Whereas other theorists have argued that is is the way we are brought up and influenced by our surroundings that makes an individual the way they are. Nature means the genetic and biological influences that affect our growth and development. The nature side of the debate believes that it is inherited factors which have more impact on your life and development. For example, the colour or type of your hair, your eye colour, the pigmentation of your skin, and also genetic diseases such as cystic fibrosis are all the result of the genes we inherit. These biological factors are said to determine an individual’s development and characteristics .
It is believed the development has a biological process and this can be predicted over time. E.g. a child should be able to walk and talk at a given age. Nature Physical appearance Physical appearance is affected by our nature because our genes are what determine how we look. Our genes are inherited from our parents meaning that we tend to look like our parents and have the same or similar features from one or both of them.
Characteristics are features of an individual which separates people’s differences by the way they behave, their appearance, emotions and the way they think. Personality is the distinctive behavioural qualities of a person. Nature-nurture has been on hard core debate since the early ages. This debate is all about whether the genes or the environment matters more on people’s development. Nature in terms of health and social care defines as the qualities we are born with that makes us what we are.
This also refers to inherited attributes such as physical growth or strength etc which may mean that it takes a child longer to meet a particular stage and that this is part of their natural, personal development pattern. Environmental Influences This include the external factors that may affect a childs development such as poverty and deprivation or the child's looked after/care status. The affect that this has on development may be due to lack of opportunities, time away from education or peers, or due to lack of confidence or low self esteem. Cultural Influences This refers to cultural belief, religion and values and the ways in which families bring up their children and the choices that they make which may have an effect on the childs development. Families have differing beliefs about what experiences and freedoms are suitible for children, for example some cultures may believe that education is not an important element of a girls
Such as the development of mobility (Slater and Muir, 1999). There are several factors that influence development including genetics. A human’s genetic inheritance is a mixture of mothers and fathers genes and is called a genotype. A genotype can be defined as a plan of what a human will be like as they grow (Davenport, 1994). A human’s genotype can affect physical development including eye, hair and skin colour, height, personality, disabilities and emotional well-being.
Each area supports another rather than just one at a time. It is important to look at a child’s growth and development holistically as there are many factors that will affect the way the child’s brain develops from birth. This is known as brain wiring. The stages of development as a child grows are examples of the ‘normal’ milestones that children reach at a certain age. It is important to understand and remember that although children usually develop in the same sequence, the rate of their development can vary from child to child and will vary with regards to each child’s abilities, gender, race and needs.
D1 evaluating the balance of the nature nurture debate The nature-nurture debate would have an effect on the physical, intellectual, emotional and social factors of an individual. This would lead to an effect on the development of the individual. I will be looking at the way that the physical, intellectual, emotional and social factors effect the development of Tracey (mum) Jack (twin 1) and Joe (twin 2). I will be focusing on the two different life stages which are adulthood which Tracey falls under and adolescence which the twins Jack and Joe fall under. Tracey is in her adulthood stage of her life.
Supporting Mental Health Early childhood is an important time in a child’s life to incorporate healthy habits and focus on wellness. Mental health is defined by Sorte, Daeschel, and Amador as a child’s ability to “understand and manage their emotions and behaviors, to function positively with others in age-appropriate and developmentally appropriate ways, and to form meaningful relationships (2011, p. 416).” Many things contribute to a child’s overall mental health. Biological factors such as genetics, temperament, physical and health quality all play a key part in a child’s mental health and development. Biological factors are unique to each child and are present at birth. Genetics consists of hereditary factors such as those that contribute to physical characteristics, and pace of development.
Behaviors tend to be culturally patterned with childhood experiences influencing personality as an adult and socialization throughout childhood and adulthood shape personality patterns. “It shapes a person’s emotions, thoughts, behaviors, cultural values and norms to fit into function as productive members in the surrounding human society” (Kelly, Scruggs, Lawrence, and Mcghee-Snow, n.d., para.1). Some of the principal concepts of cultures factor on personality are the basic personality structure approach, the configurationally approach, the cultural determinism, Gastalt theory, and the model personality approach. However, these are not all of the theories or approaches in the study of culture and personality. The basic personality structure approach was developed by
Brain development alters over time and heredity may play a vital role in one’s mental development. For instance, a child that has a family history of learning disabilities may not have the ability to comprehend or obtain fundamental and everyday duties than a child without disabilities can. The functions of a developing brain can also be influenced by gender. In some cases, the female brain will mature at a different rate of a person that is of the male gender and therefore the capacity of the female brain quickly grasps and develops in advance. Brain development can be reliant on the mere growth of a person and is diverse among different people.