Nature Vs Nurture Essay

Nature Vs Nurture Essay
Nature vs Nurture
What makes a woman a woman and a man a man? Are we who we are because we are raised differently from others? Many of our physical traits such
as gender, skin colour and blood group are rather straightforward in that they are directly attributed to our genes which have been mapped out in recent
years. However, certain human traits remains a biological mystery. These traits have been studied on the "outside" but whose "inside" origins remain
unclear. Such "mysterious" traits can be anything like intelligence, athletic ability, skin tone and muscle mass. They are traits that some claim to be
acquired later in life.
One such trait, which has brought about much political, religious and social sensitivity, is that of...show more content...
However the same theory can be applied in the reverse way –– the same weak father may cause strong male identification in the son by way of
compensation.
Human behavioural traits cannot always be explained by popular social theories. Even within the field of genetics, a complicated behavioural trait
such as homosexuality is likely to be caused by a host of genetic factors as opposed to simply one gay gene. Research shows that the basic template for
the body and brain of a human foetus is female in its structure. It is the influxes of male androgen hormones in male foetuses that forms the testes and
alters the brain to a male configuration. It is commonly believed that effeminate gay men suffer from the lack of androgens during this critical period.
However this belief fails to explain why some athletes have effeminate behaviour while many homosexuals are not effeminate.
The controlled male twins study of Bailey and Pillard (1991) showed a 52% concordance of homosexuality in monozygotic twins, 22% for dizygotic
twins, and 11% for adoptive brothers of homosexual men. This research seems to suggest that "gay gene" has a 50% penetrance factor, a measure of
the likelihood of gene expression. In 1993, Dean Hamer of the National Cancer Institute in the USA discovered that 33 out of 40 pairs of homosexual
brothers had the same genetic markers in the Xq28 region of their X chromosome. This finding,
Get more content on HelpWriting.net

Zachary Hobbs Sheen Cowper Psychology 200 20 October 2017 Nature vs Nurture In today's society, it has become common to question what exactly
makes us human. There are many questions to ask that pertains to the idealism of mankind, but the most important would be, "what shapes us into who
we are?" The debate of whether nature or nurture molds the character of our being has been an exhilarating question throughout the history of time.
Though this matter is only answered through individual perception, with nature being genetics and nurture serving as the environment in which an
individual is raised from birth to adolescence. For centuries the argument between nature and nurture has brewed, yet it can be inferred that nurture has
more of an...show more content...
Just as morality, beliefs are molded by the environment that a given individual is raised. In a study performed, children who were primed with a
picture of santa claus, the more likely they were to share candy. While this is the case in America, a child who lives in India would have no clue
who santa claus is or anything about the Christmas holiday. Fears are important to acknowledge as well. A study in 1960 tested the depth perception
of children between the ages of six months to a year and two months, in an attempt to see how the children would react to heights and loud noises. In
the study, children were placed on a platform with plexiglass set at the end, which could be walked on, though wasn't due to the fear of falling off of
the platform, while also showing evidence of what neuroscientist Seth Norrholm of Emory University states as an individual 's, "...acoustic startle
reflex." (kunang) "You're going to duck your head due to loud noises being startling," (kunang) says Norrholm. The learning of fears can also be
evident from the Little Albert experiment, in which a baby by the name of Albert was introduced to animals, accompanied by a loud noise that made
him cry. After countless times of repeating this process, little Albert began to not only fear animals, yet anything that had any close relation to fur. The
two fears of falling and loud noises are the only natural, instinctive fears in the human

Nature Vs Nurture
The debate on nature versus nurture is an old philosophical issue in psychology. Nature involves all genes as well as hereditary factors, which
influence who we are. These range from the physical appearance to the personality features of a person. Nurture involves all environmental variables,
which determine who we are: experiences during early childhood, how one is raised, the surrounding culture, and one's social relationships. Biological
psychology today insists on the significance of genet is as well as biological influences. When it comes to behavioral psychology, the most important
thing is how the environment affects behavior. Unlike earlier when debates on relative contributions of the concept took a one–sided approach, experts
currently

