Prompted Post #7: Contemplating Controversy; Nature vs. Nurture

      In psychology, there are many age-old debates that stretches back to the very first founding fathers of the science. One of the original and most controversial topics in psychology is the long debate over Nature v. Nurture. It is the topic of how humans were developed. Were are our traits inherited through our genes, or were they learned and acquired from the environment?

The supporters of the Nature side argue that everything from our personality traits, to our physical traits, illnesses, and IQ are strictly innate. That everything we are has been passed down through our genes. They say that humans are strictly formed on a 'biological clock' and 'pre-programmed' to develop in a certain manner. The examples that the nature side uses to argue their case are the stores of identical twins who were separated at birth, grew up in different environments, and were surprised  at what they found when they were reunited. They had the exact same personality traits, interests, and IQ; they both developed into pretty much the same person, even though they had been raised in different environments.

However, the Nurture side says this simply a coincidence, and argue they must have grew up in similar environments, which for this example, turns out to be true as well. The way that the Nurture side looks at development, is that everything is learned from the environment around us. They say we learn through 'schemas' or representations of how we should act, based on the schema of a male or female. This then shapes how we think, dress, and act. Mostly everything that forms us is through social influences, and how we were raised by our parents. Our behavior and attitudes are learned from conditioning and what we learn is right from wrong. Peer pressure is a great example that the nurture side loves to use. They say that influence from those around you is the biggest factor of how a child develops. It starts from parental influence, and moves to friend influences in the teenage years, and this ultimately shapes the type of person that you become.

I believe that both arguments are very plausible. I can clearly see where each side is coming from and why they believe what they do. However, the nature-nurture debate will never be truly resolved, as both sides continue come out with new evidence that supports their case. There really is not a right answer when it comes to this debate, it strictly comes down to personal opinion.

Source:

     McLeod, Saul. "Nature Nurture in Psychology." Simply Psychology. SimplyPsychlogy, 2007. Web. 22 Feb. 2014.