Category: Nature Versus Nurture

In this essay I will discuss the extent to which hereditary factors influence human development, and whether our environment (observations and perceptions) play a role in individualistic growth. I will analyse epigenesis, by discussing the complex interactions between genes and environment

Nature refers to the theory that genetic predispositions impact human traits and nurture involves the idea that we are a product of our own environments. The controversial debate of nature vs nurture was first invented by Francis Galton in the late 19th Century; convinced intellectual ability was largely inherited, this thesis was the basis on which he suggested ‘pure breeding’. Met with criticism due to its social and political implications, it is believed that this was followed by the eugenics society’s encouragement of sterilisation (however the formation of such immigration policies led to the discrimination of black and Asian ethnic groups). This essay will infer from the debate of nature vs nurture, particularly the evaluation of the involvement genetics have on human development(specifically IQ and personality), I will argue that whilst to some extent genes contribute to the development of an individual, environmental factors also play a key role. I will evaluate the claim by analysing key studies and concepts (such as twin and adoption studies) on either side of the debate, as well as the contributing my viewpoint when addressing the concept of this statement.

Nativism is an extreme hereditary stance taken on this debate; it involves the idea that humans are products of evolution. It uses heritability estimate( statistical measure which shows the extent to which genetic factors cause individual differences in complex traits) and genetic variance (contribution of different versions of genomes have on individual differences) .Key examples involve Chomsky’s (1965) proposal of universal language theory, put forward after his criticism of Skinner’s account of language acquisition. It involves the concept of innate biological grammatical groups such as verb category facilitated language development in adults. Another example, Freud’s (1905) theory of aggression, Thanatos suggested humans have a death drives involving self-destructive tendencies. Characteristics which are not visible at birth but develop later in life are believed to be ‘turned on’ using innate biological devices. On the other hand, empiricism takes an extreme nurture take. John Locke proposed humans are born as ‘blank slates’ and implies we have no mental content at birth; all knowledge comes from experience or what we perceive our surroundings as. Bandura (1977) Bobo doll experiment suggested observational learning is key on our development, specifically, how children learn to imitate the behaviour they see in adults. Another behaviourist, Skinner (1957) stated language is learnt and acquired based on behaviour and is reinforced when words are associated with meanings.

Firstly, evidence suggests IQ has substantial genetic basis. Twin studies compare correlation between monozygotic twins (MZ) and dizygotic twins (DZ). MZ twins share 100% of their genes whereas DZ twins share 50%. Therefore if MZ and DZ twins score the same it suggests nature does not play a large role on behaviour, but if scores are different, it implies nature is a key contributor as shared environment is not causing this, so genetic differences must be the reason. Research by Plomin and DeFries (1998) found a higher correlation in similarity between identical twins on cognitive tasks (spatial/verbal ability) than fraternal twins. This suggests there is strong genetic basis for cognitive abilities, leaning towards the nature side of the debate. Adoption studies show impact of nurture on children, who are raised by parents who are not their biological related. Plomin and DeFries (1998) also found adoption studies provided evidence for strong genetic influence in cognitive skills. Results demonstrate a higher correlation in similarity between adopted children and their biological parents, rather than their adoptive family. Further supporting the notion of substantial genetic influence on cognitive ability and IQ.

Research by Tryon (1934) trained rats on a maze. Interbred rats which made most, and fewest maze mistakes were looked at. Over successive generations, bred rats that were either ‘bright’, solved the maze with few errors, or ‘dull’ made many errors. Over successive generations the ‘dull’ and ‘bright’ groups gradually separated so was little overlap. This demonstrates some elements of intelligence are genetically determined. Likely to be a polygenic trait (multiple genes involved) since generations of breeding required for groups to separate. Animal studies are commonly used, and findings are extrapolated to human development. However, with animal observations there is a lack of scientific generalisability. On the other hand, Cooper and Zubeck (1958) investigated whether environment in which the rats were raised influenced maze learning. Performance of ‘dull’ rats improved by being reared in an enriched environment. Performance of ‘bright’ rats reduced if raised in a restricted environment. Experience ‘overcomes’ genetic influence. This research implies that whilst genes have a string influence on our cognitive abilities, the environment in which we are raised must support abilities and be cognitively stimulating for good performance. Overall, such studies suggest intelligence is not 100% inheritable, moreover cognitive development is also largely dependent on resources and environmental interactions.

