Nature vs Nurture, a Not Quite a Twin

This literature review will analyze what people think about the nature versus nurture debate. It will talk about the nature side and the nurture side of the debate.

“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 Similarly, scientists feel that such debate is not only unhelpful, but also outdated.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

The concept of nature vs nurture is easily one of the oldest and most controversial arguments of modern times. Harvard psychology professor Steven Pinker is notably known in the world of psychology and the social sciences for his book “The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature.” In his book, Pinker addresses this exact argument and reasons that human behavior is mostly and at its roots is formed by evolutionary psychological adaptations. In 2003, Steven Pinker gave a Ted Talk regarding his book and the idea that human behavior is predisposed, rather than formed by socialization, interactions between people and the exposure to culture. Pinker discusses the reasoning behind his stance on nature over nurture using five key discussion points, these points being, human universals, neurology and DNA, political reasoning, the arts and parenting. During his Ted Talk, Pinker begins by stating that there are human universals, concepts, behaviors and traits that are carried and found, with many similarities, throughout every human civilization, he then explains that a common example of this is with twins separated at birth, and can be proven through neurological studies. Another concept that Pinker address to further solidify his stance is the idea that the argument that humans are ‘blank slates’ and human behavior is developed through nurture rather than nature is the political reasoning behind the benefits of everyone being ‘blank slates’. Two critical points he made however

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 nature- nurture debate has many different case studies, which often questions environmental and hereditary aspects of the nature- nurture debate. A tangent which is focused on in this essay is how the case studies of schizophrenia and IQ, specifically affect twin and adoption studies. This essay will firstly, give a brief outline of the nature-nurture debate and the definitions of twin and adoption studies. Secondly, it will illustrate two main case studies, which are IQ and Schizophrenia studies. Thirdly, will contrast and compare the two and research’s impact on the case studies in regards to nature vs. nurture and finally, will conclude with the impact of the nature-nurture debate and twin and adoption studies.

Sally Joe is sixteen years old and lives in Coeburn, Virginia with her mother and father. She has 3 siblings, two older brothers and older sister. Sally is spending some time at Eastside High School in Coeburn and she is spending the other half of the day at the Technical School in Wise, which is fifteen minutes away from her high school. She is taking Marketing, English 9, Life Skills, and L.I.F.E. Some accomplishments over the course of

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

The subject for this developmental profile is my sister’s friend, Bridget. Bridget is from a small town in northeastern Pennsylvania, by the name of Kingston. She only has one sibling, and is the youngest in her family. Bridget is about 5 foot 3 inches in length, and weighs about 105 pounds. She is tall for her age do to her long thin legs. Along with long legs, some distinct features relating to Bridget’s appearance include her strawberry blonde hair and hazel eyes. Her strawberry blonde hair especially sets her apart from all of her other peers. As for her religion, Bridget is Catholic, but is currently non practicing. (Bridget, personal communication, 2016).

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.

Through history, the idea of nature vs. nurture has been a hotly debated issue. Nature, or genetics is often believed to be the most important aspect of a persons’ upbringing, as nature is something intrinsic to any one person. However, many debate that nurture, or the care and encouragement of any human life, trumps nature. The earliest evidence and rebuttals of these theories have been honed and developed over time by specific psychologists and educational theorists – all who hoped to prove their own ideas as fact at one time in history.

The availability and expectations of significant individuals, such as spouse, friends, and caregivers. Also includes larger social groups that are influential in establishing norms, role expectations and social routines. Some of Linda’s social interactions consist of interactions between her husband, children, and her coworkers from the hospital. She is married and is the mother of three children who are all in high school. In her leisure time she attends her children’s various extra-curricular school activities such as cheerleading, drama performances and baseball games. She also enjoys playing tennis with her coworkers and cooking for family and friends as well. Being the mother of three teenagers, she has to spread her time, love and affection among each child individually and collectively. Being an active parent and the caregiver of her household are indicators that she is socially connected to her family as a wife, mother, friend, and

The Nature vs. Nurture has been a long never ending debate for some time now. Nature vs Nurture has been so profoundly debated, that now it’s unclear whether what makes us who we are and what we do, nature or nurture. For purposes of this essay Nature is going to be defined as characteristics we acquire through our genetic and biological factors, while that Nurture is going to be defined characteristics we acquire through our interactions and influences with the environment. There are endless ways of taking an approach to the Nature vs Nurture conflict, thus the reason that it’s truly unclear if its Nature or Nurture or even both what makes us who and what we are.

Jane is currently an undergraduate student at a private university. She is currently twenty-one years old, and grew up in a small community on Cape Cod, Massachusetts where she has lived her entire life. Jane has two older sisters, who, for the purpose of this study who will be referred to as Eliza and Alex. Eliza is seven years older than Jane, with a husband and child of her own,. Alex is four years older than Jane, and has a form of down syndrome. Because of her disability, Alex often requires constant attention from her parents, and even still lives at home.

Throughout history, our society’s socialization, or lifelong social experiences, has been debated upon quite vigorously. It is quite evident that we all obtain certain characteristics and abilities through heredity factors, but many still argue that this is not the only explanation for how our lives are determined. The argument of nature versus nurture is still being discussed by many, although both have been seen to have an impact on our life experiences.

Karlie is thirteen years old and is an eighth grader at Maple River Middle school in Mapleton, Minnesota. Her birthday is July 31st. She is the oldest in her family. She has one younger sister, Leah, who is in fifth grade. Karlie’s parents are married. Karlie’s mother never attended college nor did Karlie’s dad. Nevertheless, they are both successful in their current careers. Karlie’s mother works at CVS as a Pharmacist Technician and Karlie’s father is a metal worker fabricator. Before Karlie started school, her mother stayed with her full-time. Therefore, she never went to daycare or interact a lot with other kids until she was in preschool.