William Shakespeare and Jane Austen, Ernest Hemingway and Mark Twain, J.R.R. Tolkien and
C.S. Lewis-- for decades, authors have been writing about the development of the psychological mind
through the actions of their characters. One of the most common themes is the idea of nature versus
nurture; the difference between acquired traits and honed characteristics. In the movie The Chronicles of
Narnia: the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, based off of the novel written by C.S. Lewis, Edmund
Pevensie struggles with his role as a human being and the temptations of power. Because of his internal
struggle, the idea of nature versus nurture is illustrated throughout the film. Through his human nature,
childhood upbringing, and the question
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As a
child of God, Edmund is deemed inherently moral, but with the gift of free will. As a parallel to the story
of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, Edmund falls to the temptation of power just like Eve does. The
Turkish Delight Edmund consumes is a symbol of the apple from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and
Evil; the White Witch, the snake or devil. God gives every human the potential to do well and avoid evil;
therefore, humankind is inherently good. Yet why does Edmund struggle to be righteous when his siblings
seemingly have no problem at all? During his time with the Witch, Edmund begins to realize he does not
agree with the actions she performs and his guilt overwhelms him. The guilt he feels pushes him to do
right because humans are inherently good and he reverts back to his original nature. While his nature
seems askew at first, it is not exceedingly different from the struggles within humankind on a daily basis.
As is intended, Edmund 's psychological development stems not only from his nature as a human being
but also from the nurturing he receives growing
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His nurture also defines his psychological development and
choices in life.
While some people will argue the claim that humans are driven by their nature or nurture
only, it is clear that both are used in decision making processes. Nature and nurture go hand-in-hand.
Nurture builds upon what nature gives to a human; therefore, Edmund 's childhood expands on his
inherent goodness and eventually guides him in the right direction. According to the website simply psychology, http://www.simplypsychology.org/naturevsnurture.html,
defends the argument that humans are not solely defined by their nature or nurture, but by both. The
article expands on the idea and quotes, "So instead of asking whether child development is down to nature
or nurture the question has been reformulated as 'How much? '" In some cases a person relies more on
their nature or instincts, in others, their nurture or upbringing. The article also debates that the question
"how much" is not always the correct answer either. Instead the ideal way of thinking about nature versus
nurture is that neither is independent, but rather, they work together simultaneously.
What makes people perform heinous acts? This past week in Wichita, Kansas an alleged
What makes a person who they are is a difficult dilemma. Mark Twain's novel, "Pudd'nhead Wilson and Those Extraordinary Twins" is a critical analysis of how nature and nurture can cultivate emotions and free will, which in turn affects the life of individuals. "Twain's faltering sense of direction began about slavery, moral decay, and deceptive realities (Kaplan 314). The debate of `nature versus nurture' has been one of the most intriguing scientific and cultural issues for most of the twentieth century, in determining the behavioral aspects of human beings. The changes in environment, society, education, political influences, family values and morals and other external influences, combined with physical genes determines how mankind will evolve into adulthood. Both nature and nurture, in combination with emotions and free will, control the behavior of human beings and determines who we are.
Have you ever thought about whether the way you are is based on your genetic makeup? Do you believe our environment shapes us into who we are, instead? In the psychology debate of nature versus nurture, I believe that nurture plays a big role in who
It is a common argument about whether humans are simply who they are because of genes, the nature of who someone is, or if it’s more due to interactions with outside ideas and actions, the nurture one receives. Different research has claimed both sides,
Evil, one word, two syllables, two vowels, two consonants. Definition: The opposite of that which is ascribed as being good. Evil? What is it? What is it made of? Can you eat it?. Any preacher, teacher, mentor, master, professor, coach, educator, or tutor who claims to know what is evil and where does it emanates from is simple and utterly a liar. Evil is not a thing you can touch or some microscopic parasite that you can examine under a microscope. Evil is not physical, although it sometimes it is said to be. Evil in its most purest form is mental. Take for instance the story of the perfect girl with no one ounce of impurity who ends up killing her whole family over night, or the tale of two little children who murdered their parents by only using their imagination. They are the living example of mental “evilness”.
