Nature 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.

Sexual orientation refers to the emotional, sexual, and romantic attraction to men, women, or both genders. It also refers to a person’s sense of identity based on those attractions. In the early years, to be labeled as a gay, lesbian, or bisexual was known to be a mental illness. In recent years, it has been determined that it is a normal aspect of sexuality. Determining how one has this specific trait is up in the air. With homosexuality growing, sexual orientation has been a major discussion in the world throughout the last decade. Some have argued that it has to do with genetics, and some say that it has to do with the environment. This is known as the long-term controversy of nature versus nurture. The controversy discusses which side of the argument affects our behavior, intelligence, development, and personality. Scientists have been investigating and experimenting to find the answer to this debate. There has not been evidence that says one side is 100% the answer.

During the ages of early childhood, particularly from birth till elementary school, a child requires the utmost care and attention possible. Quite literally, a baby is born in the world as a seed and needs nothing more than unconditional nurturing in order to grow and develop at a steady pace. In the case of psychiatrist Bruce Perry’s “The Coldest Heart”, Leon is a teenager who comes from a tight-knit, affectionate family yet unlike his older brother Frank, Leon was never exposed to such care and attention. Instead, he spent his childhood in a state of neglect and darkness- an apparent yet uncalled for trigger to his juvenile, criminal behavior that shaped him to become what Dr. Perry considers being a “classic sociopath” (Perry, 114).

The nature-nurture controversy is an age-old dispute that has been debated since at least the time of Hippocrates (460-377 B.C.E). According to the nature stance, who we are as individuals, that is, our physical characteristics, personality, intelligence, and how we behave, is biologically inherited, now known through our genetics. Hippocrates for instance, posited that human behaviour was linked to our bodily fluids, which he referred to as humors. Four personality types were identified that were related to four humors: choleric, or yellow bile was associated with being hot-tempered; sanguine or blood to confidence;

One of the huge problems with the nature vs. nurture debate is that people often forget to include religion, beliefs, and God into the discussion. Religion, especially Christianity, plays a large role in the development of a person, being in part nature and nurture. Several people grow up believing God is real and He loves and nurtures everyone, and this can in turn give them an instinct to care and nurture others. But God also gives each person a natural instinct to love and protect others because He created mankind in His likeness, and His love is endless. The article Nature vs Nurture – Which Side is God On? makes the point that “God did not create us to be bad (it’s our nature). Nor does God provide an environment for us where we have to

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

Three things that I find interesting were nature verses nurture controversy because we as a human being always look at one side and make a huge deal of the stuff for example, negative behavior often credit to neighborhoods and environment. We do not see the nature affects the nurture and nurture affects the nature. Another one was genetic links because we do inherit certain gene from our parent for example, my mom is allergic to beef meat so as I and therefore, I’m unable to digest too. Next is outdoor play because playing has nothing to with vision especially when people believe watching TV constantly can dim our vision because many children in developing countries do not have access to television or internet and still got problems with

For years, the nature vs. nurture debate has always been a topic that biologists and psychologists cannot come to an agreement on. There have been many controversies that suggest that criminals are born and not made. Some biologists believe that it can be predicted whether or not a baby will grow up to have aggressive behavior by conducting research on them before they are born. In the early 20th century, biologists who supported the nature side of the debate were the same ones who believed traits such as learning disabilities, physical disabilities, and criminality were a drain on public resources . As a result, researchers believed they could ultimately control which human genes were passed on by using forced sterilization on women. However,

How is the nature vs nurture debate related to a consideration of the mental disorder, schizophrenia?

The nature and nurture debate is one of the oldest arguments in psychology. Both sides have valid and equal points, which make it really hard to pin point one being the strongest. The debate is based on whether a person’s development is influenced by their genes (DNA) or the environment they live in. They both play very important roles in human development, but it is still not yet known which one has the most influence over us.

The nature vs. nurture debate is one that has persisted throughout generations of scientists and neuroscientists. Some believe that all aspects of human behavior and human functioning are strictly hereditary, passed down from the parents through genetics. Others believe that the environment has a much greater impact, and can determine one’s personality and intelligence. However, this issue is not as black and white as it might appear. While genetics might have more power than the environment, it is my belief that both are equally important in the shaping of one’s personality and behavior.

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 nature-versus-nurture controversial debate has always been central to the theme of development. Naturally, several predominant theories come to the fore and place different weights on nature and nurture. My concept of interest is active adaptation theory, which falls on the relatively endogenous side of the scale of source of developmental change.

The most controversial dispute within the study of human development has been the Nature versus Nurture debate. The root of this major dispute is whether a person’s characteristics are inborn, the results of nature, or whether their characteristics are formed by environmental factors, the results of nurture. (PSYCH 56). While many argue that humans are the result of nature or nurture, I believe that we are a product of both.

For more than a century, researchers and psychologists, such as Sir Francis Galton, Charles Darwin, Sigmund Freud and many others, have been trying to understand how people are transformed by their environment. Researchers have mainly argued whether it is in fact our environment or rather genetics, our biological pre-wiring, which has influenced human behavior. This concept ultimately facilitated what is now known as the Nature versus Nurture debate. The Nature aspect states that human behavior is predetermined by our inherited genes or is the product of our innate behavior. The Nurture side of the disagreement postulates that human behavior stems from acquired attributes through individual learning and experiences. Correspondingly, the Object Relations Theory in psychoanalytic psychology supports the position that a person’s natural environment (i.e. family, peers, acquaintances, society) forms human development. The Object Relations theory stresses that it is the relationships between people, more specially family, often between mother and child, that crafts the human psyche.