Nature vs Nurture Essay
Nature or Nurture?
The Determination of Human Behaviour
The nature versus nurture debate has spanned over decades, and is becoming more heated in the recent years. Following the mapping of the human
genome, scientists are pursuing the possibility of controlling human behaviour such as homicidal tendencies or insanity through the manipulation of
genes. Is this possible for us to ensure that humans behave in certain ways under certain circumstances in future?
This is highly doubtful, as the determination of human behaviour depends not only on genes (nature), but also on the environment (nurture). It is usually
the "joint product of genes and environment", one of the first principles in Leda Cosmides and John Tooby in "Evolutionary...show more content...
Behaviour genetics include twin studies, family studies and adoption studies. Adoption studies focused on how people with different genetic make–up,
brought up in a similar environment may or may not share similar behavioural patterns and family studies on people with the same genetic make–up.
The results are not conclusive, although it is found that the possibility of people who are genetically similar, sharing similar behavioural traits is higher.
Twin studies remain our interest. Identical twins have 100% identical genes and the same shared–environment (same home, same parents, same
siblings, etc) , and thus any differences between them will be the non–shared environment (individual friends, own perceptions).
Fraternal twins share about 50% of their genes and the same shared–environment. Studies made by comparing behavioural traits in these twins are once
again not conclusive: about 40% of the variance in these traits are genetic, 35% non–shared environment and 5% shared environment.
("The Nature/Nurture Controversy, Frank Fujita. Attached)
The chances of similar genes creating similar behaviour is never 100 percent. The one thing that can be concluded, therefore, is that it takes a
combination of nature and nurture to create behavioural patterns as adherent to our thesis. To make it more evident that nature alone cannot determine
human behaviour, we

Nature vs. Nurture It is a matter of concern whether human behaviors and characteristics are determined by nature or nurture. If a person's behavior is
inherited directly from the genes of his/her parents or other biological factors, then it is the nature that determines his character. But if the environment
that a person grew up in, affects his behavior, then it is the nurture that determines his/her character. It became a great matter of controversy among
scientists, psychologists and sociologists. Previously, many people believed that human behavior was instinctive. It can neither be taught nor learned.
But later some psychologists came to the conclusion that human behavior is learned throughout the lifetime which is not instinctive....show more
content...
This may not be because of particularly being a black man, but because of the culture he has adopted since his childhood. Here he somehow takes the
side of nurture. Many black people are assumed to be criminals. People judge them just by their appearance and the impression black people have
made in today's world. But this does not always mean that every black people are criminals and it's their biological factor that makes them do
crimes. We can take the example of Brent Staple. Even though he was an educated and good person, many people and especially white women fear
of him. But he was neither an uneducated person nor a criminal. He was brought up in a good family and properly nurtured by his parents. Therefore,
nurturing became the factor for his behavior. Similarly, there are examples given by another author Amy Cunningham in her essay, "Why Women
Smile". Although she focuses primarily on a smile, she tends to explain the actual cause of one's behavior. She explains that a smile or particularly a
women's smile comes from both natural happiness as well as the hope of people living around them, "The behavior seems to be an equal blend of
nature and nurture" (Cunningham 190). She further explains that both a normal baby and a blind baby smiles, although it may take a little longer for
the blind one. It means that the smiles are natural and should not be taught in all cases. However, there are situations where

Differences Between Nature Vs Nurture Essay
Throughout this paper, we will be comparing similarities and differences between our seven members based on the Big Five Inventory test results
to our Zodiac sign attributes. Each member of Psychology 101 Group 14 was required to take the OCEAN Big Personality Quiz, and then
compare the results to the other members of the team. Then after looking at the results individual members compared their scores to their Zodiac
signs to see if they could identify similarities. To begin, while looking at our comparatives scores of the OCEAN Big 5 Personality quizzes, we
found that a few group members were similar, although there was many differences in the group too. For example, Gabe and Damon were similar
in Openness, with a score of 41 and 35 respectively. On the other hand, Socoro and Vivianna were outliers in the group, with Vivianna having a
score of 5, and Socoro with a score of 59. We believe while the scores are closely related, our reasons for being close together in Openness value
more shows the debate between nature vs nurture. Gabe's belief on being in the 35th percentile is how he was raised throughout his family
environment similar to Kaitlyn in the 41st percentile, while Damon's belief for being in the 41st percentile was more so being born into the statistic
rather than recalling any events that contributed to his score. Rachael scored in the 16th percentile, which indicates a preference of a more regular
schedule. She believes that this is because of how she

Nature Vs. Nurture Issues
The nature vs. nurture issues is the most important study of human development for many reasons. In fact, both issues play an important role in human
development over time. One main reason why nature vs. nurture is an important study in psychology today is because of its developmental traits. Traits
are characteristics inherited from your parents. Also, a trait is something that is passed down from generation, such as a person's personality. The article
stated many different interactions between nature and nurture. One nurtures interaction the article stated was that human traits are biologically pasted
down by parents. I agree with the fact that some traits are biologically pasted down by parents. In fact, some traits can become adopted

Nature Vs. Nurture Essay
Nature vs. Nurture Essay Throughout many years, scientists have been debating about whether nature or nurture is the driving force that shapes a
person's cognitive abilities and personal traits. Before the ongoing debate can be explained, it is necessary to understand what nature and nurture
actually are. Nature is loosely defined as the genetics one inherits and tendencies that influence development. Many things in an individual are
hereditary, for instance; gender, disease, height, eye color, natural talent for an activity, and many more. Nurture can be defined as various
environmental factors that a person is exposed to, which can influence how a person develops. Nurture affects an individual's growth through multiple
ways such as: stressors, activities, intellect and experiences, physically, emotionally, and socially through peers. Progressively, many are realizing that
asking to what extent environment or genetics influence a person's traits is not necessarily the correct way to approach the debate. In all actuality there
is not an easy way to sort through the multiple forces that exist in these situations. However, numerous researchers are now looking at how the two
factors intertwine and influence one another because only one of them could not simply exist alone without the other very well. Nature and nurture
coexist and work together to help shape a person, whether that is from the two working equally or one being slightly more predominant over the other,
however

Nature Vs Nurture
Nature vs. Nurture Even though some people just act a certain way because that is how they are, like my brother. He usually always acts rude
because that is how he is. The person you are is determined by the people you hang out with, because I have personally done this before and it is
not because I'm a liar it is because that is how they know me and I would act more jokingly or more passionate towards them because they are a
different person, I have noticed things like this in my time on this earth. People can act differently around other people if you paid close enough
attention to them, and As my grandfather always said, "You show me your friends I will tell you what type of person you are." and I believe him
because if you do notice that...show more content...
To be honest I believe that nature and nurture are both contributing factors to your life and personality. For example in this quote. "The study,
published in Nature Genetics, reviewed almost every twin study done in the last 50 years and found that 49% of the average variation for human traits
and diseases were down to genetics, and the other 51% were due to environmental factors. When visiting the nature versus nurture debate, there is
overwhelming evidence that both genetic and environmental factors can influence traits and diseases," said lead researcher Dr. Beben Benyamin,
from the Queensland Brain Institute (QBI), in a statement. "The findings show that we need to look at ourselves outside of a view of nature versus
nurture, and instead look at it as nature and nurture." (IFLScience.) This study supports my argument by bringing things together instead of keeping
them apart. One thing that we as humans do is always separate things so we can identify ourselves separately because it is easier to process. What we
should be doing is try to study things as a whole first instead of separately the first time given the opportunity to do

Nature vs. Nurture Essay
Nature vs. Nurture
Through time, psychologists have argued over whether only our genes control our behaviors in life or if the environment and the people surrounding
us have any effect in our lives. This is called nature versus nurture. We do not know what dictates our behavior, or if it is acombination of both. One
question is, if genes control our behavior, are we really responsible for our actions? I think that if we can make choices we are responsible for our
actions. While or genes influence various aspects of our personalities, there is no denying that our environment has some effects too. Our genes make
us, but our experiences and our surroundings shape the way we behave...show more content...
Researchers have also found out that, even though a person may have a certain behavior–controlling gene, it is not always active. This research puts the
responsibility for actions back on the individual. Humans do have free will, and they can choose if they want to let their body or their mind control
them.
Another question is, if an individual does not have the "bad gene," but they commit a crime, are they more responsible. To look at this issue from
another perspective, judges determine responsibility for actions by something called blameworthiness. This acknowledges a person of their actions
and their consequences. If a person does not know what they are doing, such as a mentally ill person who commits a crime, or they are not aware
of the consequences, such as a child who plays with a parent's gun, then they cannot be legally held responsible. This would answer the previous
question with a firm no. Blameworthiness makes no mention of genes, so if you had the "bad gene" and you committed a crime that you were fully
aware of doing and you knew the consequences if you got caught, you would be fully responsible for your actions. From my standpoint, all healthy
individuals are responsible for their actions. I believe that genes control our physical characteristics, but have a small role in controlling our behaviors.
As I mentioned before, some people have a certain genes, but they are not active in their bodies. This could mean

