The Role of Nature vs Nurture

629 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Explain the roles of genetics in our society of today

The Role of Nature vs Nurture "We used to think our fate was in our stars. Now, we know, in large part, that our fate is in our genes." ---James Watson While social research has been steady and ongoing, our biological knowledge has advanced disproportionately in recent times. As we discover more about the role of genes in pre-determining who we are, the nature versus nurture debate seems headed for a tilt of the biological over the environmental. Nature, or our biological aspect, does matter a lot. From the point of fertilization, genes guide the growth of cells, the embryo and eventually the fetus. The physical configuration of the newborn, from the positioning of the limbs right down to dimples, is almost entirely charted by genes. Noam Chomsky's theory of the language acquisition device argues that we are linguistically pre-wired - the only reason why young children manage to learn languages before their brains have fully grasped the sophisticated logic needed to understand syntax and semantics. In a study of Rhesus monkeys, it has been shown that some monkeys are bor...

Show More
Related

  • Jewelry Making: Hydraulic Die Forming

    612 Words  | 2 Pages

    This new form was called hydraulic die-forming. Hydraulic stems from the Greek word hydro meaning water and aulos meaning tube (McCreight, 2004). In today’s society, hydraulic pressing and stamping of dies are used for everything from making small pots and pans to the more extravagant automobile body models. Another use that has recently developed is the more artistic use of, producing form in silver and gold. In order to achieve this smaller, cheaper scale of die-forming experiment were conducted by Richard Thomas and Ruth Girard, which eventually led to the development of the pourable epoxy steel...

    Read More

  • Animal Imagery In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

    495 Words  | 1 Pages

    Steinbeck uses Candy’s old, smelly dog to help us understand Candy’s character. Very much like his dog, Candy has nothing to offer anyone but a small amount of comfort. Candy's dog was his only companion, but the dog was not a real companion in the human sense. The dog needed to be cared for and tended, much like George and Lennie’s belief that any comfort it offered was intangible and ultimately misleading. It’s through this use of imagery between Candy and his dog that we better understand the characters.

    Read More

  • Nature vs Nurture: Genes vs Environment

    1049 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...on to be something different than what my upbringing would dictate. I believe, firmly, that we cannot blame our genetic makeup or our parents for our problems as adults and our lifestyle choices are just that, choices. I don’t think that the nature vs. nurture argument can ever be settled in one clear way over the other because they do not dictate our life. We can overcome factors of either of them, by choice and will.

    Read More

  • Painting What We See Within: A Look at the Insides of Art Therapy

    1148 Words  | 3 Pages

    Art therapy uses media and the creative process in healing, the key word here being process. We all know how revealing the artwork of children can be of their emotions. Art therapy applies this concept across the spectrum in a multitude of situations. It functions in many of the same settings as conversational therapy: mental health or rehabilitation facilities, wellness centers, educational institutions, nursing homes, in private practices or in a client's home. An art therapist may work with an individual or group, in families or couples. While most therapy is based on conversation between the therapist and his or here client/s, art therapy integrates visual communication into th...

    Read More

  • Free Nature vs. Nurture Essay

    484 Words  | 1 Pages

    Today, realising that genes and environment cooperate and interact synergistically, traditional dichotomy of nature vs. nurture is commonly seen as a false dichotomy. Especially operant conditioning, i.e. the learning of the consequences of one's own behavior can lead to positive feedback loops between genetic predispositions and behavioral consequences that render the question as to cause and effect nonsensical. Positive feedback has the inherent tendency to exponentially amplify any initial small differences. For example, an at birth negligible difference between two brothers in a gene affecting IQ to a small percentage, may lead to one discovering a book the will spark his interest in reading, while the other never gets to see that book. One becomes an avid reader who loves intellectual challenges while the other never finds a real interest in books, but hangs out with his friends more often. Eventually, the reading brother may end up with highly different IQ scores in standardized tests, simply because the book loving brother has had more opportunities to train his brain. Had both brother received identical environmental input, their IQ scores would hardly differ.

    Read More

  • Naturally Cruel

    635 Words  | 2 Pages

    To begin, Steinbeck’s foreshadowing throughout the plot to reveal the element of cruelty. On example of foreshadowing is when Crooks, Lennie and Candy are in Crooks’ room and Curley’s wife walks in asking if they have seen Curley. In response, Candy replies, “You gotta husban’. You got no call foolin’ aroun’ with other guys, causin’ trouble” (77). In this instance, Steinbeck foreshadows Curley’s wife eventually causing trouble. This shows the cruelty in human nature because Curley’s wife is not innocently talking to the men, she is purposefully causing a row on the ranch. The next example of foreshadowing in the novel is when Candy’s dog is killed. Carlson says to Candy, “Look Candy. This ol’ dog jus’ suffers hisself all the time. If you was to take him out and shoot him right in the back of the head-“ (45). Throughout the plot, the reader can see the parallels in the relationships between Candy and his dog and Lennie and George. The dog and Lennie are both nuisances due to their handicaps. The cruelty lies in the fate that awaits characters like Lennie and Candy’s dog; they are killed because they are no...

