How Nature And Nurture Influence Substance Abuse

For centuries, human’s behavior has been the center of attention not just for scientists, but also psychologist, scientist, and physiologies have always questioned what the root or main factor that contributes to a person's personality, sexuality; in other words, their entire behavior. Nature v.s. nurture has been one of the biggest debates that the scientific world has faced. Nature states that genes are responsible for human behavior, sexuality, and predisposition to certain diseases. On the other hand, nurture is defined as the theory that says all the contrary compared to nature. According to the nurture theory, the environment is the main factor that contributes to someone’s behavior, sexuality, and predisposition to diseases. This debate goes back to the era of the great philosopher Plato (428-348 B.C.E); who stated that temperament and intelligence are innate. Also, this debate has caused disagreement in two of the major psychologists known to mankind, Lev Vygotsky and Jean Piaget. The disagreement originated when Vygotsky stated that the cognitive development of a child is mainly influenced by

I grew up being told that addiction runs in the family and that it is inherited. The Etiology and Natural History of Alcoholism article (n.d.) does, in fact, mention that genetics play a role but other factors such as social, psychological, and environmental are also reasons to contribute to addiction. In turn, genes are not solely supported as the only cause for susceptibility. In fact, “[m]ost offspring of an alcoholic parent DO NOT develop alcohol use problems or disorders in their lifetime.” (Module 2: Etiology and Natural History of Alcoholism, n.d.)

Psychology is a developing science which studies the mental functions, processes, and behaviors of an individual. In the science of psychology, many debates arise; nature vs. nurture is one of the most popular ones. These psychological debates are followed by research, backing up either nature or nurture or both. Nature suggest heredity impacts human psychological development; nurture suggests the environment impacts our psychological development. Addiction plays a large role in nature vs. nurture. Addiction is defined as a person being attached to a certain activity or item; an addict is one who has a dependency on particular substances or activity. There are many debates on whether addiction is caused by genes or the environment. Many researchers believe if they had the answer of addiction being a genetic condition or an environmental factor, they would be able to resolve the problem of addicts, or so they believe.

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 classic debated topic of Nature versus Nurture has been and will always be a quarrelsome subject in the scientific world. Meaning, the issue of the level to which environment and heredity sway behavior and development in a person. Nature can be defined as, behaviors due to heredity. This means the behaviors is based on the inherited makeup of an individual and is an influence of the growth and development of that individuals’ all through life. On the other hand nurture is causes of behaviors that are environmental. This Intel’s the influence is from the individual’s parents, siblings, family, friends and all other experiences that individual exposed to during life. However, these concept of ideas supports the inborn genetic framework,

The question of nature vs. nurture has been the focus of many debates, especially within the discipline of psychological sciences. This paper will examine the views that exist regarding the importance of contributions to the risk of addiction, specifically, genetic (nature) vs. environmental (nurture) contributions through a review of the existing literature.

Biology and genetics influence substance abuse and addiction. According to Prescott, Madden, and Stallings, (2006), a number of obstacles confront researchers considering genetic influences on substance-related behavior. Preliminary there is a significant discrepancy across civilizations and archival periods in the prevalence and classifications of substance use (i.e., cocaine, alcohol, tobacco, cocaine, or heroin). A person’s biology is a determination in the addiction of risk. For example, Prescott, Madden, and Stallings (2006) assert many studies indicate increased rates of alcoholism among adopted males; although he is not influenced by his own biological parents (p. 475; see Cadoret et al. 1985; see Cloninger et al. 1981). It has been suggested that twins (e.g., adults) are most likely to inherit smoking dependence. Various studies throughout countries study variables (e.g., age and gender) according to Prescott, Madden, and Stallings (2006).

Our genes are responsible for our hair color, health and behavioral characteristics. Passed on by our parents, these genes may also be responsible for addiction. Parents can pass on genetic traits that make their children predisposed to addiction.

Consider the following scenario: John and his mother are both alcoholics. John has been exposed to his mother’s inappropriate relationship with alcohol since before he was born. In the age-old debate of nature vs. nurture, some would say it was merely natural for John to follow his mother’s path, a la the apple does not fall far from the tree—his addiction was inherited. Others would argue that John’s childhood experiences and home environment led him on the road to addiction. Many might question whether John would have fared better if he had been raised elsewhere. While John may have been a victim of circumstance or fate, a completely different angle can be considered. Perhaps John’s alcoholism is a genetic result—a result that was influenced by his unfortunate environmental factors. In other words, John inherited his nature via his nurture. The positions surrounding the explanation of John’s outcome have been debated for centuries by ordinary people, philosophers, geneticists and psychologists. With recent advancements, a second genome has been recognized and established as the “epigenome,” which is directly influenced by the outside environment (Francis). While extreme positions still exist within the nature vs. nurture debate, most scientists now agree that a combination of the two determines one's outcome; with the burgeoning field of epigenetics, however, the ability to overcome one's genes, to some extent, ends the debate and offers hope that can be viewed as American

I am greatly interested in the study of psychology due to the fact I want to be a clinical psychologist, counseling psychologist, or a substance abuse and addiction counselor. According to US News Article “A Blind Eye to Addiction” it states that “Over 38,000 people died of drug overdoses in the U.S in 2010.” Discovering the genetic and environmental causes for addition can potentially prevent drug overdoses. I am going to be persuading the audience to agree with my viewpoint on the topics of Nature vs. Nurture specifically in cases with drug addiction and alcohol addiction because most people take the genetic side (nature) or the environment side (nurture) where as I believe that both sides are correct.

For years people have argued that alcoholism is a choice and not a learned or inherited disease. These people will normally agree that yes, children are in fact influenced by family, but purely of a social nature, and that this disease is actually caused by poor economic status, poor social upbringings, or merely by imitating the behaviors of those who raised them. However, research has proven that in a great deal of cases there is in fact enormous basis for alcoholism being a genetic or inherited disease. While genetics cannot predict alcoholics very well, research can show that one can be born to be an alcoholic; the action and reaction taken in spite of or because of this gene however determines the

The nature vs nurture debate is one of the most enduring in the field of psychology.How far are human behaviors, ideas, and feelings, INNATE and how far are they all LEARNED?These issues are at the

Every story has two sides to it. Alcoholism is very complicated story in the “nature vs. nurture” debate. Alcoholism is uncontrollable and everybody has a different perception of what it is. A persons understanding of what alcoholism actually is can determine whether they think alcoholism is nature or nurture. From my own understanding, I think that alcoholism has multiple causes.

The development of human being during the entire course of life, focus on biological and psychological growth (Berk, 2010). Human development hold several outcomes that are altered by both positive and negative influences. Genetic (nature) and environmental (nurture) influences place significant impact on human development. In fact, Pinker (2004) submits that behavior is the result of a complex collaboration among inheritance and environmental factors in human development, ultimately supporting that nature-nurture work collectively (Pinker, 2004).

When someone says, “You get that laugh or that smile from your father or your mother.” You don’t always believe them, but in some studies today it is said that if your parents or anyone in your family has a history of a drug addiction those traits in their genes have a decent chance of being passed down to the children causing problems for them later in life. According to the Drugs and Addiction article in the 2009 Addiction Journal, “Family, twin and adoption studies suggest that the heritability of substance use disorders is moderate to