Attention Deficit Dichotomy

In “Attention Deficit: The Brain Syndrome of Our Era,” Richard Restak considers the effect of technology on our brains. As we process increasing amounts of information at ever-faster speeds, Restak argues that our brains are undergoing “profound alterations” in order to adapt to the changing needs of our modern world. As technology connects us to more people, places, and information than ever before, Restak warns that we are losing important cognitive functions, in particular our ability to focus and concentrate. However Restak fails to mention that technology has created significant affordances as well. Allowing society to advance as a whole, via social media, e-mail, cell phones, and other various communications. Technology is reshaping our habits of mind.Yes technology created a slight defect to the mind but many advantages came about using technology as an asset.

The nature vs nurture issue has been a controversial argument among psychologist for decades. This argument exposes two different views. One of them emphasizes that our personality depends solely on genetics (nature). On the other hand, the second view suggests that humans “develop through experience” (Myers 2013, SG 6) (nurture).

“The developed world deprives children of a basic and inalienable right: unstructured outdoor play. Children today have substantially less access to nature, less free range, and less time for independent play than previous generations had.” This quote is from the research based paper titled, “Where the Wild Things Should Be: Healing Nature Deficit Disorder through the Schoolyard." This article touches many aspects of how children now a days need more exposure to nature like it was on the older days. Currently, there are many playgrounds around the United States and even more the world. This article is trying to bring awareness to the problem of if playgrounds do not have enough nature or is too safe then it is

It is universally accepted that happiness pushes human society to progress. Happiness brings euphoria which all human beings naturally enjoy. To magnify happiness, people study philosophy to contemplate what brings happiness thus inventing new devices to ease their lives. Philosophy teaches people that acceptance, sharing and love arouse happiness. Consequently, new inventions implement their spiritual understandings about happiness in real life by facilitating communication. In Daniel Gilbert’s article “Reporting Live from Tomorrow”, he proposes that because there is not a single human encyclopedia in the world, communication is necessary to human beings and happiness stems from communication. Traditionally, people needed to make tremendous effort to communicate, but fortunately, new technologies bring easier communication. A good example is that electronic devices are extensively used now. However, immoderate usage of new technologies are harmful. In Richard Restak’s article “ Attention Deficit: The Brain Syndrome of Our Era”, he exhibits that attention deficit which is referred to as a psychological disability, is becoming a label of modern society. With almost addictive symptoms, people pass the boundaries of proper use of new technologies again and again and are now emotionally dependent on them. However, is it possible that people can get true happiness through electronic-devices communication? Although technology heightens people’s happiness temporarily, the fake

Kids who live in places like housing tracts, condos, and planned communities are not allowed or discouraged to take part in outdoor activities. More than 57 million people live in places that control what that person and their family does. Even the public government can restrict children’s access to nature. “For the most part the criminalization of natural play is more suggestive than real. However, in some communities, young people who try to recreate their parents’ childhoods may face misdemeanor charges or see their parents sued.” Page 29. With these regulations kids are basically forced to join a sports teams. Sports are good for kids but it doesn’t let them be free and do what they want. Studies have shown that modern families are spending more time watching television and on the computer. Growing obesity rates among adults and children because of diets and sedentary lifestyles. Since kids are not going outside and playing as much they are getting less exercise and are more obese than ever. U.S. researcher Jane Clark, a University of Maryland professor of kinesiology suggests “that a generation of children is not only being raised indoors, but is being confined to even smaller spaces.” “calls them “containerized kids”- they spend more and more time in car seats, high chairs, and even baby seats for watching TV. When children do go outside, they’re often placed in containers-strollers-and pushed by walking or jogging parents.” These are used to keep the kids safe but research suggests that it effects the long-term health of children. As more people are being affected by nature deficit more scientific evidence is emerging that indicates direct contact with nature is essential for mental and physical

According to Kuo and Taylor, more than 4 million children in the United States suffer from the effects of ADHD (2011). Families seek methods of treatment other than those traditionally prescribed such as medication, psychological therapy, or a combination of the two. Recently, newer studies suggest that children who are given the opportunity to participate in outside, “green” activities show milder symptoms and a decreased need for other forms of treatment (Kuo and Taylor). Middle school students will benefit emotionally, physically and educationally from the use of green space therapy as a primary source of treatment for the symptoms of ADHD.

