Preview

Nature and Nurture in Psychology

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
2070 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Nature and Nurture in Psychology
Name : Mavin Ochola Waganda

Topic : Nature and nurture of Psychology

Table of Contents
Introduction 3
Nature and Nurture 3
The three distinctive schools of thoughts 3
Nature and our Biology 4
Nurture and our Behavior 4
Black and Whites in 17th centaury 5
Intelligence 5
Hostility 6
Nurture and the Inborn 6
Children perspective 7
Conclusion 9
Bibliography 10

Introduction

Nature and nurture issue has its root far back in the seventeenth century when psychologist wanted to know more about psychology. Before we even start discussing this big issue that has brought a lot of argument amongst scholars, it is important first of all to understand psychology itself and how it is related to nature and nurture. According to (G.Myers, 2001), he defined psychology as the science of mental process and observable behavior. He derives this refined definition from psychologists in the 1960s after debate of how psychology should be defined in which they came to a conclusion that it should encompass the behavior aspect of it and the mental processes that infer our behavior. To explain further, behavior is any activities that can be observed and recorded and the mental process is the internal subjective experience we can infer from behavior.

Nature and Nurture

The three distinctive schools of thoughts

After getting a little glimpse about psychology, we should now get to know what nature and nurture is. (Ateel, 2006) Explain three possible ways of how different category of people may analyze the personality in us. These include those who believe personality is natural, personality is nurtured, and personality is spiritual. With the nature aspect group, they believe that your personality is as a result of evolutionary process. You inherit behaviors due to complex interaction of genes. They control your behaviors. So you don’t have a free will to act otherwise. The nurture group argues that you don’t get your personality inherited. Your mind is a blank slate at your birth. It is



Bibliography: Ateel, S. A. (2006, 10 27). About us: Personality and Aptitude Career test. Retrieved 1 28, 2011, from Personality and Aptitude Career test web site: http://www.personality-and-aptitude-career-tests.com/art Cohen, D. B. (1999). Stranger in the nest. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Cramer, R. L. (2001). Creative Power. New York: Addison Wesley Longman Inc. Myers, D. (2001). Psychology. New York: Worth Publisher. Lawson, R. B., Goldstein, S. G., & Musty, R. E. (1975). Principle and Methods of Psychology. New York: Oxford University Press. McClearn, G. E. (1993). Nature, Nurture and Psychology. Journal of Psychology , 9. Sorenson, H., Malm, M., & Forehand, G. A. (1971). Psychology for living. New York: McGraw - Hill, Inc.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Morris, C. and Maisto, A. (2005). Psychology: An Introduction, Twelfth Edition. Prentice-Hall, Pearson Education, Inc.…

    • 765 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Brain Psy240

    • 704 Words
    • 3 Pages

    References: Morris, C. G., & Maisto, A. A. (2005). Psychology: An Introduction (12th ed.). : Prentice Hall…

    • 704 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The psychological debate of nature vs. nurture is one that has been considered and contradicted for many years. This debate is so controversial because although it is fact that genetic makeup does play a major role in developing a person, the nurture and environment in which a person is brought up in is also an important factor.…

    • 1609 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Psy 300 Week5 Team Final

    • 1011 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Wood, S. E., & Wood, E. R. The World of Psychology. Boston, MA: A Pearson Education Company. Page 538…

    • 1011 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Disaster in Franklin Co.

    • 1304 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Nature vs Nurture are studies that have been going on for years within the scientific community to explain multiple issues. Some studies will suggest that nature makes us who who are, meaning genetic factors are the major contributor of being who we are. These include what personality traits, intelligence, and emotional characteristics we will inherit from our parents. Thus, these studies ultimately state we are genetically predisposed in deciding who we become. On the other side of the debate is the nurture studies, meaning environmental factors are the major contributors to shaping us into who we are or become. This include your upbringing, your lifestyle, home environment and the way someone was interacted with, taught or treated as a young child.…

    • 1304 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Nature versus nurture is one of the oldest debates in the world of psychology. It centers on the contributions of genetic inheritance and environmental factors to the development of human beings.…

    • 1008 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Matsumoto, D. (Eds.). (2009). The Cambridge Dictionary of Psychology. (1st ed.). United States of America: Cambridge University Press…

    • 1618 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Whether nature or nurture has more of an influence over individual development is debatable and has been a common argument in the field of psychology for a long time. Nature refers to inherited traits and genes given to us at birth which we have no control over, and nurture refers to family, friends or society. The exchange between nature and nurture is dynamic and complex and both nature and nurture cause dynamic and continuous influence on development. The relationship between nature and nurture cannot be explained definitively and it is hard to determine which one influences human development more.…

    • 961 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    With nature versus nurture being a widely discussed debate it is easy to tie into different situations. "The debate within psychology is concerned with the extent to which aspects of behavior are a product of either inherited (i.e. genetic) or acquired (i.e. learned) characteristics” (McLeod).There is two sides to the debate nature…

    • 1423 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Calkins, M. W. (1930). Mary Whiton Calkins. In C. Murchison (Ed.), A history of psychology in autobiography, Vol. 1 (pp. 31-62). Worcester, MA: Clark University Press.…

    • 1353 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Kowalski, Robin and Western, Drew. (2009). Psychology. 5th Ed. Chp. 10, 12, and 13. John…

    • 1662 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Nature vs nurture the nature nurture argument has been around since 1869, it is a term in psychology related to weather nature which is our genes we inherit from our parents (DNA) or is it nurture- the environment where we live that most impact on psychological development. Do we behave the way we do because it is imprinted in our DNA or is it our environment reflecting on our behaviour. Some scientist argue on the nature side, that your characteristics and personality are purely based on your genetic predispositions, then other scientist on the nurture side believe it comes from the environment we live and grow up in and through experience.…

    • 447 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Let’s talk about the whole controversy between Nature vs. Nurture. Nature is based on DNA. Many people believe that it is DNA that decides on how humans will behave, what occupations they will have, and what their personalities will be like. Others, on the other hand, believe that it is the environment, or nurture, that decides on occupation, behavior, and personality. Although nature does decide on what color hair you have, what eye color you have, and what your height is, nurture has the greatest impact on humans and influences people the most to different kinds of activities, meet different people, and the difference between what is right and wrong.…

    • 1155 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Nursing research.

    • 5090 Words
    • 16 Pages

    Bersstein, D.A., Roy, E.J., Srull, T.K. and Wickens, C.D. (1991). Psychology. 2nd Edition. Boston: Houston Mifflin Company.…

    • 5090 Words
    • 16 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Nature Vs Nurture Debate

    • 1202 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The nature versus nurture issue has been around for ages, and scholars have still not concluded which of the two has a greater effect on a person. Nature, referring to…

    • 1202 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays