Essay On Nature Vs Nurture

There are numerous “nature” vs. “nurture” beliefs/perceptions that are commonly debated within our society. One highly debated and controversial topic is homosexuality. Homosexuals believe their sexual attraction to other people of their own sex is innate and alike their other human traits (e.g. eye color, gender and athleticism) are assigned to them by their genes (nature).

One of the bigger controversies today is the debate over nature versus nurture. With that debate going on there are many topics that are being researched under it, like serial killers, and what drives them to do what they do. Many scientists are still researching whether or not if serial killers are driven by the way they were raised or if it is a part of their genes.

There has always been a controversial debate based on nature vs nurture. What makes a person who they are today? Is it the genetic or their biological make-up? Or is it their environment; based on how they were brought up, social groups, societies values/beliefs? This question has been an interesting point of discussion between psychologists. Serial killers have always been fascinating because, they have usually murdered more than 3 people, so what makes them a serial killer? In my opinion I think both aspects contribute to your personality and how you are now.

be solved. From a nature standpoint, it is scientifically proven that genetics are able to but do not

Throughout my nineteen years of living I have gone through many events and have had many influences, both good and bad. Only a few of these events I would consider significant. I believe that both nature and nurture played a role in these significant events. Nurture had the biggest impact in my life and how I am today.

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.

The psychic of the young person is shaped by social interactions as well as the parental training. Often the young murderers were brought in pathological environments, they did not experience the parental love and acceptance, and they forced themselves to drown particular emotions so as not to appear weak. All these factors results in social dysfunctions that triggers violence and violence becomes the perfect self-defense mechanism, because it brings attention. According to the FBI’s list of traits that describe young murderers the most common syndromes are the feeling of isolation, the narcissist disorder, and depression6. A perfect example to support the above argument will be a background check of Jeff Weise, a young sixteen-year-old boy who killed 9 people and committed suicide in the Red Lake Senior High School in Minnesota in 2005. Weise’s family was the kind of pathological one, his parents were separated, his mother had a habit of drinking too much being an abusive alcoholic, what is more Weise himself was often bullied at school7.

To start off, as most of us have already know, social and cultural norms are one of the factor that influence in shaping one’s behavior, and one of them include the use of violence. The cultural norm, such one that encourage the use of violence as normal method of solving problem within families would be a risk factor of having the child likely to use violence once he or she grow up. According to Esposito, a psychotherapist, "Boys exposed to domestic violence may channel their feelings through aggressive acts such as fighting,

Emotionally, a child may constantly cry and fear the person who is committing these acts of violence. Some children may have a difficult time learning inside and outside of a classroom setting because of not getting enough rest at home, not being in a stable home, and worriedness. Most children have difficulties being socially active with others. They may not know how to talk or socialize with other children due to the fact that they might fear that they will say something wrong or do something wrong and be punished for it. Mentally, they may suffer from depression and/or anxiety, and maybe even exhibit the behavior that they have been observing (McGee, 2005).

Every day, hundreds of people fall victims of violent crimes. The FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports show that roughly 1,165,383 violent crimes were reported (Uniform Crime Report, 2014). Due to the dark figure of crime, the amount of unreported violent crimes is unknown. To try to prevent these crimes from occurring, researchers first need to understand why individuals become violent. The Nature verse Nurture debate argues that people are either born violent due to their genetic make-up or due to their environment; they are conditioned to have violent behavior. By using theories such as the Social Learning Theory and the Homicide Adaptive Theory, each side with be broken down. Through the analysis of Nature verse Nurture, it can be argued

1) Use the example of feral children to construct an argument in the nature versus nurture debate.

been research done to support both sides. Nature is the way that genes influence our behavior. On the other hand, nurture is the environmental factors that influence personality and beliefs (Cherry 2016). Twin studies are important because if they grew up in different cultures we can look at how the twins differ and how they are similar. Similarities may indicate biological factors that could potentially influence personality and desires. A well known twin study is the “Jim Twins’: Separated at Birth,” discussed further in depth later on. The significance of this essay is to explore factors that influence attraction because there are multiple

The nature versus nurture debate is one of the oldest issues in psychology. The debate centers on the relative contributions ofgenetic inheritance and environmental factors to human development. Some philosophers such as Plato and Descartes suggested that certain things are inborn, or that they simply occur naturally regardless of environmental influences. Other well-known thinkers such as John Locke believed in what is known as tabula rasa, which suggests that the mind begins as a blank slate. According to this notion, everything that we are and all of our knowledge is determined by our experience.

The nature versus nurture debate is an ongoing debate among social scientists relating to whether ones personality/personal characteristics are the result of his/her inherited genetic traits or the result of environmental factors such as upbringing, social status, financial stability, and more. One of the topics that are discussed among psychologists is the study of violent behavior among people as a whole, and in particular, individuals. Social scientists try to explain why people commit acts of violence through explanation of either side of the nature or nurture schools of thought. However, the overwhelming amount of research done into the relation of violent behavior and the nature versus nurture debate indicated that nurture is the primary explanation to explaining violent behavior because violent traits are learned from adults, someone’s social upbringing is a major factor to why some people are more violent than others, and finally influences from news media, movies, and video games enhance the chance for someone to exhibit violent behavior. In conclusion, violent behavior is a complex issue without a clear explanation that is overwhelmingly supported by the nurture side of the debate.

Children learn very early about right and wrong. The exposure to violence at a young age can have an effect on a person’s development and behavior as an adult. Children who witness violence often are more aggressive. Those rejected by their parents are more likely to experience PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) and problems with social information processing, which can lead to violence toward their intimate partners. A violent upbringing and a lack of early positive experiences, increases a child’s tendency to become violent in the future.