Nature vs nurture has been an ongoing debate for many decades among some of the greatest minds in psychology. Everyone is trying to figure out the source of human personality. Does our personality develop primarily by genetics, known as nature or is it based off of our environment and the way we were raised, nature? I believe it is a bit of both, but in my opinion nurture plays a bigger role.
Human beings are the only creatures capable of evil. The human race harms one another and animals for fun and destroys the environment. The only thing evil can be specifically defined is that it is a human characteristic.
Webb, Wilse. History Of Psychology. Theoretical & Philosophical Psychology 9.1 (1989): 44-45. PsycARTICLES. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.
Edmund’s selfish personality led him to go wrong in many ways. In the first place, Edmund wants to accept the offer of kingship from the White Witch for his own selfish gain. Furthermore, he lied about Narnia because he wanted to take his siblings to Narnia secretly and give them to the White Witch. Moreover, he wanted more Turkish Delight from the Witch and would do almost anything to get more. As these examples show, Edmund’s selfish desires played a large part in the betrayal of his siblings.
...rson and he knows that she will take care of the little guy even if the Guy is not around. A distort desire to be free of the situation drive the whole family into tragedy and leave them grieves
... other. Although Peter is considered evil and cruel, the novel never mentions him killing any human being. Ender is another perfect example of good and evil coexisting in one body though he is generally seen as good, he has his moments. Finally, Card expresses his thoughts on his theme of good versus evil with symbols that can describe the deception of looks; not all who look innocent are innocent, and not all those who look guilty are guilty. Good and evil lives within us however it is up to each individual person to decide which side of the fence they would rather be on: good or evil.
Could it be, that our personality lay more in the power of situation and less in the power of biological factors? The boys’ savage and immoral behavior, shown at the end of the novel, “Lord of the Flies” should be condemned on both the environmental situation they lived through and biological factors. This novel is based on the topic of nature versus nurture and although I agree that they both had an impact on the boys ' behavior, a more rational appeal would be that the power of the situation overruled the power of biological factors. The boys were very conservative in the beginning but the longer they stayed stranded the more selfish a majority of them became.Golding developed his first claim by first comparing the common attitudes expressed between the boys, then narrated how they had different perspectives for survivnig on the island, and finally illustrates the importance of guidance in order to maintain a properly functioned society
evil, then that Good is greater than if one had no choice at all but to do good.
Vygotsky, L.S. (1978) Mind in Society: The development of higher mental processes, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press
In 1874, Francis Galton said, “Nature is all that a man brings with him into the world; nurture is every influence that affects him after his birth”. The human body contains millions upon millions of cells and each of these cells contains hereditary information and DNA. However, there is no proof that the information carried in these genes predetermines the way in which we behave. I believe it is our life experiences and what we see and are told that shape the way in which we behave. Therefore, it appears to me that nurturing plays a far more governing and dominant role in a human being’s development rather than nature.
Edmund lusted for all of his father’s power, lying to his gullible brother and father aided him in his plan for total authority along with destroying their lives. As bastard son of Gloucester, Edmund wanted to receive all of the power destined for his brother, Edgar, who was Gloucester’s legitimate son. Edmund stated his disapproval of his brother, “Wherefore should I/ Stand in the plague of custom, and permit/ The curiosity of nations to deprive me/ For that I am some twelve or fourteen moonshines/ Lag of a brother? Why bastard?”(1.2.2-6). Edmund wanted the respect and love that Edgar received even though he was Gloucester’s bastard son. He claimed that he was not much younger or “moonshines lag of a brother” therefore he should be considered just as smart and able-minded as any legitimate son. He built up hatred toward Edgar and in order to get rid of him he convinced his father that Edgar had betrayed him through a letter. The letter that Edmund made read, “If our father would sleep till I waked him, you/ should enjoy half his revenue for ever, and live/ the beloved of your brother, Edgar”(1.2.55-57). Edmund portrayed Edgar as the son that would kill Gloucester only to inherit his money and share his inheritance with Edmund. Gloucester believed Edmund, sending out guards to kill Edgar for his betrayal...