...What motivates and creates the patchwork of experiences that make up people? In her pinnacle of writing, the gothic horror novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley explores various themes and motifs among them nature versus nurture. She does so through a man attempting to create life named Victor Frankenstein and the Creature he creates. In Frankenstein, Shelley gives examples of the consequences of a spoiled upbringing, the effect on people of their surroundings, the idea of innate goodness, and the idea that people are blank slates upon which their experiences are etched. In the debate of nature versus nature over why people are good or bad, nurture is by far the more influential. A privileged and unrestrained upbringing by overly indulgent parents...
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...Nature vs. Nurture vs. Tofu 2 Without conducting any research, I realize that I have never really thought about the subject of nature vs. nurture. By knowing a little of what the controversy is about, I am able to ask myself the right questions to complete my thoughts and come to a proper opinion. Usually I am an extremist by going with one side and not lingering with thoughts in the middle. However, this is a subject that does not deserve one end. By looking and observing those around me, many may notice that people share similar traits. Some traits are the result of nature and others are the result of nurture. There is no 50:50 ratio that is involved in the deciding factor of how much of each side contributes to the individuals we are today. Because biological factors and conformity are two different subjects, there is no scientific way to measure an accurate ratio of nature to nurture. Instead, I believe that each and every person is the product of 100 percent nature as well as 100 percent nurture. As my boyfriend and I are out to lunch, I throw my thoughts at him about nature vs. nurture and he makes me realize that tofu is a great example of both nature and nurture. He asks me how I am able to eat something so bland and tasteless. I tell him that tofu does have sort of a creamy nutty taste to it and is delicious plain uncooked. However, when tofu is cooked, it conforms to and picks up the flavor of the food or sauce that is being cooked with...
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...2014 Nature vs Nurture The nature vs nurture debate has been a raging topic for decades now. It has caused much controversy in justifying human characteristics, especially concerning the defense of criminal behavior. Many people believe that our actions and conduct comes from the genes we possess, and that we are born with a higher likelihood to act in certain ways. Others believe that our behavior is a result of our childhood, and how we are brought up. Extensive research has been done on the nature vs nurture debate. Although both nature and nurture ultimately affect one’s behavioral characteristics, it seems nurture has a much greater impact. So, is our behavior affected by our heredity and genes, or by the environment we grow up in? What is nature? “Nature is your genes. The physical and personality traits determined by your genes stay the same irrespective of where you were born and raised” ("Nature vs Nurture." Diffen.com. Diffen LLC, n.d. Web. 3 Dec 2014). Taking in the consideration of I.Q., studies prove that genetics has a great effect. Adopted siblings have no more similar of an I.Q. than strangers, while blood related siblings have an I.Q. correlation of .6. Twins especially, having an I.Q. correlation of .86 (Nancy,L. Same-Age Unrelated Siblings: A Unique Test of Within-Family Environmental Influences on IQ Similarity. Journal of Educational Psychology. 1997 June; 89(2): 381-390.) DeNoto, 1 Nature vs Nurture The nature vs nurture debate...
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...NATURE VS NUTURE 1 Nature and Nurture Development Mary Smith PSY 330 Tim Wilder January 26, 2014 NATURE VS NUTURE 2 The nature versus nurture debate, as it relates to human development, is unique and gravitates to all humans for decades. In the field of psychology, the question frequently arises as to how much of human behavior is due to environment and how much is due to genetic influence. There are various methods used to determine if violent behavior is a function of nature or nurture. There was a study conducted in Germany and the UK, which involved a child’s behavior due to their environment and how much is due to their genetics. “It is society (or culture, respectively) into which the children are born, with its prevailing behavioral norms, creeds, social structures, attitudes, mentalities, etc., which imprints and profiles the newborn humans” (Voland, E., 2000). Nature are the elements which make up a person such as their qualities. Nurture is to raise, educate, support and love a person. Violence is a natural phenomenon that should be treated, or violence is a learned behavior that children should be taught to avoid. Before making an assumption or decision, onlookers of the debate should consider how genetics may come into play in the behaviors of individuals, how environment may affect an individual’s behaviors, and how they both may interact to create violence as a whole. Nature refers to an individual's...
