Nature Vs. Nurture Case Study

Identical twins are many times seen as genetic reproductions representing variations from twin to the other twin and are created because of environmental factors (Cervone & Pervin, 2010). Since identical twins share identical genetics, his or her personality seems to also share similarities. Moreover, the environment can impact fraternal twins, resulting in fraternal twins personalities and his or her characteristics similar to each other. For example, identical twins. Some research shows twins that are raised in the same residence have little differences from those who are raised in a different home.

Nature vs Nurture debate is the representation that society is an organism, but the question is do we inherently possess the knowledge to function as an organism, or are we taught this skill. The debate over Nature vs Nurture is more of a struggle about which theory is the correct theory in my opinion. Social behaviors can be the product of both genetics as well as an influence by our environment.

“Trying to separate out nature and nurture as explanations for behavior, as in classic genetic studies of twins and families, is now said to be both impossible and unproductive” (Levitt, 1). Social scientists have declared the nature-nurture debate to be unnecessary. Similarly, scientists feel that such debate is not only unhelpful, but also outdated. From geneticists’ perspective, nurture and nature interact to influence

One of the oldest debates in psychology is nature versus nurture. Nature is the inborn, innate character of an organism. (Spencer A. Rathus pg. 56) Nurture is the sum total of the environmental factors that affect an organism from conception onward. (Spencer A. Rathus pg. 56) Basically nature is what you have from heredity and nurture is you environmental influences.

In D1 I will be assessing the genetic and social factors on a person’s development; I will be using the David Reimer and few case studies of my own about twins. I will then come to my own conclusion of which one I think is the most important in each story nature or nurture.

Hereditary along with environment is a personality development that is a heated debated in the area for several of years. So when it comes to nature versus nurture the personal experience that a person goes through is basically determining what is causing the individual the differences in their physical and behavioral traits as well. Then the frequent personality that is of the heritable trait that has been researched just in twins along with adoptions as well. Then for a bit of a twist when identical twins were studied they found out that they were far more similar when it came to their personalities and then when they looked at just random people that were just selected in pairs of two.

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

The theory to this study was that if you take two people with exactly the same genes, separate them at birth, and put them in completely different environments, the behavioral and personality characteristics that they share as adults can only be explained through genetics. Participants in the study were specifically monozygotic twins who were separated at birth, lived apart from each other for a significant span of their lives, and reunited as adults. Each twin underwent a series of tests and interviews individually so that it was impossible for them to influence their answers.

Susan Evers and Sharon McKendrick, the famous identical twins from the movie The Parent Trap, were separated at a young age by their divorcing parents. Sharon grew up in Boston to a socialite mother while Susan grew up in California on her father’s ranch. Sharon had structure while Susan’s life was very laid back. They looked the same and liked many of the same things, yet their personalities were very different. What is responsible for these differences? Is it simply that they are two different people with different interests and preferences? Or did the environments that they grew up in play a part in making who they are? In the nature vs. nurture controversy, nature proclaims that our genetic make-up plays the primary role in human

The main focus of this study is whether nature or nurture is stronger. The researches wanted to see if twins who were separated at birth would still grow up to be similar. I believe the results will be that the twins will share some interests and similarities, like all siblings do, but because of the separation they will not be as similar as that might have been if they had been kept together. From my experience, people are born with a personality. There are certain traits that we are born with that the environment we grown up in can influence, but cannot completely change. With that said, the environment we grow up in does play a large role in the people we become and what are opinions are. As we talked about with the sociological imagination, outside influences make a huge impact on our

Twin studies are a vitally important tool for dissecting the nature versus nurture argument. Twins provide a naturally occurring experiment and they are most likely the best indicator of determining whether biology effects traits and psychopathology in human beings. Researchers are seeking circumstances involving twins providing evidence of known variations in the extent of genetic similarity or environmental stability. The key factor in utilizing twin studies to determine biological basis for personality differences exist among identical twins and fraternal twins. These studies provide data among the individuals that are genetically identical but yet, display visible differences that may be attributed to environmental differences. Additionally, researchers used such studies involving

Who a person’s parents or relatives are is already predetermined at conception. The traits that a child’s family have are going to be his/her traits simply because of genetics. According to the above study done on Croatian twins, genetic factors account for “stability in personality” from seventy-five to one hundred percent (Bratko and Butkovic 155). The researchers used genetic models to look into the differences between twins. They broke genetics into two sources in this study: additive genetic influences and nonadditive genetic influences. Bratko and Butkovic insinuated that, based on the findings of this project, heredity was mostly attributed to the steadiness of personality in the pairs of twins. In the novel Nature Via Nurture: Genes, Experience, & What Makes Us Human by Matt Ridley, a quote was attributed to Ralph Greenspan from his research on romance between fruit flies. He likened personality to this

A child will feel love and compassion from the comfort of a parent and will exemplify that with anyone they encounter. The parenting style a child endures will shape their judgement of character and determine which parenting style they will use for their own offspring. According to the American Psychological Association, the parenting style a child experiences correlates with the societal, emotional, and individual development a child or adolescent undergoes. A parent that is involved in their child’s life will create a better outcome than a parent who is not involved. Another family dilemma would be if a child were to be adopted into a family that was not blood related. We would correctly make the assumption that nurture has a role within the development of that child. The child would not have the same genes as the family that they were adopted into. The child would develop from nurture based on what the family provides. Some may argue that genes are a vital component with the source of development especially among identical twins; however, I myself am an identical twin and can prove that my genes are not a huge component of my development. People conclude that since identical twins are a mirror of one another physically, that they are the same way cognitively. My sister and I have dissimilar interests and have our own individual personalities that were not predetermined from genes. If the nature argument were to be true, my sister and I should be living in the same place and studying the same major. We have the same genes, but are not completely influenced by biological

According to Charlesworth (2016), nature and nurture both directly influence the children’s psychological development. From the case study, nature led to Jane and Mary’s psychological depression. The main reason for this observation is that the actions of their biological parents exhibited poor psychological development. Furthermore, Jane’s positive nurturing by her foster parent has helped her to overcome her genetic challenges. However, Mary lacked proper nurturing from her foster parent, hence was unable to overcome her genetic predisposition. The differing outcomes in adoptive care pointed out clearly elaborates the influence of nurture on the twins.

From these studies, researchers have found that twins who have grown up in the same household share similarities in the way they think, act, dress, speak, etcetera. However, with the first type of twin studies, researchers could not differentiate whether the similarities were due to them having identical/similar genetic makeups or growing up in the same environments. Therefore, in order for psychologists to know whether similarities in twins are genetic or socially influenced, they studied twins who grew up in completely different households and environments. The study showed that despite growing up with a different family and in a different environment, they still had noticeable similarities in fashion, interests, and thought processes (K.W. Brown, personal communication, August 29, 2017). Twin studies, as well as other studies, have greatly contributed to our understanding of overall role that genes play in the development of psychological traits and behavior.