A person’s life is a composed of a maelstrom of choices and experiences. With so many variables in a person life what is it exactly that shapes it? Nature versus nurture is one of psychology’s greatest controversies. Leventhal & Brooks-Gunn (2003) claims the argument that nurture has a greater effect on a person’s life than nature. The type of neighborhood a child grows up in influences their lives, and subsequently, how likely they are to succeed in life.
Nature states that a person is born with certain predispositions. People are born with “good” genes or “bad” genes. “It is just the way I am” may reflect that an individual feels certain aspects of their life is because of nature. A person’s environment does not have much of an effect on a person’s life and how they will turn out. To overcome any limitations, you might have inherited is almost impossible. These limitations, or advantages, can range from physical appearance, intelligence, and personality. This can ultimately lead to individuals lack of responsibility for personal actions because it is simply in their nature to commit these actions.
Nurture on the other hand states that a person’s environment has a greater impact on their life. There are many variables in your life that have shaped who you are and who you will become. These individuals may state that because they were born into a low-income neighborhood that their actions are reflective of those other individuals living in said neighborhoods. For example, an individual who grows up in a neighborhood where others litter may be inclined to continue the pattern and litter. These variables of nurture can range from childhood experiences, social relationships, and the culture in which you were raised in. A person is not born bad and he is not born good, they are born with a clean slate. They are simply molded by the circumstances they were placed into.
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I propose that the environment, in this scenario a neighborhood, that a child grows up in has a deep and long reaching effect on childhood development. A child’s resources, culture in which they are raised, and opportunities available is a far greater giveaway to the kind of person a child will grow up to be. A child that grows up surrounded by college educated individuals may view obtaining higher education valued as more imperative than pursuing a job. On the other hand, individuals raised in a low-income area may view obtaining employment more important than higher education. This could be due to the individual not being raised around other individuals that deemed higher education important.
The environment can have an astounding effect on a person’s life. In childhood development, the neighborhood in which a child grows up in has numerous of variables. These variables can include access to fresh foods, access to educational resources, and access to healthcare. Through different methods these variables can significantly impact a child’s life as they progress into adulthood. But what variables in neighborhoods can be altered to observe an effect on a child? There were two types of studies that were conducted, experimental and nonexperimental.
Nonexperimental data was mostly census-based. This tool allowed large amounts of data to be collected at once but was limited in the type of information it could obtain. High neighborhood income was one of the statistics measured. This did not just include income but also the number of colleges educated individuals and professionals. Low neighborhood income was also measured through variables more reflective of their conditions. This included the number of people on public assistance, unemployment rates, and how impoverished the average individual living in the neighborhood was. Another variable studied was family influences, and whether a neighborhoods effect out weighed the influences of a family. Again, the battle of nature versus nurture.
Experimental studies were used to collect this data. The Gautreaux program was created to end segregation in the public housing in Chicago, Illinois. This provided families with New housing, though the housing was randomized according to availability. Another program was the Moving to Opportunity Program. This program, effective in several cities across the United States, provided families with housing of their choice in lower income neighborhoods or high-income neighborhoods.
Another variable to consider when discussing the environment are the families of the children. A family’s influence can not be underestimated. Family decisions can impact almost every facet of a child’s life. This can include the living conditions of the child, state of cleanliness, diet, education, responsibilities, and much more. Children may model their behavior from the adults around them, especially their parents. But I digress. This may not impact them as much as the neighborhood they live in but it is still a variable to consider when debating which variables affect the lives of children.
The nonexperimental studies and experimental studies both yielded the same results. Those in better neighborhoods were better off. But what defines better? The nonexperimental studies, using census-based data, concluded that children in high-income neighborhoods scored higher academically and showed higher vocabulary skills. This was a stark difference compared to the low-income neighborhoods which displayed mental health issues, and antisocial behavior along with lower academic scores. During the experimental studies the results were as expected. When placed in higher-income neighborhoods children displayed higher academic and physical scores. Those who were originally in higher-income neighborhoods scored lower in school when they were placed in lower-income neighborhoods.
This coincided with my initial hypothesis being that nurture directly impacts those significantly more than the nature of these individuals. The environment in which children were placed in had a massive impact on how well they performed in life directly impacting every facet all the way through into adulthood. Using these findings, children placed in more favorable conditions can directly lead to a more quality of life and a more successful life. But taking children from the neighborhoods in which they grew up in may not always be the most ethical decision. Children given more favorable conditions are more likely to benefit from their environment and thus benefit from their nature and nurture.