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...Example essay on Nature vs Nurture: The natural characteristics of a person can either be quite similar or quite different to the unnatural characteristics of a person. The natural characteristics of a person are the traits that come from their parents; the ones that people are born with which are genetical. These traits are developed biologically. The unnatural characteristics of a person, or the nurtured characteristics, are the traits that people develop themselves after they are born. The environment of a person’s life greatly determines their personality. The traits a person has that they weren’t born with are the traits that the environment has influenced on them. There are many traits that I have inherited naturally through genetics from my mom and dad. I can tell that my work ethic has been inherited from my dad because he is a very hard worker and I also strive to achieve my personal best. My mom tends to be very sensitive at times and concerned for other people’s feelings, which I know, I have inherited. I have also inherited my dad’s super mathematical skills and my mom’s artistic abilities. I can also tell that I have inherited a good sense of well being from my mom. There are also many behaviors that I have developed from the environment I grew up in. I have learned to respect all people from being influenced at school and by my parents. I’ve also been trained to be responsible of things such as doing my work. I learned that if I am not responsible and don’t do...
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...Nature vs. Nurture Troy Crosland WGU Issues in Behavior Science GLT1 Nature vs. Nurture Issues concerning the nature vs. nurture debate are amongst the oldest in science. This debate centers around the argument of biological and genetic contributions as opposed to those imposed on human development from environmental factors. Many scholars such as Descartes and Plato suggest many of our individual traits are inherited from our parents, they happen naturally regardless of any influence from our environment. John Locke and many other prominent thinkers have promoted the idea of tabula rasa (blank slate), which promotes the idea that when born our minds are like a blank slate ready to be shaped by experience and influence from our environment. (Cherry, 2011, p. 1) The controversy surrounding the nature vs. nurture debate is over whether children develop various attributes based on their genetics known as “nature” or is it more associated to how they are raised which is know as “nurture”. (Sessions & Larson, 2011, expression 1) So why does it matter if we are born intelligent, or become intelligent? There are many reasons the nature vs. nurture debate continues, her are a few reasons: * Parenthood/Relationships: If specific attributes are due to environmental factors (nurture), parents and educators can implement the most effective methods discovered in order to get the best results. If said attributes are determined to be more influenced by genetics (nature)...
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...Nature vs. Nurture ECE205 Mrs. Tonya Jeremiah 10/12/2015 The nature versus nurture debate is an old issue within the field of psychology. Nature vs. Nurture is a scientific debate that describes how humans develop gradually and become who they will be in life. The nature-nurture issue has continually one that has resurfaced in come back up recently in research becoming a debate on the variety of roles that gene (DNA) and an individual’s environment may or may not affect an individual’s mental state of mind. Researchers debate what is inherited; which is related to nature, and what is caused from one’s surroundings or environment which would be one’s nurture. It is said that the debate essentially refers to how each individual is affected developmentally by nature vs. nurture. This debate details rather or not intelligence, gender identities, violent behaviors, and sexual orientation is caused by one or both nature and nurture. Looking at research there seems to be a variety of different studies that explain whether intelligence is in fact an inherited trait; or does an individual’s environment whom they will become. When discussing the environmental factors, there are many elements that must be looked into make a successful determination as to if a child is affected by their surroundings. Research has said that both physical environments and social environments play a major role in child development. For example a child’s prenatal nutrition can cause lifelong effects...
