Nurture Vs. Nature

1006 Words5 Pages
Persuasive Essay: Nurture vs. Nature There has always been a large controversy on whether it is nature or nurture that affect human behavior and personality. Some people may believe that the secret to one’s identity is in genes, but the real answer can be found in the surroundings. Psychologists have been studying this topic for years and years, and have constructed revolutionary theories. It is evident that nurture has a larger impact on personality and behavioral development, based on studies on three different subjects; early childhood development; feral children and isolates; and knowledge and intelligence. The way a child is raised is a major contributor to the child’s personality as it ages. Children are born with a blank slate, known as “Tabula Rasa”, and the first few years of ones life are important to the development of personality. There are many different theories about this subject, but all point out that the child’s behavior is affected by nurture. Erik Erikson’s theory on the psychological development of children consists of eight stages. In each stage Erikson states that the child faces a developmental crisis, in which the choice the individual makes prepares them for the next stage. Erikson identifies the first developmental crisis as trust versus mistrust. According to Erikson’s theory, the child will develop a sense of trust with its parent if it is provided with its basic needs, but mistrust if they are not fulfilled (Child Development). This clearly shows the affect the child’s parent and the way the child is raised, directly contributes to the individual’s personality. What can have an even greater affect is if the child has no parents at all. A feral child is a child who has lived isolated with no human contact. Feral children were either brought up by animals, or lived in the wild in isolation. Isolates, like feral children,
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