent of my research, there is no single source that contributes to who we are and who we will become. The path that lies ahead of us is not predetermined as claimed by nativists, nor is it a “blank slate” waiting to be constructed. Both nature and nurture contribute significantly to our personality and behavioral development. This becomes obvious with the studies done involving twins (especially monozygotic) where results in behavior differed even when genes were identical. It is important that this informative essay upholds the idea, that no two people are exactly alike because of not specifically gene variations but rather the experiences that mold our perception of the world we live

Show More
Related

  • Nature Versus Nurture

    862 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the well-received novel “Pudd’nhead Wilson,” Mark Twain skillfully addresses the ancient argument about the origin of one’s character and whether it’s derived from his nature or his surroundings. We can best see this battle between nature versus nurture by inspecting the plot lines that follow the characters Thomas a Becket Driscoll, Valet de Chambre, and Roxana the slave. Thomas was born into a wealthy white family while Roxy birthed Chambers into a life of slavery. It seemed as though each would have gone their separate ways into opposite walks of life, but Roxy secretly swapped the children, which destined each to their counterintuitive fates. Through their words and actions, Tom, Chambers, and Roxy have proven the idea that one’s behaviors and desires are a result of his upbringings and the environment he lives in rather than by his innate nature.

    Read More

  • Nemo Nature Vs Nurture

    369 Words  | 1 Pages

    Have you ever thought about whether the way you are is based on your genetic makeup? Do you believe our environment shapes us into who we are, instead? In the psychology debate of nature versus nurture, I believe that nurture plays a big role in who

    Read More

  • Nature Vs. Nurture In F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby

    1247 Words  | 3 Pages

    The debate of nature vs. nurture continues today in the world of psychology. The effects of an individual’s genetics and the effects of their environment on their personality and actions is an age old debate that is still inconclusive. However, it is evident that both sides of the argument carry some form of the truth. It can be contended that the major characteristics of an individual are formed by their environment, more specifically, their past experiences. An individual’s past moulds and shapes their identity, if they do not make an effort to move on from it.

    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 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

  • The Importance Of Naturalism In 'Maggie: A Girl Of The Steets'

    1307 Words  | 3 Pages

    Today, many scientists accept that behavior and personality are determined by both nature and nurture. However, there is still the debate about the extent that biology or environment has to do with shaping a person. Nativists think that genes play the greatest role on what causes human’s to act certain ways, while empiricists believe the human mind is born free and is filled with likes, dislikes, and goals based on their environment. Overall, people are born with likelihood to act a certain way and have a predestined fate due to the way they grew up. They may be genetically predisposition to like certain things, but are still capable of changing based on outside influences. These thoughts are all part of the Naturalistic belief that nothing

    Read More

  • Nature vs. Nurture: What Causes the Evil Drive?

    666 Words  | 2 Pages

    There will never be an end to the debate over nature and nurture. Having examined different philosophers and studies it is clear that there are legitimate arguments for both sides. Locke believed that we furnish our minds with experience; Hobbes thought that human trait and behavior are determined at birth, and finally Bouchard concluded that it is a mixture of the two. It is this writer’s conclusion that neither nature nor nurture causes the evil tendencies, for it is a combination of the two that truly shapes a mankind. There are no rules. Who we become due to our nature and our nurture can only be decided on a case-by-case basis.

    Read More

  • Nature and Nurture

    585 Words  | 2 Pages

    The quote from the famous psychologist John B. Watson essentially sums up behaviourism. Behaviourism refers to the school of psychology founded by Watson, established on the fact that behaviours can be measured and observed (Watson, 1993). In behaviourism, there is a strong emphasis that the acquisition of learning, or permanent change in behaviour, is by external manifestation. Thus, any individual differences in behaviours observed was more likely due to experiences, and not by the working of genes. As the quote suggest, any individuals can be potentially trained to perform any tasks through the right conditioning. There are two major types of conditioning, classical and operant conditioning (Cacioppo & Freberg, 2012).

    Read More

  • Lord Of The Flies Nature And Nurture Essay

    691 Words  | 2 Pages

    Nature is the development of a human character through genetics or inherited factors. Nurture, on the other hand, is the development of human character through environment, culture, and experiences. Nature and nurture both hold prominent places in the maturation of one’s life. An article by Kendra Cherry on “What Is Nature Versus Nurture?” states “Other things like life expectancy and height have a strong influence by environmental factors and lifestyle.” This quote expresses that both nurture and nature strongly affect human development. This quote holds significance because it voices that nature is primarily impacted by nurture, for instance, life expectancy through genes

    Read More

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

    1328 Words  | 3 Pages

    and behavior of the child. In fact, the more we understand about development and behavior, the better. the more obvious it becomes that nature and nurture are similarly influences. rather than determinants, not only singly but also in combination. Here below, I will endeavour to expose the leading theories dealing with the question of nature.

    Read More

  • The Power of Nature and Nurture

    1557 Words  | 4 Pages

    Nurture is constituted by 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 behavior, character, and personality traits that constantly change and develop throughout life. The debate on nature versus nurture has existed for thousands of years.

    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

  • Nature Vs Nurture

    522 Words  | 2 Pages

    When we born, we all are like a blank slate (Uzgalis). Then, why are we the way we are? How the slate is filling? This answer will lead us to consider the decades of debate, nature vs nurture. In this age-old debate, scholars are trying to figure out whether it is nature or nurture influences and affects individual's development. Nature is heredity or genes that we get from our parents and nurture is our environment. We can't ignore, we share the DNA from our parents, but it is the environment that is filling the slate and shaping us. Again, environment is brighter in describing the shaping of a person because a person is a reflection of the environment of which they were brought up in. Here, environment refers to the experience, information, and knowledge that we acquire from our family, peers, school, neighborhood, and of course, from the media throughout our lifespan. So, I think, nurture has more influence on who we are and will be because our personality, behavior, values, and ideals are not born, but made by the environment around us.

    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

  • Essay On Nature Vs Nurture

    521 Words  | 2 Pages

    Have you ever wondered how you got the colors of your eyes from your mother, and the freckles from your father? And where did you get your diligent personality and talent for singing? Did you learn those from your surroundings, or was it predetermined by your genes given from your parents? While it’s clear to us that physical traits are inheritance from the past generation, the genetic parts get a bit more sophisticated when it comes to intelligence, personality, and an individual's behavior. Throughout ages, the arguments of nature vs nurture has been brought up probably more than the number of hairs on our head, but neither side have yet to prove that one is strong than of another. We do not know how much of what we are is determined by our genetic information and how much by our life experience. Some scientists think that people act as they do according to genetic predisposition or even "animal instincts," known as the nature theory of human behavior, while scientists believe that people think and behave in certain wa...

    Read More

More about Nature Or Nurture?

Open Document