Nature Vs. Nurture : Childhood Development

The biggest controversy in psychology today is whether genetics or one’s environment plays a role in the behavior of the individual. Psychologists have researched and developed different theories to explain the reason for the way humans think and behave. The behavior of individuals is either inherited or learned. In my opinion, I believe that nurture plays a big role in the individual’s behavior. Kendra Cherry states, “Nurture refers to all the environmental variables that impact who we are, including our early childhood experiences, how we were raised, our social relationships, and our surrounding culture” (1). People have become who there are because of the environment they were exposed to in their childhood years. The behavior of people is influenced be the environment that surrounds them and can changed many times through one’s lifetime. People have different personalities a person’s

The debate between nature versus nurture keeps coming out these years whenever people talk of children’s developmental issues. In the topic of bullying, there are both nature and nurture reasons to make a child acts aggressively. According to Klahr, Klump and Burt (2014), children’s antisocial behaviors are strongly affected by the environmental factors. These factors included negative parenting styles and parent-child relationships. In this way, if a child sees his or her parents act aggressively toward others, so it is predictable that the child is likely to bully his or her peers to some extent.

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).

“You inherit your environment just as much as your genes.” (Rich, 2015) In 1869, the phrase “nature vs. nurture was coined by an English polymath named Francis Galton. There are two sides to this debate, each with their own pros and con’s. Nature is the side that argues that the DNA and genotype humans are born with determines who they are and what personality and traits they will have throughout their lifetime. Whereas the nurture side of the debate argues that humans are born with sponges as minds, and through interactions and experiences while we grow, the knowledge and understanding of life is gained and this is how our personalities are sculpted. Many people have studied this debate through multiple schools of thoughts; each with their own arguments to which side they believe prevails. Yet, to this day, there is no proof to say which side of the debate if correct. Based on the psychological, sociological, and epigenetic schools of though, it can be validated that when it comes to the nature vs. nurture debate, nurture will always prevail and remain most relevant.

The Psychodynamic Approach was first approach by Sigmund Freud; he dealt with the understanding that personality came from our unconscious state of mind. And that unconscious state interacted to determine our thoughts, behaviors, and feelings (Bernstein, 425). Freud also created the psychoanalytical theory stating that personality led the way to handling psychological disorders. He divided personality into three main topics; which are the id, the ego, and the superego. The id is the basis of each human being’s instincts we are all born with. It is the immediate wants I crave; it may show more selfish side. The ego is the part that subdues the id and calms it down. It allows me to think and realize certain actions may upset someone else around me. The superego is

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.

The concept of “nature vs. nurture” began with the English polymath, Francis Galton in 1869. When applying the term “aggression” to the matter, there were two views about its source, the first being nature, a psychoanalytic approach. Nature is the belief that genetics determine our behavior. In the case of aggression, many nature-based factors play a role in aggression, of which include certain neurotransmitters, genetics, and gender. Sigmund Freud played a large role in the psychoanalytic approach to aggression. Freud believed that aggression was an innate drive within in a person, and that humans possess two basic drives: Thenatos, or destructive energy (aggression), and Eros, the drive for pleasure. He

Nature versus nurture is one of the most controversial topics of discussion among human beings. For many years, phycologist’s have been studying various people’s behavioral patterns in order to settle the debate. The argument of nature suggests that a person is born with a pre-conceived set of personality traits that determine the way they will act for the rest of their life. That is to say that all characteristics of a person, not just physical appearance, are passed down through genetics. The case with nurture states the idea that every person, no matter where they are from, is born with a blank slate. In other words, asserting that the behavior of someone is solely a result of their surroundings. This subject often comes up when a person

There have been multiple studies that test the concept of Nature vs. Nurture. In the Bobo Doll Experiment done in 1961 by Albert Bandura, he wanted to study if aggression is able to be acquired through observation. After the study, he found out that his hypothesis was right, that aggression can be learned

Freud believed that the human personality consisted of three interworking parts: the id, the ego, and the superego. The id, the largest part of the mind, is related to desires and impulses and is the main source of basic biological needs. The ego is related to reasoning and is the conscious, rational part of the personality; it monitors behavior in order to satisfy basic desires without suffering negative consequences (Boundless.com). The superego, or conscience, develops through interactions with others (mainly parents) who want the child to conform to the norms of society (Boundless.com). Freud believed that our adult lives were shaped by childhood experiences, meaning that if children did not receive the proper nurturing, that the child would be stuck in that stage or behaviors

As many people have begun to pay attention to formation of personality, the debate over nature vs. nurture has raged for a long time and this issue is still controversial. However, as shown the

In 1963 serial killer hunted and murdered 27 people , dismembered the bodies and dumped them all over the state of California. At his trial his defense lawyer said his defense was that he was born this way. Nature vs Nurture is a debate that has been around for years. It is an argument on whether people’s personalities and actions are the way they are because they were born that way or that’s how they were raised. So this means people are either a product of their environment. Or their traits were passed down genetically. Nature vs Nurture is a direct correlation with child development.

According to Collins (2000) “the position of majority of psychologists over nature-nurture issue is how both blend up to influence our thoughts, actions and feelings”.

The nature vs nurture debate is one that naturalists and empiricists love to have. The naturalists are on the nature side of the debate; they believe that a person's development is primarily influenced by their genetic traits. The empiricists, on the other hand, side with the nurture part of the debate; they believed that a person's development is mostly influenced by the environment they are raised in. Most modern psychologist, however, don’t take such radical approaches. They instead accept that a person’s development is influenced by a mixture of both nature and nurture, although there is still debate over which plays a larger role (McLeod). In my life, both nature and nurture have played key roles in my development as a person and who I

The Developing Child tells the viewers a brief history of the Nature vs. Nurture debate. Jean-Jacques Rousseau stressed the nature side of our personalities, believing it is nature alone that makes us how we are. English physiologist, John Locke believed children start off as blank slates and that they are completely shaped by their environment and thus held to the nurture side of the debate. This video has much newer ideas and experiments than those of Rousseau’s and Locke’s and because of that their thesis is “while biological factors provide the capabilities, environmental factors see if they are reached”. Babies know and think much more than was previously thought. Babies can turn their eyes and heads immediately recognize mother’s voice,