Nature vs Nurture: Pre-Wiring and Life Experiences - Essay Sample

Introduction

The debate on nature versus nurture includes the degree to which particular aspects of behaviors are inherited or influenced by learning from the surrounding environment. Nature is thought of as the prewiring, which is caused by genetic inheritance. At the same time, nurture is generally considered as the influence of factors after the birth of a child for example, the life experiences and exposure. How a child responds to failure, how they create relationships with others, and general behavior is somehow related to the genes that they inherited; however, life's learning and experiences also shape their behavior. The combination of genetics and environmental experiences is what eventually results in one's identity and influences behavior.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Arguments on Nature

The principle of nature explains that the baby’s characteristics and behavior gets inherited from the genetic makeup in their lineage. Some renowned philosophers such as Plato and Descartes delineated that some traits are inborn; that is, they occur naturally despite other environmental influences (Zaky, 2015). According to Zaky (2015), attributes such as height, weight, vulnerability to illness, and complexion of the baby are determined by the interaction of genes of individuals. According to the principle of nature, a baby can also inherit mental and personality attributes from other individuals who are close relatives. For instance, when a baby achieves their milestone such as learning numbers fast, nativists believe that they do so because they are genetically inclined with a higher IQ to achieve success quickly.

Additionally, nativists believe that, if a baby grows into an abusive adult to their partner, then it is explained by the reason that they were naturally born with violent tendencies. However, the principle of nurture would argue that it is highly possible that abusive adults could have learned the behavior by observing their own parents' behavior. According to Grace et al. (2017), 60% of temperament among people is hereditary. Too much temper and crying of a baby when the environment is made conducive is mostly as a result of genetic makeup that they may have inherited from their parents. Inheritance thus influences some behaviors in adulthood, such as aggression.

Arguments on Nurture

Environmentalists, also known as empiricists, assume that when a child is born, the brain a blank slate, which is increasingly filled through learning and experience (Zaky, 2015). According to theorist Watson (1930), people can be trained to learn to become anything regardless of their genetic background. For instance, when a baby shows love and attachment, it is because it responds to the same attention it has received. Another strong argument that empiricists believe is that if a child learns language by imitating the speech of others around them, then it is possible for them to learn behaviors such as aggression from their environment. Theorist Bandura (1977), through his social learning theory, also suggests that aggression and other violent behaviors are learned from the environment through observation.

Additionally, according to empiricists, the primary influence of a child's psychological development is parenting. According to Freud Steinbeis et al., (2017), childhood events are a significant influence in adult lives. Additionally, according to Galton's study in 1883, research suggests that human society and knowledge could be improved through better breeding (Galton, 2019). This means that even babies thought to be born with a lower IQ, could be better if they are exposed to good environments that support learning. Most pediatric mental disorders are associated with an increase in family adversities. Children born in disadvantaged families are more likely to attend poor schools with disruptive peers, which fosters truancy. Grief is another common risk of children developing mental disorders; this is because distress may present through emotional symptoms like depression. However, some mental illnesses such as autism have an inheritability of over 90% despite the existing environmental risk factors (Zaky, 2015).

The Balance Between Nature and Nurture

In the area of mental development, both nature and nurture have an impact. Although genetics can affect the nature of one's mental state, there have to be environmental triggers for the condition to manifest. For instance, in cases where there is a likelihood of a child developing mental health from birth, then proper care has to be taken to lessen the influence of the condition or to prevent it from occurring at all (Grace et al., 2017). The case of addiction is another mental state that does not depend entirely on genes but rather on behaviors such as spending time in the company of alcoholics or frequent and easy access to alcohol. However, when addiction shows in the genes, it can be disastrous when combined with environmental factors that influence behavior. Francis Galton also was convinced in his argument that Intellectual ability is primarily inherited.

Conclusion

In conclusion, both nature and nurture play a role in shaping up a child’s personality. It is not logical to separate the aspects of nature and nurture in arguments. Since both nature and nurture are aspects that affect growth and development, the question that has to be asked to reach a conclusion is "By How Much?". This is to say that one aspect has to be more important than the other in defining behavior in growth and development. Empiricists believe that the primary influence of a child's psychological development is parenting. On the other hand, nativists suggest that an individual’s characteristics and behavior get inherited from the genetic makeup in their lineage. However, in the area of mental development, both nature and nurture have an impact.

References

Bandura, A., & Walters, R. H. (1977). Social learning theory (Vol. 1). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-hall.

Grace, R., Hayes, A., & Wise, S. (2017). Child development in context. Children, families and communities, 3-25. https://www.oup.com.au/__data/assets/file/0009/132003/9780190304478_SC.pdf

Steinbeis, N., Crone, E., Blakemore, S. J., & Cohen Kadosh, K. (2017). Development holds the key to understanding the interplay of nature versus nurture in shaping the individual. Dev Cogn Neurosci, 25, 1-4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcn.2017.05.006

Watson, J. B. (1930). Behaviorism Chicago.

Zaky, E. A. (2015). Nature, nurture, and human behavior; an endless debate. Journal of Child and Adolescent Behavior. doi:10.4172/2375-4494.1000e107