Nature Vs Nurture Child Development

Have you ever heard of the argument “Nature vs. Nurture?” It is the thought that your natural born tendencies have the biggest impact on your future self. Or, the opposing theory is that the way you are raised affects your personal outcomes more. However, clearly, nurture has a bigger impact on your adulthood successes than nature does because the people who have the educational advantages and the mental capacity to learn the correct, acceptable way to do things are consistently better off. With education, the argument for nature being the most important factor for successful development cannot hold true. Another example of how nurture can be an important factor would be that children who have a better, more secure home life typically get in trouble less in school and in society, which leads to more success in life in general. The reason for this is that, with the proper guidance, children can be taught to do the right things, despite what their natural tendencies might be. “It is how you are brought up that governs the psychologically significant aspects of child development and the concept of maturation applies only to the biological” (McLeod).

In this way, children are like monkeys because they tend to play “follow the leader.” This is an example of nurture, because the child is changing due to the people in their environment. The outcome of these changes can lead to both confidence and self-actualization problems, depending on the types of influences that are present. “Schools and classrooms are inherently social places, and it seems likely that peers have an important influence on adolescent achievement, beliefs and behaviors” (Ryan). This proves the point that children thrive off of ‘fitting in’ with their friends because they feel secure knowing they are