Nature Vs Nurture Adolescent Development

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.

1. The on-going debate Nature vs. Nurture addresses the following questions: Are we born with

The nature versus nurture debate has a long history in Western philosophy and modern psychology. The debate is relevant to many different areas of study in psychology, including intelligence, giftedness, sexual orientation, personality, and mental illness. Today, most psychologists take an interactionist approach that views both nature and nurture as being important in development. However, some researchers still emphasize either nature or nurture as being the key component that determines a psychological trait. Many psychological researchers will continue to use tried-and-true research methods such as twin and adoption studies to examine the nature/nurture issue; however, future genetic research will identify more genes that influence behavioral

For years psychologists have debated about whether the genes or environment of a person is responsible for shaping the being of a person. This centuries-old debate has come to be known as “Nature versus Nurture”. Nature encompasses the biological aspect of the argument and focuses on things such as genetic makeup and heredity. Nurture embodies the external stimuli if life ranging from how someone is raised to the medication that they consume. The debate dates back to the time of the Ancient Greek philosophers, Plato and Aristotle. Plato believed that certain ideas are innate and that people inherit character and intelligence. In contrast, Aristotle believed that it is the experience gained from day to day life that is responsible for making

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 very intrinsic to any one person. However, many debate that nurture, or the care and encouragement of any human life, trumps nature. The earliest (proofs?) 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 theory of nature vs. nurture, or inherited vs. acquired, is a complex psychological theory that questions how people develop, as a person, in life and how they act. Their impact determines your personality traits, values, morals, and behavior in life. The idea of nature is the belief that people develop into who they are based on genetic traits given to them at birth. For example, some children inherit a musical talent from their parents along with eye color, hair color, and race. These traits can affect the decisions that a person may make in life to suit their skills and ability. Another popular opinion is the theory that nurture, the experiences and people that one encounters in life, has a heavier influence on the development and growth of people. According to the article, the theory of nature claims that, “Characteristics and differences that are not observable at birth, but which emerge later in life, are regarded as the product of maturation” and nurture views these as a product of learning (McLeod). For an example of nurture, a person born into a family that loves sports may grow up valuing athleticism and fitness, while engaging in sports as they grow. A life-changing event or external influence could have greatly impacted a person’s perspective and approach in life, ultimately changing that person as a whole. All decisions will influence one’s life in some way, whether it is miniscule or monumental. Each view of nature and nurture have valid arguments and many

The debate on whether humans develop their psychological attributes based on genetics (nature) or their environment and how they were raised (nurture) are two controversial issues in central psychology within psychologist and philosophers. For centuries, the disputation between nature and nurture surged on regards to which one of the two has a greater significance: ‘The inborn nature of the individual or the environmental influences that nurture the individual’.( Hockenbury, Don; Hockenbury, Sandra E.. Discovering Psychology (Page 3). Although there have been debates on both issues, psychologist accepted that nature and nurture complement each other and,‘ are impossible to completely disentangle (Sameroff, 2010)’.

For many year’s people have been debating which issue, nature or nurture, has a bigger impact on an individual’s life. Both of these arguments touch on important points which makes for an interesting but yet difficult topic when choosing what shapes personality. Nature is each human’s individual genetic makeup, which is influenced by genetics and biological factors. Nurture is the influence of outside factors based on each person’s experiences. Until we understand more about both nature and nurture and their impact on human development, it will be hard to understand which one is more important.

Throughout many years, scientists have been debating about whether nature or nurture is the driving force that shapes a person’s cognitive abilities and personal traits. Before the ongoing debate can be explained, it is necessary to understand what nature and nurture actually are. Nature is loosely defined as the genetics one inherits and tendencies that influence development. Many things in an individual are hereditary, for instance; gender, disease, height, eye color, natural talent for an activity, and many more. Nurture can be defined as various environmental factors that a person is exposed to, which can influence how a person develops. Nurture affects an individual’s growth through multiple ways such as: stressors, activities, intellect and experiences, physically, emotionally, and socially through peers. Progressively, many are realizing that asking to what extent environment or genetics influence a person’s traits is not necessarily the correct way to approach the debate. In all actuality there is not an easy way to sort through the multiple forces that exist in these situations. However, numerous researchers are now looking at how the two factors intertwine and influence one another because only one of them could not simply exist alone without the other very well. Nature and nurture coexist and work together to help shape a person, whether that is from the two working equally or one being slightly more predominant over the other, however

of the “nature-nurture” dilemma since the extent to which genetic and environmental factors influence it is a matter of constant debate. Current

The nature versus nurture debate is one of the oldest issues in psychology. The debate centers on the relative contributions of genetic inheritance and environmental factors to human development.

Nature based theories believe mans behaviour is influence by our genes, characteristics and abilities, while nurture theories argue experience learned through physical, social and cultural shapes our future. This is what leads to the debate of nature vs. nurture that has been going on for over hundred years. This essay is intended to examine what is more influential and how that affects the individual and the society as a whole.

Nature vs. nurture is the argument that an individual’s behavior is either hereditary or acquired. The case for nature is that

Nature versus nurture debate (also written as nature-nurture) is one of the oldest and enduring controversy in the history of psychology. Nature relates to hereditary factors that influences who we are – from our physical appearance to our personality characteristics. On the other hand, Nurture is related environmental variables that impact who we are, such as early childhood experiences, the way of being raised, and social relationships. The nature-nurture debate is concerned with the degree to which specific aspects of behavior are a product of either hereditary or acquired (learned) characteristics (McLeod, 2007).