The nature-nurture debate is all about whether genetics (nature) or our environment (nurture) is responsible for our behaviour and development. Early theorists believed that our personality, intellect, behaviour and gender role were determined by our genes and therefore could not be changed. But an increasing amount of evidence has proved these theorists wrong, and our development as an individual is learnt through the environment we live in. One developmental stage of an individual that psychologists have the nature-nurture debate about is the intelligence stage. The nature side of that intelligence is present at birth and we already have a set amount of intelligence.
Nature vs. nurture is one of the biggest debates within psychology. It is an argument about what causes our behavior. For me, I judge this argument 30% to 70%. I believe that it comes down to your life experiences, your up-bringing. But now after doing research on this subject I've come to the conclusion that the area is grey, there is no right or wrong answer, there is still not one scientist with a definite answer.
Criticisms from supervisors and peers often are met with emotional listening resistance. We hear only the negatives and do not attend to offers of help or ways to improve our performance. We are over stimulated and do not accurately receive messages that could help us grow and develop. Barrier Three: Criticizing Personal Style Rather Than Messages. We often find ourselves criticizing the way a message is presented and ignoring its content or value.
He also suggested that children are not born with knowledge but they gain it through their social interactions with peers and adults; he does not rule out the importance of biological processes but proposes an interdependent relationship between biological development alongside social activity and cultural interaction. Vygotskys theory opened a new world of cognitive development, once his work had been translated to English, his ideas became influential because they addressed the role of social factors in cognitive development which Piaget overlooked. While Piaget proposed a biological approach to cognitive development, Vygotsky believed that cultural and social interactions were fundamental to a child’s development. Children are not born with knowledge, but rather it is gained through social interactions with adults and peers. Knowledge, is therefore not independent of the social context and we become ourselves through others.
Nature vs. Nurture Scientists believe that traits such as hair and eye colour are determined by specific genes encoded in each human cell. They now also believe abstract traits such as intelligence, personality, aggression and sexual orientation are also encoded in an individual’s DNA. This is known as the Nature theory, whereby it is the genetics and the characteristics that have been inherited from generations earlier that make the person behave the way they are. The Nurture theory however has a different approach to human behaviour, and although it does not completely discount genetic tendencies, the scientists studying this theory ultimately believe that genetics do not matter. They argue that our behavioural aspects originate only from the environmental factors of our upbringing.
The topic has been discussed by radio, television and newspapers, invoking facts and anecdotes such as the fact that 21 of the first 23 astronauts were firstborns. Although there has been much research and debate on birth order and personality traits, there had been no convincing findings associating the two. But two studies done over the last three years discovered measureable effects, that birth order does, in fact, affect both our IQ and personality. Birth order is intricately linked to family size and because of this, decades of previous research was flawed. The size of the family increases or decreases a child’s chance of being first born, second born, etcetera.
Nature vs. Nurture Over the years, there has been a lot of controversy on whether or not genes that we inherit affect us and how we live, or if it is the environment that we have been raised in. There are many different reasons for why one is more correct than that other. But, all of the reasons can be backed up with very good evidence and reasoning. Personality, development, intelligence, behavior and ability to do certain things make us the individuals that we are. But what influences those things?
As we discover the different approaches to psychology there is one controversy that has long been debated which is whether Nature which is the belief that our behaviors are a unitary result of genetics, and Nurture which embraces the idea that our characteristics are solely a product of our acquired experiences. Due to the fact that there have major psychological advances in recent years, however, there is a growing understanding that both Nature and Nurture contribute to our own unique behaviors. My long legs and high blood pressure are each examples of how Nature has had emphasis on my development. Both of my parents have suffered heart attacks, so I know it’s likely to affect me as well. I have always been cautious regarding types of food I eat and try to exercise regularly to keep my blood pressure at a normal level.
Abstract Nature and nurture debate has become a big issue tackled since long decades up to present times because of many factors contributed to human development either through inherited genes or environment influences. In fact, after many researches and studies all conclude that we as human being are the product of not only of genes inheritance but by our environment factors as well. In the article "nature, nurture: not mutually exclusive” the psychologist, Robert Plomin, demonstrates that most human behaviors are directed by nature and nurture, he considers them to be two sides of one coin , and added that each participates a partial role in designing human behaviors and experiences. Accordingly, in his book Psychology, David G. Meyers states " our genetic predisposition help explain both our shared human nature and human diversity.” Besides, genes influence not only the behavior but the environment as well as , Thomas Bouchard in the article “Nature, nurture: not mutually exclusive” Says “twins and adoption studies have established that most traits and behaviors are partially influenced by genes”. He wanted to clarify that a solid interaction is cemented between nature and nurture when genetic factors affect the person's behavior, attitudes, experience and his life expectations as well.
Feldman (2009) defines the nature nurture debate as the issue of the degree to which environment and hereditary factors influence the behaviour. According to Flanagan (2002) nature refers to behavioural or physical traits found in a developing child that are due to genetic factors. Feldman (2009:39) says “nature refers to hereditary factors, characteristics and tendencies that influence development.” Thus nature can be defined as inborn characteristics such as generic diseases evident in a developing child. Santrock (2004) defines nurture as environmental factors that have an influence on the development of a human being. According to Bernstein (2011) nurture refers to all environmental influence, after the birth of a child that affects development.