Nature vs Nurture
What determines the personality or character of a person: nature or nurture?
This controversial debate has existed since 1869, when the phrase "Nature Versus Nurture" was coined by
the English polymath, Francis Galton. Those who agree with the nature side argue that the DNA and
genotype that we are born with determine who we are and what personality and traits we will have.
On the other hand, those who agree with the nurture side of the debate argue that we are born with
our minds as a 'blank state'. Through learning experiences and interactions with the world around us, we
begin to gain an understanding of life and acquire different attributes.
Some people believe in both sides of the argument, saying that although we can learn and acquire traits
from our surroundings, we are also born with unique abilities. When psychologist Donald Hebb was
asked which contributes more to personality, nature or nurture, he answered, "Which contributes more
to the area of a rectangle, its length or its width?"
Throughout different time periods, this controversy
continued with two contrasting scientists leading the
debate. During the Greek Classical period, Plato, who
favored nature, disputed with Aristotle, who favored
Nurture. Similarly, Emanuel Kant and John Locke, during the
Enlightenment period, held the same debate. Nature vs
Nurture developed among Ancient psychologists because of
their interest in how individuals obtained their knowledge.
Modern psychologists, however, are more concerned with
factors such as intelligence, personality, and mental illness.
Francis Galton:
An anthropologist, eugenicist, tropical explorer, geographer,
inventor, meteorologist, proto-geneticist, psychometrician,
and statistician, Francis Galton contributed to many areas of
science, mathematics, and the English language. Galton
founded the science of eugenics, or race improvement.
Intrigued by his cousin, Charles Darwin's publication of On
The Origin of Species (1859), Galton began to research
further into the nature versus nurture debate. In his two
publication, Hereditary Genius (1869) and English Men of Science: Their Nature and Nurture (1874),
Galton explored the world of inheritance and evolution of traits. He believed that intelligence was
largely inherited, favoring nature over nurture in that aspect of the debate. His work, Natural
Inheritance (1889), shows the influence of former generations in the hereditary of individuals. His
research shows that parents each contribute
one-quarter to heredity of their children,
grandparents each one-sixteenth, and so on.
Although this favors nature over nurture as
well, he also believed that evolution assured
the survival of the best physical and mental
traits.
Nature: DNA and genotype determine who
we are (heredity):
Comparing a parent to their child, it is
evident that physical characteristics come
from specific genes. The nature theory,
however, emphasizes that personality and
character traits are determined by heredity as well. Recently, scientists have focused on aspects of
intelligence, aggression, and sexual orientation that may be also encoded in an individual's DNA. Some
parents may think that any bad trait that their child has is a direct result of bad parenting. The Nature
Theory suggests that it is actually because of biological genes that were predetermined at birth. Plato, a
classical Greek philosopher and mathematician, believed that knowledge was inborn in humans.
Emmanuel Kant, a Prussian professor during the 18th Century Enlightenment period, believed that before
the mind can make sense of its experiences, there needs to be an initial structure in the mind that
enabled it to give meaning to that experience. Galton concluded that intelligence was inherited when he
saw in his studies that achievement tend to run in families.
Nurture: the notion of the mind as a ‘blank slate’:
John Locke, an English philosopher and
physician, was the first to define the self
through a continuity of consciousness. He
founded the theory that the mind was a
blank slate, or tabula rasa. Individuals are
born without built-in knowledge, contrary
to Plato´s beliefs. One learns through
experience, parental guidance, and
perception. William Golding's novel, Lord of
the Flies, was written in hope of convincing
readers that humans are born with an innate
evil. It is the job of humans to contain that
evil, similar to what Locke and Rousseau
believed. Behaviorism shows
the environment’s influence on individuals
and their behavior. John Watson, an
American psychologist believed that if he
were given infants, then he could make one a doctor, another thief, another painter, and so
on. All that would need to be done to accomplish this would be to control and manipulate the
environment in which an individual developed. Hereditary factors are irrelevant to the development of
an individual. You may think that the nurture we are referring to begins after birth, however the naturenurture dynamic begins at the time of conception. The food that the mother eats, the air she breathes,
the stress or trauma she experiences - all may affect her child.
Sources:
http://www.interweb.in/attachments/pc-wallpapers/16215d1222951905-nature-photos-wallpapers-images-beautifulpictures-nature-444-photos.jpg
http://www.alexanderinteractive.com/blog/uploaded_images/nurture375_7i59.jpg
http://images.wikia.com/psychology/images/e/ec/Francis_Galton_1850s.jpg
"Nature vs. Nurture, as Seen by Economists." Economix: Explaining the Science of Everyday Life 16 Apr.
2011. General OneFile. Web. 23 Apr. 2011