    Read More

  • Humanistic Theory vs. Evolutionary Theory

    919 Words  | 2 Pages

    Evolutionary theory is developed from Darwin’s argument that “suggests that a process of natural selection leads to the survival of the fittest and the development of traits that enable a species to adept to its environment. “ Many have taken this a step further by saying that our genetic inheritance determines not only our physical traits but also certain personality traits and social behaviors. There is such a controversy over significant behaviors that unfold because many believe that we are already pre-programmed human species. It has also been argued that evolution is reflected in functioning and structure of the nervous system and that is has evolutionary factors that have a significant influence on everyday behavior. With what is being said means that if we follow the evolutionary theory, then it would be said that we are already pre-programmed from before birth to follow certain protocols in life. Whether it is from finding a mate or by getting a job. It also believed that this theory gives use cues from our own system to follow, providing us with certain aspects of life from our ancestors. By believing in this theory we can determine that the importance of heredity when influencing human behavior. Behavioral geneticists and evolutionary psychologists have both agreed that not only do genetic factors provide specific behaviors or traits but it also shows the limitations on the emergence of such traits or behaviors. What this means is that our genetics will determine how tall we will be to how ...

    Read More

  • Nature vs Nurture: Do Genes Or Environment Matter More?

    925 Words  | 2 Pages

    Nature does not simply determine our physical traits. In Alina Tugend’s article, “For the Best of the Best, Determination Outweighs Nature and Nurture,” Tugend explores the interaction of nature and nurture when it comes to talent. Tugend states that “’genetics influence how quickly and how well a person can master the expertise necessary to perform at world-class levels’” (Tugend 7). Nature influences our abilities or our capacity to do something. If nature can determine how quickly someone can develop a talent, then it does not play such a minimal role in our actions. Zoologist Matt Ridley argues that is nature via nurture in his article “What Makes You Who You Are.” Ridley states that “[genes] are both the cause and the consequence of our actions” (Ridley 5). Our genes and our actions are more connected than we thought. Genes can produce actions and our actions affect which genes are active in our lives. Nature greatly influences our behavior, but it is not all nature.

    Read More

  • Genetic Determinism

    2847 Words  | 6 Pages

    Steen, R. Grant. DNA and Destiny: Nurture and Nature in Human Behavior. New York: Plenum Press, 1996.

    Read More

  • Mandatory Meal Plans Essay

    1926 Words  | 4 Pages

    Did you ever imagine that what goes into your body might depend on something other than your choice? Currently at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University at the Daytona Beach campus, many types of campus issues exist. The mandatory meal plans for first-year students has become a very controversial issue. This controversy is caused by the mandatory purchase of at least 14 meals per week, amounting about $3,000. From my experience as a first-year student, I can say that I would save $1,000 an academic year eating the food and the quality I like if I was not required to buy meal plans. In this essay, I will argue that mandatory meal plans do not benefit first year students because of the cost, nutritional value, and dietary restrictions.

    Read More

  • Deforestation in the Amazon River Basin

    774 Words  | 2 Pages

    Deforestation of the Amazon River basin has been progressing for decades as mass quantities of land have become necessary to sustain the growing farming industry of the area. Road-building, farming, ranching, and logging have been devastating to the tropical forests and the change has been rapid as deforestation of the area only began around 1970 (Fearnside, Pfaff). The government of countries in the Amazon have designed their current initiatives around increasing infrastructure and business, but these initiatives are largely responsible for deforestation activity (Laurance). The decline in forests of this region has become a serious issue as the effects it has on the climate and ecosystem of the Amazon River basin and the rest of the world are great. The high rate of deforestation in this area, averaging from 25,000 to 50,000 square kilometers per year since 1970, suggests numbers that project a complete absence of Amazonian tropical forest within the next 50 to 100 years if greater prevention methods are not taken (Shukla). These number projections mean threatening futures for deforestation dynamics, carbon fluxes, forest fragmentation, impacted ecosystems, social issues, and climates both of the region and the world.

    Read More

  • Nature vs. Nurture in Language

    1141 Words  | 3 Pages

    In attempt to understand individuals, psychologists debate whether nature or nurture accounts for human abilities and capacities. The term “nature” refers to the characteristics and abilities that derive from genetics, such as eye color. The term “nurture” indicates the abilities and capacities we acquire from society and the environment around us – the things we learn. Both nature and nurture influence how humans behave and function. Determining where the qualities and characteristics derive from will help us understand and assist the subject we desire to learn about.

    Read More

  • Disadvantages Of Art Therapy

    1848 Words  | 4 Pages

    One of the disadvantages of art therapy is that the therapist is more vulnerable to misinterpretation in terms of the objective understanding of content. Care must be taken not to make rapid interpretations on the specific piece of art which might prevent or even deny the client the satisfaction of discovering and finding out for herself (Case and Dalley, p. 65). This is because art therapy involves a lot of interpretation, it is understandable that critics about this technique are similar to that of psychotherapy. The client’s images can come across as many things with contrasting ideas, but only the individual themself can explain it. The therapist is urged not to point out obvious red signals, instead they should allow the client to come up with their own interpretations. Their own interpretations alone are something to make note of as it may shed some light on the client's thought process about the

    Read More

  • Expressive Arts Therapy

    1170 Words  | 3 Pages

    Pierson, M., & Wilson, H. (2009). Exploring Art as Therapy. In Using Expressive Arts to Work with Mind, Body, and Emotions: Theory and Practice (pp. 202-222). Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsly Publishers.

    Read More

  • Personal Narrative: B-R-I-N

    250 Words  | 1 Pages

    The “B” stands for brother. In 2005, my little sister, Erin, was born. We have a strong relationship, and I do my best to provide a positive influence. However, the term brother extends beyond its literal interpretation; it extends to my whole family. My sister, mother, and father are the most important people in my life.

    Read More

More about The Role of Nature vs Nurture

Open Document