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Nature vs nurture in criminal behaviour
What causes a divorce
What causes a divorce
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Recommended: Nature vs nurture in criminal behaviour
Our parents are a huge part of our genetic make up. They’re the deciding factors of whether we are a boy or a girl, how you have freckles, even the color of your irises. Theses are already predetermined before anyone is even born, but what about after that? To be more precise what about their personality? Where does that come from? Is it already decided for someone, or is it from the environment that they’ve grown up in? Although the term nurture could be argued that helps define us for who we are, it’s not as good as explaining why nature is better at telling us why we act this way or why we do something in a different manner. Prime examples of this are criminal rates, divorce, and the two adorable siblings known as twins. Before going into detail why nature is better at explaining why …show more content…
After marriage there are so many factors that depend on if the marriage will work. Some, of this includes stress, financial struggles, and children. Although these provide great examples on why nurture is a dominant factor towards divorce, but nature has a more influential standard on this delicate subject. From research on divorce, it is strongly believed that genetics determine whether or not your marriage will survive or not. Beth Jerskey and Michael Lyons with colleagues from Boston University studied marriages on identical and non-identical twins. According to their research “ Sure enough, identical twins – who share the same genes – were more likely to follow the same patterns of divorce than non-identical twins, who share roughly half their genes like ordinary siblings. This suggests there’s a significant genetic influence on divorce.” (para. 3) This shows that there is a strong biological influence on this subject. While divorce is a touchy subject to discuss, even nature has the upperhand on this
...s may never agree on a conclusive degree to which both nature and nurture play roles in human development, but over the years, more improved studies have shown that both are crucial aspects. With all the knowledge we are gaining from these studies, it would be quite limiting to believe that a criminal and his actions are the sole result of heredity. Even in people who do not commit crimes, genes themselves are affected by the prenatal environment. Undoubtedly, the fetus experiences changes in environment, forcing possible changes in heredity and reactionary response. We are likely to never find the answer to how much or how little either, nature or nurture, impacts our lives, but at least we can agree that they both do, in fact, have major roles. Our development is not the culmination of heredity alone, but of a tangled web of experiences and genetics entwined.
The nature and nurture debate has been studied for many years. Years ago many people thought that human behavior was “instinctive, simply our nature” (Macionis, 2008). Are people born with a predetermined plot of what their life will hold? Many researchers have done numerous studies that have proven that human behavior comes from how a person was nurtured after birth. Biology and nature mean the same thing, and we are biologically programmed at birth to do certain things. For example, at birth a person’s heart beats on its own, and a baby knows how to suck instantly. This shows the nature side of humans. How a child was nurtured at birth has a direct bearing on his or her future.
Have you ever wondered, or thought where you have got your personality from? The debate over nature versus nurture is whether people like identical twins, for example, are born and raised by genetics,(nature) and if they are born and raised by influences and influenced by the environment around them(nurture). The debate over nature versus nurture is very important and cannot be ignored. Identical twins are different in many ways. Studies have shown that nurture, is more dominant than nature. My personality has also changed in many ways as I have been raised. So as you can see I am on the nurture side by far.
In the well-received novel “Pudd’nhead Wilson,” Mark Twain skillfully addresses the ancient argument about the origin of one’s character and whether it’s derived from his nature or his surroundings. We can best see this battle between nature versus nurture by inspecting the plot lines that follow the characters Thomas a Becket Driscoll, Valet de Chambre, and Roxana the slave. Thomas was born into a wealthy white family while Roxy birthed Chambers into a life of slavery. It seemed as though each would have gone their separate ways into opposite walks of life, but Roxy secretly swapped the children, which destined each to their counterintuitive fates. Through their words and actions, Tom, Chambers, and Roxy have proven the idea that one’s behaviors and desires are a result of his upbringings and the environment he lives in rather than by his innate nature.
Physical features are the traits that you can see at first glance. They are your eyes, nose, ears, mouth and more. These body parts are influenced and molded by generations of DNA that has passed down from one individual to another. Therefore, resemblances with your parents are noticeable. Consequently a person’s humor, dreams, and interests are different story. These things are the bases on what make each and every one of us unique. In the studies of psychology, people debate whether these traits are influences by your DNA or that it is absorbed by your experiences throughout life (Sincero). Psychologists call this the Nature vs Nurture (Sincero). Each Argument has made valid and accurate points that make it difficult to decide (Sincero).
The quote from the famous psychologist John B. Watson essentially sums up behaviourism. Behaviourism refers to the school of psychology founded by Watson, established on the fact that behaviours can be measured and observed (Watson, 1993). In behaviourism, there is a strong emphasis that the acquisition of learning, or permanent change in behaviour, is by external manifestation. Thus, any individual differences in behaviours observed was more likely due to experiences, and not by the working of genes. As the quote suggest, any individuals can be potentially trained to perform any tasks through the right conditioning. There are two major types of conditioning, classical and operant conditioning (Cacioppo & Freberg, 2012).