‘Personality is the dynamic organization within the individual of those psychophysical systems that determine his characteristics behaviour and thought’ (Allport, 1961). It is believed that environmental influences play crucial roles in the functioning of the personality system, defining conditions of evolvement, they shape an array of skills, values, attitudes; they also provide the factual forms of trait expression. However, the environment also has a direct relation to personality traits, because characteristic adaptations are always involved in expression. An example, interpersonal traits are often inferred from communicating with others; the environment also operates at a much more direct level. Parenting has important long-term consequences for the development of characteristic adaptations, including, the lifelong relationship between parent and child (internal template provides a representation of what future relationships should be like). Other aspects of the environment are also significant influences on characteristic changes, including peers, education, religion etc. Research by Cosmides and Tooby (2009) provide an evolutionary perspective and suggest biological machines are calibrated to the environments in which they evolved, and they embody information about recurring properties of these worlds. They found data supported theory of evolutionary basis to personality traits e.g. anger. Personality traits, like temperaments, are endogenous dispositions that follow intrinsic paths of development, independent of environmental influences. Freuds psychodynamic approach assumes there is an interaction between innate instincts and parental influences. The tripartite theory of personality by Freud (1923) brings forward the notion that the psyche is made up of the id, superego and ego. These traits predispose to act in a certain way, regardless of the situation also, it is presumed that individuals differ in traits due to genetic differences. Eysenck (1952,) proposed theory of personality based on biological factors, and argued that individuals inherit a type of nervous system that affects their ability to learn and adapt to the environment. Furthermore, he developed an extraversion/introversion scale. Eysenck’s theory argues biological predispositions towards certain personality traits combine with conditioning and socialisation during childhood, creating our personality. This interactionist approach may therefore be more valid than either an environmental or biological theory alone.

Adorno et al. (1950) theory of authoritarian personality suggests prejudice is brought on by personality type. Authoritarianism was measured on a fascism scale; personality traits predisposed some individuals to be highly sensitive to totalitarian/antidemocratic ideas and therefore prone to be extremely prejudicial, they usually believe in complete submission to authority as well as hostility to minority(inferior) groups. It is suggested that individuals who experience harsh parenting and conditional love, built resentment towards their parents/upbringing and this was later displaced onto groups society may label as inferior, making them more likely to become authoritarian. Whilst there are political implications with this theory, it supports the nurture side of the debate, implying the environment and upbringing individuals receive have a strong influence on personality types, and behaviour towards other groups of society.

Based on research and analysis above, it appears evidence collectively presents an overall interactionist approach. This paper argued that whilst there is strong evidence suggesting genetics have significant influence, there is contrary research presenting interactions with the environment as substantially effective in our development; the studies looked at above are vital in illustrating this point. Neither IQ or personality traits are 100% heritable, and continuously develop if the environment in which we are brought up in is cognitively stimulating, as well enriching. Whilst some data is inferred from observation of animals, it suggests genes are not solely responsible in human development.

References

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I feel like one of the best ways to get to know someone is by their motivations. So first of all, I want to pursue a career in renewable energy engineering through my schooling at UW. Engineering suits me particularly well. As a kid, I loved taking things apart to see all the small parts inside and figuring out how they worked together, each device or machine was another magical treasure chest of human ingenuity. “Just because” was never an answer good enough answer as my parents can attest to as my questions on how things work never seemed to end. Eventually, they gave me a book aptly named “The Way Things Work.” It became my tome that detailed simple machines, basic physics, and how it all worked together to make the wonderful modern world. Whether from an early motivation or natural ability, I had a natural knack for mathematics. In elementary school, I was entered into the challenge program for advanced courses and continued to develop these skills to eventually end up taking AP Calculus BC and AP Calculus C in my senior year. So avoiding the philosophical debate of nature vs. nurture, I have developed a natural ability for math and physics which will suit me well in the field of engineering. Following those drives got me pretty far in school so far. I am graduating top 5% of my class on an unweighted GPA including at least six AP classes and have gotten honors every year. These academic accomplishments were never goals for me though. These all followed consequently for pursuing my other goals.

