In talking about the debate on whether nature or nurture
is more important in determining the differences in behavior and personality among
individuals, those who would argue on the side of nature believe that hereditary and
other inherent factors are the most important factors to consider. In other words, a
child is born with inherent characteristics which will determine how he or she
will behave in the future. Heredity plays a big role for those who believe that the
influence of nature is primary; the traits handed down in the genetic makeup of an
individual are of critical importance in determining behavior and tendencies during
growth and in later life.
Those who would argue that
nurture is the primary influence believe that outside forces are the most important
factors in determining personality and behavior. Taken in its most extreme
perspective, a child is born as "a blank slate;" environment and experiences then
combine to act on that blank slate, shaping personality and behavior as the individual
develops.
In a nutshell, the "nature" theory says that
personality and behavior are determined by influences already in an individual, whereas
the "nuture" theory says that personality and behavior are shaped by the outside
forces to which an individual is subjected during
development.
In a simplistic but practical example of the
nature versus nurture debate, imagine a man who has become a criminal. A person who
believes nature is the cause will say that the man was born with certain inherent
tendencies which inclined him to a life of lawlessness, whereas one who believes nurture
is the cause will argue that the man became a criminal because he had, perhaps, a bad
childhood.
No comments:
Post a Comment