Assess the view that human behaviour is determined by social environment.
This essay assesses the view that human behaviour is determined by social environment. Social environment refers to the physical and social setting in which people live in. It includes culture that individual was educated or lives in, the people and institutions with whom they interact with. Each of our social environments is moulded by individual’s upbringing and social factors. This suggests human behaviour is determined by nurture. However, I disagree with the statement human behaviour is determined by social environment. I believe human behaviour is the basic living instincts, predetermined by each individual’s biological factors such as DNA.
Sociologists tend to argue that human behaviour is determined by social environment that is nurture. They suggest that on the whole our behaviour is not fixed biologically. Sociologists believe the society of an individual shapes their behaviour and personality. According to this perspective of social determinist genes have less effect on an individual. They suggest family as an agent for individual’s primary socialisation. Secondary socialisation agents are friends, environment, religion, and mass media and so on. These factors create personality for an individual that they claim to have.
Furthermore, without proper socialization humans cannot learn to behave appropriately to fit into social environment. Feral children are the results of those deprived from social interaction with other humans. Isabelle was born to mother who could not speak or hear. She stayed with her mother for the first six years of her life in a dark room. When she was first found she was very fearful of strangers, particularly men. She only made a croaking sound. After a long period, through socialisation she develops speech and other socialisation skills. The case study