My goal is to be happy. For that to happen, I need to do what I enjoy which is nice considering my skills align that way. But for me, happiness is hard to come by if there are people around me who are suffering. As I go through the process of becoming a global citizen it is impossible to ignore the unneeded suffering of many citizens of Earth. I am in a unique position to really make a difference. I want to help people. If the world was a global utopia, happiness would likely come from a quiet life of carpentry but seeing the current situation means that happiness for me is going to come from trying to make that utopia the way I best know how. Life will change a lot in four years but currently, I want to be a part of solving the issues of renewable energy globally available to improve living conditions and make humanity more harmonious with nature. I also want to see the world. I can’t help something that complex and diverse from a single viewpoint. I want to know the world I am trying to save.

In pursuit of that goal, I have faced challenges as we all have. In facing challenges I have found that balance seems to be the best path which is also, unfortunately, the thing that occasionally gets me into said challenges. If you live a life unchallenged, is that really a life worth living? So the most current challenge I am working with is not entirely uncommon for May. At my school, there is a show every year put on by the vocal music department. It’s a large production with tons of preparation required. On top of this is our spring show for theatre and AP testing. It is an extremely stressful time with all of these artistic obligations I signed myself up for to balance my academic ones. And paradoxically I am handling the issue the same way I got the issue which isn’t some large shift in lifestyle or large breakthrough but just balancing. Setting deliberate time for myself after studying and rehearsal to just relax. Listen to music, meditate, sleep more, whatever I feel is necessary. It seems to be working so far, seeing as I’m still writing this essay.

Nurture is the behaviour which is learnt through environment and socialisation, whereas nature refers to the idea that behaviour is biological or innate. Psychologists believe that our behaviour is due to nature, whereas sociologists believe that it is down to nurture.

One reason nurture is more significant than nature is primary socialisation. Primary socialisation occurs when a child learns the attitudes, values, and actions appropriate to the members of a particular culture. When we are born we don’t know the norms and values, we are taught them by our primary caregiver, which is usually our mum, or in case one does not have a mum, one of their family members. For example, from the ages of two to three, we learn to walk and talk, which many people would think is a given, but if we didn’t have people to teach us these things, then we’d be mute and wouldn’t be able to walk. A great example of this would be feral children, they haven’t been socialised. Take, for instance, Horst. Horst was a three-year-old boy from Germany whose parents left him home alone for many years to go out drinking and to the disco. Horst was left with his dog Asta, and Asta mothered the child like her own puppy, and after a long period of time Horst was acting like a dog: walking on all fours, growling, peeing with his leg up, eating raw food, and sleeping in the position of a dog. Feral children are perfect examples of socialization, and that behaviour is learnt from a primary caregiver rather than born. Also, another thing that one is taught at a young age is to eat, and we are taught the norms of eating with knives and forks. From a young age, we start to imitate our surroundings and the people around us.

Further support for nurture, is the influence of peers, or acquaintances, or even strangers. If we take homosexuality for an example, many people would say it’s a choice, however many sociologists believe that homosexuality is a result of something bad happening and leaving a negative effect, such as sexual assault from a person they loved or a stranger, causing the individual to become homosexual. This is a result of nurture because it’s not biological, and it’s something that has been grown upon. Some negative factors of this could be really hurtful and hard for the individual themselves, one may experience extreme homophobia and disapproval from loved ones, which could lead to major issues such as depression, anxiety, mental and physical health disorders, and even suicide. However it still has a lot of positive consequences, it can gain confidence, it could make you more social, and it can make you a lot happier. It has mixed consequences, both negative and positive. This is a great example of nurture but in more of a different concept.

