Nature vs. Nurture: Parental Promotion of A False Dichotomy

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Introduction

For over a decade, Sir Francis Galton, cousin of Charles Darwin, has puzzled scholars with the question of whether personality is determined by ones biology or environment (Galton, 1874). The term “nature versus nurture” quickly became a catch phrase to distinguish the difference between personality traits that are hereditary versus those that are built on environment. As a parent, I instill in my children an active lifestyle, intelligence, and independence to promote leadership. The qualities described may lead you to assume that I have two sons, but contrary to popular belief, I am raising two amazing daughters.

Gender should not to be confused with sex, although they are often incorrectly used as substitutes for one another. “Sex refers to the biological and physiological characteristics that define men and women” while “gender refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviors, activities, and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for men and women,” as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO, 2011). An individual’s sex can change through surgery, but their gender is a dynamic set of guidelines that are promoted by society, also called socialization. Scientists realize there are significant roles of both nature and nurture in personality; however, nurture’s role in adolescent development of gender is the concern of this paper. As parents, we want our children to succeed and have opportunities that we may not have been privy to. In order to do so, we often want our children to live normal and fulfilling lives that conform to society. This leads us to the question: as a heterosexual parent, how

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am I imparting the false dichotomy of gender, a stereotype of personality traits being...

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...her-toddler and Father-toddler Verbal Initiations and Responses during a Caregiving and Play Context." Sex Roles 63.5/6 (2010): 399-411. Social Sciences Full Text. Web. 20 Apr. 2011.

Robin Silbergleid. "An Introduction to Gender Studies: Pregnancy, Parenting, and Authority in the University." NWSA Journal 21.1 (2009): 131-150. Project MUSE. Web. 21 Jan. 2011.

Rosemary S. L Mills and Kimberley A Arbeau and Debra I. K Lall et. al. "Parenting and Child Characteristics in the Prediction of Shame in Early and Middle Childhood." Merrill-Palmer Quarterly 56.4 (2010): 500-528. Project MUSE. Web. 21 Jan. 2011.

Schwartz, Meredith. "Are Toys Shortchangtng Girls?." Gifts & Decorative Accessories 111.10 (2010): 204-206. Business Source Premier. EBSCO. Web. 20 Apr. 2011.

"WHO | What Do We Mean by "sex" and "gender"?." World Health Organization. WHO. Web. 20 Apr. 2011.

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