Preview

the five enduring issues

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
890 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
the five enduring issues
The Five Enduring Issues
Essay Number 1

Psychology is a science that has different fields and subfields. It’s also an evolving science that keeps changing and many fields are added to constantly. What holds these fields and unifies them is something called “the five enduring issues.” The five Enduring issues are the backbone that holds psychology together. These issues are shared by all psychologists as a common interest and overlap in all fields and subfields of psychology. The first issue is “Person – Situation.” This issue deals with wither behavior is caused by internal traits such as thoughts, emotions, motives, attitudes, and personality or external situations such as behavior of others and social expectations. An example of this is anger. What makes certain people get angry faster than others? Is it internal problems that causes that or just particular situations. The second enduring issue is “Nature – Nurture.” It raises the question of wither a person was raised to be the product he is or is it just that person’s nature? Does upbringing affect the way we end up acting or is it just a product of innate. An example of this debate applies for a serial killer. Does he kill because it's in his genes? Does it mean that no matter what his parents did to raise him, he would still be a violent person? Or did his environment shape him to be a serial killer? Like his parent's didn't pay him enough attention, or he was abused as a child. The third enduring issue is “Stability – Change.” This issue deals with how much of one's behavior is consistent and how much is changeable over a lifespan. There is debate whether a person has the same character throughout his life, no matter what his personal experiences and behaviors are or if he is easily affected by them. Developmental psychologists are interested in this issue. For example; does a behavior or trait such as shyness stay stable in its expression over time? Or

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Nature vs. nurture develops a strong debate in psychology. It is made up of two independent dynamics with different approaches in behavioural changes. The two dynamics is made up of nature and nurture. There are no contentions that McLeod's tries to unravel technical differences between the two dynamics. In the novel frankenstein Nature expresses the external characteristics of human beings that are projected by genetic inheritance. It is difficult to alter changes in some external, internal characteristics that are developed by inheritance of particular genes. Nurture refers to external expressions developed by interaction of different environments and people. It is evident that nurture characteristic can be altered by the people. This is…

    • 266 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    There are numerous debates in regards to developmental psychology. One of the main debates to begin with is nature vs nurture; some individuals believe that we are products of our environment while others regards us while others believe that we are products of our genetics. John Locke believes that when we are born we are a “tabula rasa” a blank slate which means that he supports the idea that we are products of our environment and also supports behaviourism. Another debate is continuity v discontinuity, some individuals have created continuity theories and others have created discontinuity theories. Continuity theorists believe that the development of an individual is constantly continuous while discontinuous theorists believe that there are specific periods where individuals develop. For example Freud’s psychosexual stages are a discontinuous theory. There is also an issue of nomothetic vs idiographic; some theorists adopt a nomothetic approach while others adopt an idiographic approach. Individuals that adopt a nomothetic approach create theories based on what we share with others, and find general laws that can be applied to large groups of people, for example behaviourism is a nomothetic approach. On the other hand the idiographic approach goes into large detail for the individual to investigate why we are unique, for example Freud’s theory is an idiographic approach.…

    • 7725 Words
    • 31 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    As I mentioned in my opening, government leaders and scientists have been conducting experiments through the centuries trying to determine why people turn out the way they do. We learned in school how Hitler conducted experiments on the Jews throughout the war in an attempt to create the ultimate “super race”. Frederick the Eleventh, King of Germany tried to conduct an experiment on children by taking babies from their mothers and placing them with foster mothers. He directed the foster mothers to suckle the children, bathe and wash them, but not to speak to the children. King Frederick…

    • 1531 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The concept of Nature v. Nurture has been a psychological debate that initially began in 1871 by Sir Francis Galton. The debate consisted of the idea whether or not people have specific behavioral traits due to one’s lineage or rather the experiences one has in his/her lifetime. As the conflict carried on, a third view had birthed itself. This view mediated the two oppositions, saying this conflict should not be one at all. Rather than one side opposing the other, both sides together could be the answer to this prolonged debate. It is perceived that people are similar to their ancestry to a certain extent, then as they begin to live their lives more freely; their behaviors are later modified with their personal experiences.…

    • 260 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The nature versus nurture debate concerns the importance of an individual's inherited genes versus environmental influences in determining their behavioural traits. Throughout his novel Brave New…

    • 1182 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Think of serial killer. Does he kill because it is in his genes? No matter what his parents did to raise him; he would have been a violent, serial killer no matter what. On the other hand, did his environment shape him to be a serial killer? Such as, his parent’s did not pay him enough attention, or he was abused as a child. Nature and nurture are factors that have come to be recognized as playing or interacting roles in development.…

    • 425 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Are serial killers naturally, instinctive psychopaths or are they the result of a corrupt upbringing? Are you more at risk of becoming a smoker because of your genes or is it a result of the peers you socialize with? Now, these types of questions have instigated disputes among psychologists in determining who we are, whether it is a result of nature, such as heredity, or is it the outcome of the nurturing of one’s environment that shape our personality? In other words, were you born with a blank mind and over time you developed your characteristics or were you born with talents and characteristics since birth? Regarded as the oldest issue known in the field of psychology, nature versus nurture is and this debate centers on the question: How…

    • 1830 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful 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
  • Good Essays

    Counselling Theories

    • 1200 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Identify one strength and one weakness of the nature versus nurture concept in relation to understanding human development and individual behaviour.…

    • 1200 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Diversity within the field of psychology is strength and a challenge. There are four primary areas which are clinical, counseling, school, and industrial/organizational psychology. Sub-fields exist in these primary areas. Each sub-field has distinct unique theories to help encourage the growth in psychology. A psychologist that offers a broader view when considering theoretical approach in areas, the more understanding they offer their patients or clients. The simple truth is along with diversity comes help for everyone and every problem. According to (Park, N., & Peterson, C., 2009) "one of psychology’s strengths has been its willingness to embrace different purposes, perspectives, and approaches, and this recommendation is in the spirit of the field’s history".…

    • 1496 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Evaluate Nature And Nurture

    • 2255 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Di evaluate how the nature and nurture debate in may affect the physical, intellectual, emotional and social development of two stages of the development of an individual.…

    • 2255 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Perspectives Paper

    • 1342 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Psychological perspectives have changed as the field of psychology has progressed. There are a few perspectives that have core values that have remained steadfast even in today 's pool of theories. John Watson, B.F. Skinner, and Edward Tolman, all had theories that remain the foundation for many schools of thought in psychology today. This paper will compare and contrast these theories.…

    • 1342 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Nature vs. Nurture

    • 1323 Words
    • 4 Pages

    A lot of people wonder where they get their freckles from, or their edgy and thrill seeking personality. This type of curiosity about where people get their traits from brings about the worldwide debate on nature vs. nurture. There are scientists who argue that people develop characteristics mainly based on their genetic makeup, and then their are people who say that environment and social interactions has more to do with a person’s traits than do genes. People often question why people are the way they are. Nature and Nurture often have a big impact on a person, and can help in explaining why they are a certain way. The nature vs. nurture debate encompasses a variety of major topics, leading to the idea that both nature and nurture influences people in their behaviors and decisions.…

    • 1323 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Outline Of Psychology Paper

    • 2585 Words
    • 11 Pages

    21. Summarize the text’s three unifying themes relating to psychology as a field of study.…

    • 2585 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Discuss the nature-nurture debate in relation to the development of the individual (M1) & Evaluate how nature and nurture may affect the physical, intellectual, emotional and social development of two stages of the development of the individual (D1).…

    • 3017 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays

Related Topics