Morals: Nature vs. Nurture

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Morals: Nature vs. Nurture

In psychology the story of Heinz has been widely known. A European man whose wife was sick with cancer, Heinz needed to purchase a drug that would help his wife. however, the drug cost $2000. Determined to help his wife, Heinz did all he could to raise as much money as possible but could only come up with half. With no other options left, Heinz broke into the druggist’s office to steal the medicine for his wife. This story leads perfectly into the debate on nature versus nurture as it pertains to morality. Was Heinz justified in what he did because of the situation he was in, or were bad morals instilled within him from the very beginning? In other words, is there more of a contribution from social expectations to moral development than genetic expectations? From young childhood through young adulthood, individuals are molded by parents, siblings, teachers, peers, society, media, and our environments. These socialization or nurturing related factors far outweigh genetics or nature related factors when it comes to morality. Theories and studies created by famous psychologists Kohlberg and Piaget, whose theories are still used in textbooks today, genetic studies done by biologists, as well as studies done in other cultures, their societies, and what is morally acceptable to them help to prove this.

Piaget, a Swiss developmental psychologist from the early 1900s, created a three stage theory of morality in children. Jean Piaget’s theory of moral development was one of the first created and is still taught in psychology classes today. These three stages are known as the the preoperational stage, the concrete stage, and the formal operations stage. Piaget’s first stage corresponds to children age’s two to ...

... middle of paper ...

...tages.” N.d. www.appsychologybhs.wikispaces.com. Web.

1Nov 2012. .

Papalia, D. E., S. W. Olds, and R. D. Feldman. Human development. 11. Boston: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages, 2010. Print

Rachels, James. "2.1 How Different Cultures Have Different Moral Codes." The Challenge of Cultural Relativism. N.p.. Web. 1 Nov 2012. .

Research: Marsh, A., Crowe, S., Yu, H., Gorodetsky, E., Goldman, D., & Blair, R. (2011). Serotonin Transporter Genotype (5-HTTLPR) Predicts Utilitarian Moral Judgments PLoS ONE, 6 (10) DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0025148

United States. Drug Enforcement Agency. What is "distribution"? What's drug "trafficking?".Web..

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