Nature vs. Nurture
When we look at the world around us today, we are struck by the amazing diversity that we see in people. There is a vast diversity in the
characteristics of people that are immediately obvious: short, tall; fat, thin; Asian, Caucasian; and many other characteristics. Each person as an
individual is unique, be it in physical outlook or character. How is it that of the 6 billion people on Earth, there are no 2 individuals who are exactly
alike? Every persons physical and psychological characteristics are determined by many factors, and these can be divided into 2 main groups: our genes
and our environment, or nature and nurture.
What are our genes? Genes are the chemical blueprint unique to each person. Different...show more content...
This shows that even in similar environments, differences will still arise regardless of their genetic constitution, i.e. minor variations will result in large
differences in phenotype regardless of genotype.
Human behaviour is a complex interaction between genes and the environment. In its more advanced forms, behaviour is not determined by genes. For
example, the most common behaviour found in adults of any race is the use of language, whereas in newborns, language must be taught. If it was
genetically determined, then the baby should be able to speak once born: the tongue and throat would not have to distort into positions they are not
used to. Primitive behaviour is more likely to be genetically programmed into an individual. For example, the sucking and grasping reflexes of a
newborn infant are present even in the womb, before any interaction with the environment is possible. These behavioural traits may involve reflex arcs
present only in newborns because after some time, the individuals no longer behave in this manner. Perhaps cultural influences cause an inhibition of
the neural pathway (such as the mother telling the infant to stop sucking it's thumb). The majority of behavioural traits are acquired later in the
development of an individual. Most people go through very strange behavioural changes in the course of their development, especially during

The old question about nature versus nurture has made a lot of different opinions in the world. Some people think that everything that they are, is
because genetic. However, other persons think that the environment makes who they are. In my opinion nature and nurture make people's life different,
depending what factor people take to develop the differences between nature and nurture, it can explain if all human behavior are learned or is part of
it inherited. Nurture is defined by the society and environment people live in. Most people take their personality or talents from the place where they
use to be. The environment influences people's life. The society can see how the personality of a person is by knowing who are the people around
...show more content...
This research gives a good explanation about how the different environments change the personality of the twins. They have the same genes but
their personalities have changed in a big way. Besides, the author describes the two twins. ABC claims that "Lily has no siblings; Gillian has two.
Lily's family is Presbyterian; Gillian's is Catholic. Lily's neighborhood is ethnically mixed; Gillian's is not. Lily's family celebrates some Chinese
holidays and plans on sending her to Chinese educational classes; Gillian's family does not, instead wanting her to become part of Canadian culture"
(ABC NEW). The twins' environment is totally different. It makes that their personality, way to talk, and express show as they weren't twins. Nurture
is described by the environment that people live in. Depending the place where a person is, can affect or benefit him. Nature emphasizes in how
people acquire things by genetic, hereditary tendencies and biological factors. Some people use to copy or obtain different characteristics from their
family. In many families, people make hereditary tendencies to the next generations year by year. In addition, children acquire many things from their
parents. Such as, gender, psychological disorders, eye color, hair, lips, dimples, curled toes, eating habits, and stress. The web site ThoughtCo provides
a briefly explanation of nature using homosexuality as support. Crossman claims that "Homosexuality is considered a genetic result rather than a

