The Age Old Debate of
Nature vs. Nurture
The nature versus nurture debate is one of the oldest philosophical issues within psychology. So
what exactly is it all about?
THE DEBATE
Do genetic or environmental factors have a greater influence on your behavior?
Do inherited traits or life experiences play a greater role in shaping your personality?
Somehow, somewhere, you became the person you are.
• Where did you get your characteristics?
• Physical characteristics is the easy part; look at your parents! Where did
your personality traits come from?
Activity:
• Create a list of ten characteristics that depict you.
Think of how you would describe your personality, abilities, and physical appearance.
• Once the list is made, write “G” for genetics next to all the characteristics that are a result
of your DNA, and write “E”; next to all the characteristics that are a result of your
environment or the way you were raised. If you think any characteristics could be attributed
to both, label them “GE”
• Discuss your list
Looking at your list, did you have more characteristics labeled for genetics or environment?
Did anything confuse you?