More support to suggest nurture has a more significant impact on someone’s identity is their intelligence. For example, when someone achieves tremendous academic success, did they do so because they are genetically predisposed to be successful or is it a result of an enriched environment? It has been proven that a child who grows up in a wealthier and more educated household grows up to be smarter than those brought up in poorer homes, and scientists made this conclusion by studying biological brothers who grew up in different families and have different IQs. This here demonstrates the idea that intelligence is down to nurture. There is strong evidence that educated parents do something with their kids that makes them smarter, and this is not a result of nature. Previous studies have found that educated parents are more likely to talk at the dinner table, take their children to museums and read stories to them at night, which are activities said to boost a child’s intelligence, again this is an example that intelligence is down to nurture rather than nature. Those who would argue that a child’s intelligence was affected by nurture would look at the child’s educational background, as well as his or her’s parents have raised them. These individuals would state the intelligence level which permitted the child to be successful is largely the result of a child’s upbringing and the school system. This example proves that intelligence is down to nurture, which also supports the idea of identity is down to nurture.

However, take mental health for example, nature has been proven to be an important factor in the development of mental health conditions such as schizophrenia, bipolar and major depression. Bipolar, for example, is four to six times more likely to develop when there is a family history of the condition. If we look deeper into the idea that schizophrenia is to do with nurture, we have many ideas to suggest this. Each person has 46 chromosomes, and each of their genes is located on 23 chromosomes. Each person inherits two copies of each gene from each parent. Several genes could be associated with a risk of schizophrenia depending on whether each parent has a relative who has schizophrenia. Genetic contributions could include having first- or second-degree relatives, which could increase one’s risk of developing schizophrenia. It has been debated that the cause of schizophrenia comes from genetic factors, which are passed from relatives or direct families, but in some cases, this disorder does not necessarily trigger unless a person is in a certain environment. Genetics does play a role in a person’s risk of developing schizophrenia, however, it has been proven that 60% of schizophrenics have no family members with this disorder. People who have first-degree relatives with schizophrenia only have a 10% risk of developing it. Each person has 46 chromosomes and 23 of these chromosomes are inherited from each parent. It could be possible that a mother who is a carrier for schizophrenia and a father who has schizophrenia passed on a gene to one of their children leading them to have this disorder. However, this is not necessarily true. Schizophrenia is influenced by genetics but is not determined by it. But most importantly, schizophrenia affects someone’s identity massively and how they do ordinary day-to-day things. Many individuals with schizophrenia have occasional difficulty defining themselves and others who they truly are. Perhaps for this reason, they make attempts to change core aspects of themselves. These attempts may be delusional but are too often unjustly dismissed as delusional before the potential value of the change is considered. Instead of facilitation, obstacles are placed in the way of hoped-for body modifications or changes of name or religious faith. It is generally acknowledged that facial features (eyes, nose, lips, ears, skin, hair) are fundamental indices of identity, and human beings throughout history have attempted to enhance or camouflage these features by cosmetics, depilation, piercing, ornamentation, wigs, head coverings, veils, tanning, bleaching, dreadlocks, crew cuts, and plastic surgery. The treatment of schizophrenia can sometimes transform a person’s appearance, weight gain being a prime example, and the illness itself can significantly change a person’s voice, accent, and language use, markedly affecting the responses of others and, therefore, secondarily, influencing one’s self-evaluation. So from this, we can see that schizophrenia changes pretty much every aspect of one’s identity, inside and out. So here we can see that nurture also plays a major role in someone’s identity.

In summary, in the nature vs. nurture debate, sociologists have the upper hand, as it is clear that nurture has a more significant impact on someone’s identity as it shapes most of one’s childhood and the rest of their life.

The Play Romeo and Juliet shows how quick people are in making bad permanent solutions to their lives and those around them. Romeo is a depressed fool throughout the entire play. Whilst Juliet is a spoiled child who wants everything to work out her way or nobody else’s. Romeo and Juliet do not have fully developed brains, and therefore can’t fully comprehend the impact of their lives, and the people around them leading to their irrational decision’s.