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...What is the nature versus nurture controversy? In your opinion, is nature or nurture a more important determinant in human behavior? Why? Provide support for your answer. As we all know, nature is the biological genetics which individuals inherited from their parents, and nurture is known as the environment in which we're raised. The nature-nurture controversy is a classic research between behavioral psychologists in which they did find “the source of the creation of human personality” (Genes and behavior, “n.d.”), including physical and behavioral traits, and given out a question: “What is the main influence on human - their genetics or their environment?” (Nature vs. Nurture Examples. “n.d.”). It's commonly known that people have a few particular physical traits as their parents by sharing the same DNA. But where do people find their interest for other behaviors like the preference of reading specific kinds of book, or their natural abilities? That's what the nature versus nurture controversy tackles (What does "nature versus nurture" mean?, “n.d."). Some scientist claim that nature plays an important role in this issue. For example, in a theory of attachment, Bowlby shows us the “views the bond between mother and child as being an innate process that ensures survival” (“Bowlby, J., 1969”). In addition, Chomsky also claims that “language is gained through the use of an innate language acquisition device” (“Chomsky, N.,1965”). However, other scientists opposed that environmental...
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...There is a question that goes around a lot “Nature or Nurture?” people ask this because they try to evaluate if a person's behavior is by their environment and how they grew up vs. if they were born with it. Having an innate trait is something we did not choose or can change. For example our eyes are innate traits and also diseases such as down syndrome. While nurture traits examples are thoughts about other races because the parents give them their first impressions of a race. These examples explain what difference nature and nurture which proposes the scientific question of people's behavior in a given a certain circumstance. This question arises a theory named the dandilion and orchid theory, David dobbs writes an article explaining what these references mean. A dandelion child is someone who can grow up to be phenomenal and successful in any environment which contradicts the orchid child. The orchid child is less adaptable they can grow up to be phenomenal and successful given a good environment which is why the orchid child’s development is mercurial...
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...Since the beginning of recorded time one has been told that ‘you have your mothers eyes’ or ‘You’re tall like your father’ and it has been accepted that humans inherit their appearance traits from their parents, however where does one get their talent for hockey, their intelligence, or their habits; does one learn these from their environment or were they programmed by genetics? Well this brings to light the age old debate of nature vs. nurture. The Nature and Nurture debate stems into many areas that make humans what they are, with one of those factors being their religion, and when examining religion it is found that nurture trumps nature in shaping the beliefs of oneself. Since the Ancient Egyptians and even before (Mesopotamians) religion and spirituality have existed, there has been a consensual acceptance that there is a God, and when one closes their eyes for the last time, they become one with God, or in some cases; the devil or the ‘netherworld’. Through those times and the times of the Catholic church according to world renowned psychologist Dr Olivera Petrovich; “Religion has become the natural state-it is now hard wired by families into babies brains, it is atheism that is learned”. She bases the mantra of religion being parental based on a study of four hundred B.C. children of different faiths, and many aged four-six Japanese children. When asking all of these children about their faith they all without any guidance from their parents say they believe in God;...
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...innocent or guilty of murder to his father. In the play we see different accounts of prejudice. Do people’s backgrounds, acquaintances’ ideas, etc. influence an individual’s ideas? This question brings up the classic argument of nature vs. nurture. Does nature or nurture have more of an influence on a person? Nature lays the base of a person’s being. It’s the DNA and instinct of a person. It tells you if you can roll your tongue or not or, for example, it’s the reason someone has a mental disease. It's the born with instinct's of a person that describes a person's nature. People make the argument that a person’s nature is more of an influence become if someone has a disease, they will be plagued with the effects for their life. Scientists are trying to find “behavioral genes” that explain why a person acts the way they do (decision making, personal views, treatment to others, and any other behavioral attitudes). However, nothing has been found yet that exemplifies these genes. An estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older or about one in four adults suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a year. This can be translated to 57.7 million Hovatter 2 people. This is the most evidence a nature supporter could have that would influence a person’s being the most. Nurture is the developmental process of a person. It’s the cause that teachers, psychologists, lawyers, and other specialists have based a part of their career on. The argument is that...
