Question

Could you describe nature vs nature debate and provide support for both sides ?

Answer 1

Developmental psychologists study how we change from the cradle to the grave. When psychology was a new science, there was a great debate, This is called the nature vs nurture debate, Some psychologists believe that we were born a blank slate. Thi means that our environment completely dictates who we are. The environment is everything with nurture. And then some psychologists believe that it is nature. Or as they like to say, the " World within the skin". So, on the nature side, it is everything that we are born with, like our genetics that determine who we are. However, today we know that who we are is a function of both nature and nurture. It is a really complex interplay of these two things, and we can rarely separate the two when trying to explain the different aspects of development.

Nature and nurture are just two different ways of answering the question of the working of the mind. We can say someone does what they do because of nature or nurture. The ancient philosopher Plato believed that we inherit most of our characteristics and intelligence from our parents while Aristotle believed that w come into this world bare and everything we get is from our environment in our upbringing. In the late 1800s, Darwin published a book called the Origin of Species in which he discussed the concept natural selection. Natural selection is the idea that nature selects specific traits to allow an organism to survive but Darwin believed that his theory was not limited to just biological traits such as the length of a giraffe's neck but also to psychological traits such as emotions like anger or lust,

One method that the modern psychologists used to study the differences between nature and nurture is by looking at different cultures and ethnicities. By looking at what makes us similar we can also determine what makes u different. Based on the environment we can compare the natural genetic traits that each human holds in common and also the social and ethnic differences that make us who we are. Another method that modern psychologists use to study the difference between nature and nurture is twin studies since identical twins seem to have the same genetic makeup, they are the ideal participants to study hereditary and environmental influences on their behaviour.

Overall, psychologists agree that you cannot have one without the other. Nature will always grab and mould who the person is but nurture will always rough out the edges. Most of us are born a certain way but the environment does influence us based on our upbringing and where we live.

Psychologists have developed a three-prong method of analysis called the Biopsychosocial Approach. Here they analyse from multiple perspectives how a phenomenon occurs whether it is biologically induced, psychologically or socio-culturally. The first level of analysis is called Biological in which one looks at the genetic predispositions or the adaptive traits an individual has. For example, If a child likes spicy food it could be the child was born with a genetic predisposition towards spicy food. or that the child' mother ate spicy food when pregnant. The second level analysis is called Psychological in which one looks at learned behaviours and emotions. If a child throws a tantrum every time he wants something and he is rewarded, then he is always going to believe that that is the way to get what he wants. This is a learned behaviour that explains the specific actions in life. Lastly, the third level analysis is Social and Cultural, in that one's ethnicity, peer group and even the media influences one's behaviours. We have been taught to respect our elders and greet them through some gestures when we meet them. This is a cultural influence on one's behaviour ( the way one greets elders is different in different ethnicities).

Since one behaviour cannot be explained solely by biological influence, it is important to look at the psychological and the social-cultural aspect as well. The point to remember is whether it is biological, psychological or social, it is important in understanding the influences for a behaviour but it is not until one combines all of them that the whole picture becomes clear.