Nature vs Nurture
For the past five weeks we have studied three different but influential people in our perspective on human nature class. They are Freud, Plato and Tzu.
The main discussion between all of them is nature versus nurture. I will discuss the difference between nature and nurture and then I'll apply to each of
these philosophers and how they react to it.
When looked up in the dictionary the term nature means the universe and its phenomena or one's own character and temperament. When discussed with
these philosophers it is meant as one's own character revolved around the universe for which they live in, basically they're surroundings. At the same
time when I looked up the word nurture it said the upbringing,...show more content...
Not because we were taught those things but for the fact that they are instincts embedded in our minds for survival. For nurture the psychosexual
development is due majorly because of nurture. From oral to anal–retentive these are all due to expressive characteristics that are given or raised from
birth. The one that has the most effect is the structural model. Reasons for me stating this is because the id is the primitive part of the mind that is
basically a natural instinct. At the same time the ego is also because of natural instinct simply because of the reality principle. Freud even went as far
as stating, "..adults ego–feeling can't have been the same from beginning. It must have gone through a process of development"(13). The part where it
changes is the superego, which is the only form of nurture in the psychoanalytic perspective, which is because the superego only developed because
the child began to incorporate parental values and also operates according to the raising and discipline of the parents.
Now if you look at Plato's point of view Plato supports nurture more than nature. The only points that Plato made that would seem to support nature is
the point he made for example is when he talks about female guards. The reason for this is also because he feels that women should be given lighter

The Concept Of Nature Vs. Nurture
The concept of "nature vs. nurture" is well–discussed in both society and sociological communities, in the context of personality, mental health
disorders, and sexuality, amongst other topics. Regardless of one's personal philosophies on the subject, it can be argued that conditions of one's
life have impact on who they may be and what they may become. If a child enjoys math and science in school, he or she may pursue careers
involving those subjects, a decision impacting the child's whole life. If a child has divorced parents, he or she is more likely than his or her peers
without divorced parents to get a divorce later in life, something that dramatically alters a person's standing in society and among their peers
(Dennison). The purpose of this paper is to call attention to the correlation between life events and aspects of a person's personality, specifically sexual
identity. Although sexuality is thought to be innate in humans, negative life events and conditions, such as abuse and neglect, disabilities, and
substance use disorders, correlate with one's "sexually diverse" identity. To clarify before proceeding: in this thesis, "negative" is meant to refer to
having poor effects on the social standing, social skills, and mental health of a person. In addition, the definition of...show more content...
The philosophy of this "intersection" of identities is often overlooked because of society's tendency to categorize people into merely one identity. This
can result in the asexualizing of disabled people and the assumption that all sexually diverse–identifying people are able–bodied (Higgins). Despite
these conclusions about people with disabilities, "LGBT adults...were more likely to have disabilities, and were more likely to demonstrate mental
health problems than heterosexual adults" (Richmond

Nature Vs Nurture
In the world of psychology, nature and nurture have great meanings as to how it affects an individual. It is argued on which one affects someone's
personality, behavior traits, and thought process the most. Nature is somebody's genes, physical traits, and biology and nurture is how someone
was raised and how they live including their family, their culture, and the environment in which they are surrounded with. I agree that both nature
and nurture have a great impact on many things in a person's life. I know that in my own personal life I have been impacted by both in particular
ways. I do know that genes play a part in my personality and thought process in small ways however, I believe that I am more affected by
environmental factors. My reason for that conclusion is because, if I were to examine both my father and mother's personality, behavior, and
thought process, I would find that my own traits are different in vast ways. It might be argued that I am a good mixture of both but, I just do not see
this to be true. I move, think, and act at my own pace and in my own ways that are very different from either my mother or my father. If I were to
even go back one more generation, I would still see the many differences between my mother and her parents or my father and his parents....show more
content...
For example, in some cultures, children are expected to start working and doing tasks at a younger age than in other cultures and it influences their
thought process and behavior as well as their personality and ambitions. In my own personal life I have grown up in a culture where technology is
very involved in everyday life. I first had access to the internet from age twelve and have had access ever since. I have become almost dependant on
using it for everyday things. The world that I am growing up in is a technological one and it is greatly different from the world ten, twenty, or even
thirty years