First off, the nature of both Romeo and Juliet is phenomenally immature with their actions. They always act like spoiled kids who are also suicidal and are prone to it whenever the question of how much they love each other arises. Romeo is not ready to like someone new after just coming to terms that Rosaline does not like him. He soon after falls in love with Juliet after just realizing that Rosaline does not want him. Romeo had only just shared a brief moment staring at Juliet and he was already in love. Juliet is an immature brat who wants life to only happen around her and her needs rather than the rest of the people in her life. When the nurse has information for her about Romeo, she just wants her to share it rather than help her rest. When her nurse tells her the information about Romeo, she is expecting her to help her with him climbing into her room immediately after she states it. Both characters personalities toward each other and their families are wildly out of tune with where they should be (Shakespeare 21, 125).

Additionally, the nurtured side of Romeo and Juliet is in shambles much like the nature of these two. The relationship between Juliet and her mother is a very poor sour one. This will lead to all kinds of mental problems with Juliet and much of this can be seen in her actions. She is acting very irrationally and acts like she is always neglected by her parents, which is true, as well by everyone around her (JW, JR and Bow). Additionally, Romeo shows throughout the play; that he is not mentally sophisticated enough to commit to such a: strong, permanent, and life changing relationship with someone that he hardly even knows. During the play he exhibits such a weak grasp of a relationship between his parents. He shows little communication between them and acts like they get in his way through most scenes they are mentioned in (Shakespeare). Both Romeo and Juliet show little regards for themselves and exhibit little restraint in the actions that they take with how drastic they can be.

Romeo does not have a fully matured mind. Romeo is to young and ignorant to fully think for himself. When discussing the matter of how much they love each other; he threatens to use suicide as a means of love. He never shows signs of mental stability; instead preferring to risk everything in order to see Juliet (Dalgleish, Moradi and Taghavi). He does not think before he speaks and follows through. Including this, Romeo also rushes into big life decisions shortly after meeting Juliet. Only after roughly one day from meeting Juliet he quickly decides that him and her she go and get married (Shakespeare). Romeo has never shown signs of mental maturity and stability in the play.

Tying the loose ends, Juliet is also an extremely immature spoiled brat. During the sequences of the play she wants her way to always work. When her mother tells her, she needs to start considering ideas for marriage she deliberately disobeys her. She will try anything to get her way including throwing Romeo under the bus. She is also very impatient as we can clearly see. When the nurse presents any information about Romeo, she is immediately rushing her. Juliet hardly gives her anytime to sit and rest to explain herself. Juliet shows more than obvious signs on why she is more than immature (Shakespeare).

Now, on occasion these poor decisions can provide some good. For example, the marriage between Romeo and Juliet. The good in this is that it will drive the families closer together in the future. As well as, even though it was a fast decision it made these two happy for a short time. Though these decisions provided some good the overall effect of them was negative. They lead to the deaths of other side characters such as Tybalt. Yet Juliet hardly ever gets mad at Romeo for this. Making these poor decisions only leads to large tragedies in the play including Romeos and Juliet’s (Blakemore and Robbins).

Finishing up, since Romeo and Juliet have such underdeveloped brains, they can’t properly know the impact of their poor decisions. Romeo and Juliet both have a sub-standard relationship with their parents. They both make poor decisions with how quickly they choose them. Not to mention on how they are both depressed and extremely suicidal. This leads to why Romeo and Juliet can’t think properly as well as comprehend the weight of their decisions.

Nature is how genetics shows our behaviour, personality traits and ability are nature, for example it is physical features for example eye colour, hair colour. Nature also assumes the connections between genetics and behaviours are responsible for a child’s characteristics of learning. For example, a child is born and has innate abilities to learn and progress without influencing factors. Piaget believed that the children are independent in their learning and that their learning and development was self-centred and guided. “Nature refers to all of the genes and hereditary factors that influence who we are- from our physical appearance to our personality characteristics.” (Cherry, K. 2020).

Nurture is the emotions so this could be sad emotion and happy emotions, but it assumes that connections environmental factors and psychological outcomes are caused environmentally, for example, the amount of time a parent spends with their child reading and writing will impact the child’s abilities to learn this skill. Nurture could be environmental upbringing, life experiences, to behave in certain ways. Vygotsky believed in the nurture aspect of the debate. He thought the child to be a social being and that their learning was led by the social interactions with other role models. “Nurture refers to all the environmental variables that impact who we are, including our early childhood experiences, how we are raised, our social relationships, and our surrounding culture.” (Cherry, K. 2020).

