The etiology of abnormal behavior is a combination of several, distinctive factors that, when in conjunction, contribute to the activation of psychological disorders. These factors consist of biology, environment and cognition, but the magnitude of each of these triggers differs between every patient displaying abnormal behavior. It is assumed that all of these factors must be present for an individual to develop a psychological disorder. Biology and genetics enable abnormal behavior to appear or activate more likely, but they are not the most significant factors that lead to psychological disorders. While biology simply makes individuals more susceptible to a psychological disorder, environmental triggers are crucial for the actual development.
Effects of Nature Versus Nurture on Human Behaviour Emily Lampson July 2, 2015 Nature versus nurture is the debate over what causes the development of an individual’s specific psychological and behavioral characteristics. On one side is nature, which lends our development to genetics and believes our behaviour and psychology is formed before birth. Typically, the earlier certain traits appear the more likely they are to be determined by genetics (1). On the other side is nurture. The nurture stance believes we are born as a blank slate and our specific psychological and behavioural characteristics are determined by our environment.
Human behavior is the collection of behaviors exhibited by human beings and influenced by culture, attitudes, emotions, values, and genetics. The behaviour of people falls within a range with some behaviors being socially acceptable (norm), and some outside acceptable limits. There have been many controversial debates, such as nature vs. nurture debate which attempt to explain human behaviour in the form of genetics and environment. Is our behaviour controlled through the effect of genes or the environment? Many research studies have been carried out that support both sides of the arguments so it’s difficult to decide which one is a better explanation.
“The nature versus nurture debate is an ongoing one. The debate often centers around the effect genes have as opposed to the influence early environment and development have on human personalities” (Good Therapy, 2010). Historically, many believed that only one or the other had any impact on who we became. “Those who adopt an extreme heredity position are known as nativists. Their basic assumption is that the characteristics of the human species as a whole are a product of evolution and that individual differences are due to each person’s unique genetic code.
Nature Vs. Nuture Debate One of the greatest controversial debates in Psychology is determining if characteristics and behavior are primarily due to genetics or the environment. It is a widely known fact that genes play a role in determining our eye color, height, blood type and other biological factors, but the biggest question that remains is: do these same genes that determine our anatomy, also determine our tendencies toward traits such as violence, alcoholism, likes and dislikes, or how nice a person is? Defined, nature is the essential characteristics and qualities of a person or thing. Nurture, however means the sum of environmental influences and conditions acting on an organism. When you look at the environment you see many ways that nature has impacted how creatures and humans act on a daily basis.
The nature vs. nurture debate is the scientific, cultural, and philosophical debate about whether human culture, behavior, and personality are caused primarily by nature or nurture. Nature is often defined in this debate as genetic or hormone-based behaviors, while nurture is most commonly defined as environment and experience. History of the Nature vs. Nurture Debate The nature vs. nurture debate is an ongoing one. The modern debate often centers around the effect genes have on human personalities as opposed to the influences that early environment and development might have. As cultural mores have changed, so have popular understandings of this debate.
Therefore, the role differences we observe are more of a product of our biological inheritance than acquired through socialisation. As the evolutionary approach is a biological one, it suggests that aspects of human behaviour have been coded by our genes because they were or are adaptive. However, a debate of this approach is the nature vs. nurture approach, nature supporting the evolutionary approach being that we have evolved through survival value and its ability to increase an individual’s opportunities to pass on their genes, an example showing this was Bowlby’s theory of attachment – concerning the role of evolution is the explanation of stress as an adaptive response to environmental pressures. Animals born without such responses die quickly. Nurture, on the other hand, is a view proposed by the social approach suggesting behaviour is affected by experience and environment.
The main reason Barry Bogin wrote the article was because he wanted to settle the nature versus nurture debate. Scientists have often made it out to seem as if it was one or the other failing to understand that in reality they deeply coincide, for it is not nature versus nurture but rather nature and nurture. He writes about the human species and our bodies amazing ability to adjust in accordance to our surroundings; a term he has coined as “Plasticity.” Bogin refers to his research studies done to further explain to his audience that our biology is not set in stone. The abilities humans have from the day they are born are not always present throughout the entirety of their lives, much like the abilities they develop over the course of their lives are not present at the time of birth. For instance, he argues that all humans are given lactase, an enzyme that helps break down the sugar molecules from our mother’s milk yet we have lactose intolerant people today.
We often think what makes us who we are today or why we act the way we do. Is it the environment that leads us to think and act in certain ways or is it already in our genes. These thoughts cause us to think about the nature and nurture debate. The 2 life stages I am going to talk about are 4-9 (childhood) and 10-18 (adolescence). Nature is all of the genes and hereditary factors that influence who we are such as our physical appearances (eye colour, hair colour, height, weight and skin colour) and our personalities (physical, intellectual, emotional and social skills) you could also get genetic diseases such as down’s syndrome , fragile X syndrome.
Looking at genetics and inheritance from the biological parents is more important to the biopsychologists than upbringing, neighborhoods, and socioeconomic background. Mental events can have biological consequences, and biological events can have mental consequences. The belief is there can’t be one without the other. An example I read was that a musician cannot play without an instrument, and an instrument cannot make music without the musician. A biological perspective is relevant to the study of Psychology in three ways: 1.