The psychological concept that I will be discussing and explaining is the nature vs. nurture debate/question. The reason that I have chosen this topic is because I am very interested in how long the debate has been going on. I also wanted to research it further to explorehow it affected the way I grew up andimpactedthe personthat I am today. People need to realize that this is a very important debate/question because it applies in everybody’s life, because this is what determines the type of behavior and personality that you have. “Nature vs. nurture is probably the developmental question that gets the most attention” Charlton, Sobel & Sobel, 2018, p. 132).
You can see why thistopicinterests meso much.It is aquestion that gets tons of attention throughout the psychological world. It is debated nationally among psychologists,and I wanted to learnmore about it and be able to understand it,so I could apply it to my own life and experience. Everybody should want to learn more about this debate because it plays a big role onwho you are today. The nature vs. nurture question is a debate on how the changes that we go through during life areeither based on genetics or environmental factors (132). A lot of people seem to think that it is either one or the other, but as time has gone on and people have done further research on it, they are starting to realize that it is most likely a mix of both. There are two core concepts ofthis psychological topic, they are nature and nurture.The first one is nature, which is described that“human behaviors, attitudes, and personalities are the result of innate biological or genetic factors” (Garcia, 2013, p. 1).
In other words,the waywe act,and different aspects of our personality is a direct result of ourgenetics. The nature side of the debate believes that who you are cannot be changed because you born with it. Whatever genes that your parents passed down are what makes you who you are. For example, if somebody is very shy and has a timid personality, the nature side would say that they were born that way and they must have inherited a gene for being shy and timid. The other core concept is known as nurture, which is described as “the behaviors, attitudes, and personalities that result from life experiences and experiential learning” (p. 1).
127 our experts are availableright now
In other words, our actions and personalities are changed and shaped fromthings we have experienced within our lives,and the effect that the environment has had on us. The nurture side believes that no matter what genes you are born with, they can be changed depending how and where you are raised. For example, a kid who grew up with very loving and caring parents that always provided for himwilllikelybecomea loving and caring personas he grows olderbecause thatis what he saw when we weregrowing up. Depending on how you were raised and the type of environment that you were raised in results in the type of person you will become.The nature vs. nurture debate is applicable in my own life because it has helped me better understand who I am and how I got to become the way that I am.
For example, I am a very shy and reserved person which is the total opposite of my parents. I believeIexhibit these behaviorsbecause I was nurtured to be this way. Growing up my parents were strict, and I was always punished if I did something bad or wrong. By them parenting me this way I believe it shaped me to bequiet and shy becauseI did not want to get in trouble and I knew that there were consequences for breaking the rules.Another way that this is applicable in my life is my sister. She was raised by the same parents as I was and under the same circumstances. The difference isshe is very outgoing and loud just like my parents. Even though she was raised in the same environment as me we are two different peoplewith two very different personalities.
I think this has to do with nature. By comparing both my sister’s personality andmy own personality,it allowed me to realize that both nature and nurture play a role in the development of someone. You cannot simply say it is nature or nurture.Instead, I believe it is combinationof aspects from both nature and nurture. This is proven by my own life.I am shy and reservedbecause of how I was raised, but my sister even though was raised the same as me is very outgoing and bold. The nurture side had more of an effect on me growing up whilethe nature side had more of an effect on my sister growing up.
One challenge to the nature vs. nurture debate is that there has not yet been proven evidencefoundsuggestingthat behavior and personality is based on 100% genetics or 100% environmental factors. “Human behavior and personality are most likely the result of a complex interplay between genetics and environment” (Garcia, 2013, p. 1). Unless evidence is foundprovingthat our behavior and personality is based 100% on either nature or nurture then this long debate will continue.I believe a big part of this challenge comes from people not wanting to admit that our behavior and personality is partly due to both nature and nurture.
I feel like they know inside them that it is a mix of both but just do not want to admit it.The biggest challenge to this topic is the extremists on both sides. You have the people who are only on the nature side and believe in nothing but that, and then you have the people on the nurture side who believe nothing but that side. Since they are extremists,they will not hear what the other side even has to say therefore not seeing it from any other point of view besides their own.Because of these people who only strongly believe in nature or nurture make it hard to say it is a mix because they will not budge on where they stand.
References
- Charlton, S., Sobel, K., & Sobel, S. (2018). Psychology: The science of who we are(2nd ed.). Southlake, TX: Fountainhead Press.
- García, J. D., (2013). Nature versus nurture debate. SalemPressEncyclopedia. Retrieved from https://ucark.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ers&AN=90558400&site=eds-live&scope=site
