Nature vs. Nurture
Nature is basically described as the pre-wiring that is influenced by the genetic inheritance among other biological factors. On the other side, nurture, in general, is the influence of external factors soon such as the surrounding environment that results in exposure, experience, and personal learning soon after conception. Development of a person is both influenced by both nature and nurture. However, the participation of genetics, as well as the environment, is an important component influencing growth.
Nature to a certain extent is responsible for creating a personality rather than nurture. Genes are responsible for determining the core character traits such as the social proficiency and the capability to be taught rather than the way we are raised by our parents. However, the outside factors are most probable to take part in a bigger role in raising the character of a person than the genes inherited from the parents. It is thus important to note that genes are inefficient in the development of a person’s personality (Vialle ET AL 2005).
Human behavior largely relies on both the nature and nurture factors. For instance, in my growing up, I had problems in my walking behavior which is determined by the genome. My genetic makeup determined the age range at which I began walking. While the environmental factors determined how late within that range of age I began walking since I grew up in an environment where I did not practice walking.
One of the major arguments in this debate is that nature is not that important as it may be stated that if nature was that significant in our lives, the personality traits would definitely form in the early age hence changing of these traits later in life would be difficult.
However, nurture is important as it argues out that the unshared environmental effects have a large impact on the variation in personality traits is basically nonsystematic, accidental and random and we do not inherit personality in a fixed way. Therefore it is clear that nature and nurture work together to develop the personality trait as none is sufficient on its own.
References
Vialle, W., Lysaght, P., & Verenikina, I. (2005). Psychology for educators. Southbank, Victoria: Thomson Australia.
