ENG FP 1000 Capella Nature vs Nurture & Political Influence on Behaviors Towards the Pandemic Essay

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Nurture vs Nature Debate Outline

Dominique Ellis

Capella University

Introduction

The issue of whether human behavior is a product of the nature of something that people are born with has been a great issue of debate in the field of psychology. This is based on the fact that different researchers have given different opinions on either aspect making it hard to agree on which aspect.  Different theories have been used to address the situation but the situation is considered to maintain an eternal conflict for ages.

Thesis: despite the various arguments about human behavior, nurture is considered to be more relevant in human behavior than nature and this means that the environment that humans live in plays a more important role in their development as compared to their natural characteristics.

Body

1. Educational psychology- this involves the aspect of human learning and how humans tend to acquire knowledge (Shaffer & Kipp, 2010).

1. Education is considered to be greatly influenced by the exposure, experience and learning outcomes that humans tend to go through.
2. Behaviorists argue that learning is the main cause of the differences in infancy and childhood leading to the existence of individuals with different human behaviors (Goldhaber, 2012).

• It is also argued that the human mind is a tubula rasa during birth and through the experience, it can be filled with knowledge despite the claims that human behavior is a result of maturation that takes place in a pre-programmed manner (Shaffer & Kipp, 2010).

1. Health psychology- this involves how nature and nurture influence the physical and mental health of humans (Coll, Bearer & Lerner, 2014).

1. Despite the claims that human genes play a great role in the physical and mental state of humans, environmental conditions are considered to play a diverse role in the same.
2. Although some human physical traits and mental health disorders are considered to be inherited from families it is not guaranteed that all the individuals from a family with a history of certain mental conditions but it is evident that different environmental aspects may lead to the development of varied mental disorders to individuals even when there is no record of such a condition in their families (Coll, Bearer & Lerner, 2014).

• Also, external aspects such as human lifestyle and nutrition are associated with the development and management of various health conditions.

1.  Language psychology- this involves how a child acquires and masters a specific language (Goldhaber, 2012).

1. Most aspects of language are considered to acquire after birth as the children learn from their immediate environment.
2. Behaviorists argue that language is learned through processes such as conditioning, association, imitation and reinforcement and this is only obtained from the environment surrounding the individual (Goldhaber, 2012).

• Language is a process that is developed with time from the use of smile words to the development of complex words and comprehensions through continuous learning and reinforcement and this means that language is greatly influenced by the environment (Shaffer & Kipp, 2010).

Conclusion

Although both nature and nurture play an important role in the development of human behavior, nurture is considered to have a greater effect on various aspects of human development. The environment is considered to have a great impact on the process of acquiring knowledge and skills, learning language and the physical and mental health of individuals. This means that nurture plays a greater role in human behavior and development than nature.

References

Coll, C. G., Bearer, E. L., & Lerner, R. M. (2014). Nature and nurture: The complex interplay of genetic and environmental influences on human behavior and development. Psychology          Press.

Goldhaber, D. (2012). The nature-nurture debates: Bridging the gap. Cambridge University          Press.

Shaffer, D. D. R., & Kipp, K. (2010). Developmental Psychology: Childhood & Adolescence:     Childhood and Adolescence. Cengage Learning.