What Louv adds is a focus on the restorative qualities of nature for children. He recommends that we reacquaint our children and ourselves with nature through hiking, fishing, bird-watching and disorganized, creative play. By doing so, he argues, we may lessen the frequency and severity of emotional and mental ailments and come to recognize the importance of preserving nature. At times Louv seems to conflate physical activity (a game of freeze tag) with nature play (building a tree fort), and it is hard to know which benefits children

Today’s society is drastically different from the previous. In the past, the most advanced technology was working electricity, no one had to worry about checking their work emails at home. Today we are constantly surrounded by technology, in fact we come in contact with it so often we are almost fully dependent on it in the work place, and at home. Richard Restak shows us the negative effects of that dependency in his essay “Attention Deficit: The Brain Syndrome of Our Era”. We are constantly at work with technology, and it is literally changing the way we operate. Matt Richtel has proof of this in his article based off a study by some neurologists titled “Outdoors and Out of Reach, Studying the Brain”. Today, we have little to no control over our addiction to technology and our work life, the two have merged into one stress filled existence. However, Alexandra Samuel lets us know there are better ways to deal with our technology based work addiction than quitting cold turkey in her article “’Plug In Better’: A Manifesto”. Due to technology, our work and personal lives have become impossible to decipher, leaving no time for a stress free and balanced life away from the office.

Scholars around the world commonly discuss the topic of “nature vs. nurture” in relation to the importance of an individual’s inherent qualities. All aspects of human behavior are affected by both nature and nurture, operating together. Nature refers to the factors that have shaped the genetics that we inherit from our parents and ancestors. Nurture refers to all the things that have influenced us since we began to develop- even from the moment we were conceived. Therefore, nature determines the range of our human potential while nurture affects the ways that our human potential is objectified, being helped or hindered by good or bad environmental contributions.

One of the main, and most controversial topics discussed in a child’s development is, nature vs. nurture. Nature pertains to genetic influences that a child has inherited from their parents, such as traits, abilities, and capacities. For instance, what color eyes the child may have, how athletic they may be, and even their brain development. Whereas nurture, refers to the environment the child is raised in and how this shapes their behaviors. Such factors can include, the family’s socio-economic status, schooling, parental discipline, as well as whether the child is provided with enough resources. When it comes to nature or nurture having a stronger influence then the other, the answer is both, nature and nurture, influence the outcome of the child. This idea that both nature and nurture, play a part in how the child will develop, is known as the nature-nurture continuum.

There has been a lot of debate about whether nature or nurture plays the biggest role in who we become. This particular topic sparks interest in me. While I have many siblings only three of us grew up together full time. All three of us have different dads, so on the nature side of the argument we only share fifty percent of that. But, all of us grew up in the same household with the same love and discipline. We are all very different but we are also very alike. We might not be a good group to study considering we’re all nature and only half nature. While some say that your biological makeup is who you are and all you are, others will argue that biology is a key part of our development however, it is not the only factor in play. They say, the way we are raised and the environment around us plays a big role in the way we turn out. This paper will provide evidence to answer the question: does nature or nurture play a bigger role in our development?

“The study suggested that free play in nature is far more effective than mandatory adult-organized activities in nature. Paradoxically, this suggests that organizers of nature activities should

From a total of 1,132 sources that presented themselves, at first glance only 11 seemed to be a perfect match for the research efforts at hand. Many of the sources were excluded rather quickly when the source did not meet the inclusion criteria. All references that met the inclusion criteria where then again filtered to insure the information embedded in the sources where an exact match leading to information about connecting children to the outdoors.

> This was an important point made in the article as it places emphasis on how interaction with the environment can increase a person’s overall well-being: physical and mental. Many clinicians that I know will communicate to their clients the importance of engaging in nature to reduce depressive symptoms; they communicate that mental grounding and nature activities will improve self-confidence and provide clients with a sense of altruism and purpose.

Throughout history, our society’s socialization, or lifelong social experiences, has been debated upon quite vigorously. It is quite evident that we all obtain certain characteristics and abilities through heredity factors, but many still argue that this is not the only explanation for how our lives are determined. The argument of nature versus nurture is still being discussed by many, although both have been seen to have an impact on our life experiences.