The nature vs. nurture controversy is an age old question in the scientific and psychological world with both camps having evidence to support their theories. The controversy lies in which is more influential in the development of human beings. While there is no definitive answer for this, it is interesting to look at each of them separately.
Scientists make a good point about genes but I believe physical aspects come through genetics, but that personality development is shaped based solely on how a person has been nurtured through their lives. All children are bad at one time in their lives; consider this, a 4 year old girl throws a book at her brother, and is punished she is put in the corner.
Nurture is constituted by the influence of millions of complex environmental factors that form a child's character. Advocators of nature do not believe that character is predetermined by genes, but formed over time. Although often separated, nature and nurture work together in human development. The human conscience is neither innate from birth or entirely shaped through experience, instead, genetics and environmental influences combine to form human behavior, character, and personality traits that constantly change and develop throughout life. The debate on nature versus nurture has existed for thousands of years.
The nature versus nurture debate is an old issue within the field of psychology. “The nature-nurture issue is a perennial one that has resurfaced in current psychiatry as a series of debates on the role that genes (DNA) and environments play in the etiology and pathophysiology of mental disorders” (Schaffner) The debate is essentially about what is inherited (nature) and what is experienced by environmental factors (nurture) and how they affect human development. Naturally, the nature versus nurture debate relates to many controversies such as intelligence, gender identities, violent behaviors, and sexual orientation. There are countless studies on whether intelligence is an inherited trait or if it is influenced by environmental factors.
Someone can physically look like their parents, siblings or even ancestors from the third generation. When a baby is born, it is common to learn in a natural way. No one teaches a baby how to crawl or how to react when he and she is hungry. However, talents, qualities and personalities are developed through experiences. The environment in which people grew up can have a lasting effect or influence on the way they talk, behave and respond to things around. According to Steven Pinker, Behavioral genetics has shown that temperament emerges early in life and remains fairly constant throughout the life span, that much of the variation among people within a culture comes from differences in genes, and that in some cases particular genes can be tied to aspects of cognition, language, and personality (2). Researchers believe that the origin of behaviors occur in genes in the DNA or even animal instincts which this concept is known as nature of human behavior. Other researchers believe that people are they were they are because they are taught to do so. This concept is well known as nurture in human behavior. In society, there will always be the doubt between Do we born in this way or do we behave according to life experiences? I strongly believe that nurture plays an important role in the upbringing of a child and the decisions that one makes in the future. Firstly, humans learn from their environment and other’s behaviors. Secondly, culture is a huge remark in people’s life. Finally,
Nature vs Nurture is a very long living debate that has been on the minds of many who study motor development. This can be a very difficult topic to choose a side to argue for because both Nature and Nurture have very strong points which prove they influence the development of a person. Nature refers to the genetic makeup and genetic relations an individual has linked to their birth parents. Nature is strictly about the genetics and the way these genetics make up and influence the way a person develops, behaves and lives their life. Nature refers to heredity and the traits an individual will obtain from their parents that have been passed down from generation to generation. Nurture refers to the environment one lives in and the experiences
The nature versus nurture debate has lasted centuries due to the difficulty of separating genetic and environmental factors in humans. Studies on behavioral genetics measure similarity between subjects, but cannot locate its origin. For this, a control must be present, leading scientists to twin research. Identical twins have the exact same DNA, differing from fraternal twins with only 50% similarity, no greater than average siblings. Identical twins offer a natural experiment that allows researchers to separate the influence of genes from experience (Segal 87). A famous study conducted by the University of Minnesota reunited Jim Springer and Jim Lewis, identical twins separated from birth. Springer and Lewis were raised in entirely different household environments with no contact with each other. Both Jims had each been married twice, with first wives named Linda; their second, Betty. Their sons were named James Allan and James Alan. Each worked in law enforcement and had a dog named Toy. These striking similarities shocked the media, fascinating America with twin similarities (Segal 118). Further research at Minnesota compared twins reared apart to twins reared together, finding no significant differences in similarity. The Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart now includes over 135 pairs of twins or triplets ranging in age of separation, adoptive family cultures, and years before reuniting. These factors seem to have little to no impact on behavioral similarities between the twins, leading some researchers to believe that genetics have a more powerful influence. (“Nature vs. Nurture - Twin Study Overview”)
The Meaning of Nature and Nurture in Psychology The nature nurture dichotomy is a theme always present in many areas
Nature vs nurture debate is an old argument, I believe that nature and nurture both work together. Your genes are something that you are born with but your experiences and how you were raised also make you the person you are today. Experiences and opportunities help you develop your personality. It also provides a valuable training ground for later life. Human culture, behavior, and personality are cause primarily by nature and nurture not nature or