The case study I am doing is the one about the three identical strangers. With this they were split up at birth and they all went to diverse types of households. “Bobby had affluent lawyer parents, Eddy had a standard middle-class upbringing with teachers, while David lived in a more blue-collar background, raised by immigrant parents with English as their second language.” (Pearch T. 2020). Bobby and eddy were the first to discover each other this was because when bobby went to college everyone there thought he was eddy and eddy’s best friend knew straight away that they were twins, so Eddy’s friend and bobby went to Eddy’s house straight away to show eddy they were twins. This all went in the paper and that is when David saw that they all look the same, so he contacted them too. They all instantly bonded. This happened because they wanted to see what the siblings were like growing up apart and to see what similarities and differences, they all had when they were growing up. They would go to one house at a time and each time they went they would do the exact same thing every time to see how different the siblings were because all three were brought up with different lifestyles and diverse types of families and different households. Nature took part in this debate because they wanted to see what all three inherited from their parents for example all the hair was the same, and the hair colour, their eye colour, the way they walk, some of their body language was inherited from their parents. Then nurture would be what they have experienced or have picked up from peers or their adopted families.

Environmental impacts a person’s development through the life stage because with environment it can impact in both ways positive and negative, for example with the negative side first if you are not living in a positive environment such as a positive household or surrounded by positive people, then the impact could be negative if you were in school and you had work from home, so that could affect their grades at school, which could affect your mental health very badly. Then a positive way to look at environmental impacts could be if you live in a positive environment then your mental health will be a lot better, you will be able to complete work so that means you will not fall behind. So that will impact your life positively.

Unemployment effects on a person’s development through the life stages. It affects both negative and positive, the negative impacts could make you feel disappointed in yourself for losing this job or that you cannot find a job so they will be unhappy and trying to look for something could be quite hard for them. No money will be coming into your bank and if you have a family and a house that will be quite bad because you cannot pay things off with the house and you cannot buy your family things, because they have no money coming in to pay things that could really affect them. But if we think of some positive impacts, they could be that you get to spend more time with your family, but if you are at work all the time then you cannot spend as much time with them so at least they all get to spend time with each other.

Education can impact on a person’s development through the life stages. Education is most important for the life stages childhood and adolescents. Education affects positively because it instructs children and teenagers new things, and it helps achieve new things. But some negative things about education could be that there is a lot of pressure when learning new things and to be able to pass a subject in education.

A significant life event for infancy could be a death of a relative, or it could be a death of their mother, that would cause a big life event because infants rely on their mother for milk if they were breast fed, they rely on their parents so much and if they have died in an accident then they will no longer have them to rely on. A significant life event for childhood could also be a death of a relative because children depend on their loved ones around them to support and love them. Children need the support when going through education they need the support of their relatives; it would also be so unexpected to them as well. with adolescences their significant life event could be puberty, puberty is the time in life when a boy or girl becomes sexually mature. It causes physical changes and affects for both boys and girls differently. With females the pituitary gland sends a message to the ovaries to release a hormone called oestrogen. A hormone is a chemical substance that create an effect and oestrogen makes many body changes happen. With males a message is sent to the testicles to produce the hormone, testosterone. Some primary sexual characteristics are present at birth for example vaginas for females and penis for males, some changes in males can include, penis enlarges, testicles grow, and sperm is produced. Some changes in females are that sexual organs grow, and ovulation and menstruation begin. Secondary sexual characteristics are those that appear through puberty, such as breasts in females and facial hair for males. Some changes in males will include pubic hair growing, as well as facial hair growing, and their voice deepens. Some changes in females can include, pubic hair growing, their breast develop, and their hips widen. this shows the significance it has on adolescences. A significant life event for early adulthood could be moving out of your parent or guardians’ home and moving to your own home, this could be a significant life event because moving out will leave them with all types of feelings for example worried, scare, but also excited