Essay on Nature vs Nurture Debate
Nature vs Nurture Debate
Nature versus Nurture is the issue of the degree to which environment and heredity influence behavior and development. In this issue nature can be
defined as, behaviors due to heredity. Which means behaviors are based on the genetic makeup of an individual and is an influence of the individuals'
growth and development throughout life. On the other hand nurture are causes of behaviors that are environmental. Which means the influence is
from, parents, siblings, family, friends and all other experiences to which the individual is exposed to.
Throughout my childhood, I didn't grow up free of environmental influences nor did I develop without being affected by my inherited genetic makeup.
I think...show more content...
In reading stories about identical twins my point of view is easily understood. Various types of psychologist have analyzed the study of identical twins.
It shows that individuals with the same genetic make–up can be totally different, when it comes to personality. Nurture promotes the twins to grow up
as separate individuals. Its a lot better if a twin has his or her own personality rather than the same exact personality of the other half. I think this great
debate weighs heavier on the nurture side. As a child my parents, and sibling overshadowed my genetic make–up. No matter how much I thought my
physical traits made me behave. It did not affect me more than the things that I had seen and been exposed to. The more things that I had seen around
and experienced made me the person that I am today. If my genetic make–up was totally different, to a certain extent, I am sure that I?d behave the
same way that I do presently. There are exceptions to that. For instance if I were six foot five and one hundred and ninety pounds, I?d most likely
be in the NBA and be really rich. I think if I was really rich and in the NBA I wouldn?t have the same worries that I have today. Even if before I were
in the NBA I would have lots of attention and have a lot more confidence. So to an extent I would change a little if my genetic make–up were different.
In a sense, genetic make–up is just a competitor to the environmental factors

Nature Vs. Nurture : Nature Versus Nurture Essay
Nature versus Nurture
You got your dark brown hair from your father and you got your looks from your mother, but where did you get your excitement for sports and your
love for all animals? A person's physical characteristics lean more towards genes and heredity, but our genes are not mentioned as much when behavior
is the topic. This is how the nature versus nurture debate first began. Scientists who believe in the nature theory believe that people behave the way they
do due to heredity and genes. On the other hand, nurture scientists believes behavior is taught and influenced by the environment and the surrounding
people. Many say that behavior results from nature, while others believe in the opposite, the environment. Human development has been viewed as one
of the most highly controversial topics in the world of psychology today, and the debate of nature versus nurture is at the top of the discussion list.
Discussion
Nature There are two types of believers regarding human development: nativists and empiricists. Nativists are those who believe that specific skills or
abilities are "native" or engrained into the brain in the womb or at birth. Each person has their own unique genetic code that is specific to that
individual as a whole. Therefore, some people are born with a more superior genetic makeup than others (McLeod, 2007). Bowlby's theory of
attachment is an example of a strong nature position in psychology. His theory illustrates the bond between a mother and her

Nature Vs Nurture
Nellis 1
Morgan Nellis
Research Article Assessment #1
HDFS 230
09 September 2015
Nature vs. Nurture
The nature vs. nurture is a debate that everyone has probably heard before. The article titled, The Unnatural Nature of Nature and Nurture: Questioning
the Romantic Heritage written by Andrew Stables in 2008, talks about the debate. In this article nature is described as having potential for cultivation.
It can refer to everything and anything in the biosphere. Nurture is described as education and the support for growth. It is said that we can never be
fully sure about how we should nurture. In this article Stable explains how he believes that nature and nurture are unstable. He illustrates the nature vs.
nurture debate from the late Renaissance...show more content...
nurture debate from the late Renaissance and early Enlightenment, the natural growth, or nurture, argument within the Romantic tradition, and the
current views on the argument. The article came to the conclusion about the viewpoint on the debate from each of these eras by looking historical
events during that period and how people from those eras reacted in certain situations. This article showed me that debates really do change over time
and that they are on going. This information is very important because it shows the complexity of the nature vs. nurture argument and how it is not
just a simple yes or no question. It shows how we should just not accept an answer, but that we should really try and figure it out for ourselves.
Individual's conceptions are always changing and this topic is

Nature Vs Nurture
Nature versus nurture is a popular discussion in this world. Inherited traits or life experiences are believed to play a greater role in shaping your
personality, For example, committing crimes. Criminals have been studied in the past few years, to determine if their actions are inherited traits. This
debate of nature versus nurture focuses on the relative contributions of genetic inheritance and environmental factors to human development.
Nature refers to genes and heredity. There are many characteristics within a person. For instance, nature determines eye color, hair color, genetic
diseases and many more things. However, these characteristics are also influenced by environmental factors and lifestyle. Nurture is tied to
environmental influences,

Nature Vs Nurture Essay

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

More from Help Me Write A Paper Muncie

More from Help Me Write A Paper Muncie (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Nature Vs Nurture Essay