Nature vs Nurture: Genes vs Environment

Introduction

A debate between psychologist, scientists and philosopher thinkers on the spectrum of ‘nature vs. nurture’ arose concerning human development. In the nature versus nurture debate, the term "nature" refers to the genes we inherit while the term "nurture" refers to our outside environment (Nature vs. Nurture: Twin and Adoption Studies). This debate of ‘nature vs. nurture’ has existed for centuries and up to now it is still a topic of major discussion although at present time. Human development is the scientific study of age-related changes in behavior, thinking, emotions and personality (Boyd & Bee, 2005). In order to understand cognitive, emotional, physical, social and educational growth that everyone experiences from childhood until adulthood, we must first understand the influence and importance of child development. Different psychologists have different theories and concepts of child development. Grand theories often use a stage-by-stage approach while attempting to describe the areas of development. Mini-theories focus only on a fairly limited aspect of development, such as cognitive or social growth. (Cherry, Child Development Theories, 2011)

Discussion

John Locke, a famous philosopher once introduced the concept of tabula rasa that defines a child’s mind as a ‘blank slate’ which can be written on and moulded by the society and environment. He believes that what we are is determined by the experiences we face. Plato, the Greek philosopher suggests that certain things simply occur naturally regardless of any environmental influence. However, Jean Jacques Rousseau describes humans in their state of nature as noble savages living in peace and harmony but due to civilization and advancement in society, humans ...

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