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...and Nurture is what makes us who we are its a combination of both. Nurture is what we are molded in as growing up but at the same time Nature is our personality, intelligence, aggression and sexual orientation are also encoded in each individual DNA. Nature can be defined in many ways I personally define it as life in general things that are natural in life plants, animals, and weather even from a baby coming into this world that is nature. Genetics vs. Environment you might hear someone say to you ‘‘you and your mother act so much alike” or “your following in your fathers foot steps”, however parents and guardians do play the key role in shaping a child personality. But, nature does most of the real work. The environment does influence most personality traits while the rest are genetics. Often times I role out of the bed and the weather is dreadful and I crawl right back in cancelling all my daily routines. What will you define that as? I will classify that as nature for the reason that if the weather was beautiful I would have been in a better mood and start my day; because the sun is shinning and at that moment you’re in a much pleasant mood. Page 72 & 73 in the Society textbook by John J. Macionis looks upon the Role of Nature as determining a person is innately gay, or holds any characteristics of that of a criminal. Page 1 of 3 I ssues of nature vs....
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...The Impact of Nature and Nurture on Human Life Name School September 24, 2013 Introduction Most educated people have probably heard of the terms nature and nurture before. The thing most people do not realize is how big an impact each of these makes on all of us. This paper will discuss the impact that nature and nurture have on human development. Nature and nurture are two words used to describe the development of humans. There has been an on going debate in psychology to whether heredity or the environment most impacts human psychological development. Many believe that they go hand in hand because one affects the other. Nature is a word used to describe the genes given to each child by their parents. Nurture is described as how children are affected by their surrounding environment. This paper will discuss the topics of how development may be different depending on where you live, the effect of nature and nurture on stress, behavioral genetics, give a summary of the points and then a conclusion. Environment Ones environment impacts nurture. The type of environment one is in can include anything from what type of house to what city, and even what country is lived in. A person who grew up in a big city will have a very different nurture than someone who grew up in the Amish lifestyle. Not that one or the other is better; they are just completely different environments. An article by Carol McNamara explains how a combination of nature and nurture are how humans...
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...behavior: nature or nurture. Nature is simply the unmodifiable factors or genetics that an individual is born with; those who believe that nature is the primary shaping force of who we become are called nativists. While Nurture is the modifiable factors such as the environment or experiences that are unique to each individual; those who consider nurture as the primary driving force in human development are called empiricists. As many articles that are out there concerning the nature vs. nurture debate, there are that many differing opinions and claims that say that the question has finally been solved and that either nature or nurture is more responsible for determining an individual’s traits. Some of the newer articles also claim that they are equally responsible or that neither is solely responsible and that there are multiple other factors that play into the equation. Clearly the debate continues and it has not only two, but many sides. The nature vs. nurture debate can often get heated and is quite controversial. According to an article from Diffen (2015), “Some observers offer the criticism that modern science tends to give too much weight to the nature side of the argument, in part because of the potential harm that has come from rationalized racism. Historically, much of this debate has had undertones of racist and eugenicist policies — the notion of race as a scientific truth has often been assumed as a prerequisite in various incarnations of the nature versus nurture debate...
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...The psychological debate of nature vs. nurture is one that has been deliberated and refuted for many years. This debate is so controversial because although it is fact that genetic makeup does play a major role in developing a person, the nurture and environment in which a person is brought up in is also an important factor. The nature vs. nurture issue dates back to Ancient Greeks, through the times of Aristotle and John Locke, with each philosopher projecting their own individual thoughts on the matter. Although nature depicts the development of a person in terms of their appearance and certain personality traits, nature and the setting and situations in which a person grows up is more important in explaining the development of a person because ultimately a person is an overall reflection of the environment of which they were brought up in. Each person comes from different backgrounds, religions, and environments, which are all external factors that play a large role in the development of an individual. Diet, stress, prenatal nutrition, peer pressure, and television are just some of the more specific environmental factors that can affect a person. Clearly, there are many more aspects of the nurture debate that contribute to the argument that a person’s upbringing is what will influence their development. For example, NBC reported that in a study where teenagers played violent video games and non violent video games, the violent video games were proven...
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