An Debate On Nature Versus Nurture - 1082 Words

Maricor Sumagang Professor Joshua Scott ENGL 01 21 May 2012 Constructing Identity There has been an ongoing debate on nature versus nurture that has been around for years. What determines our identity? Our biological nature or the things we grew up around? The answers to these questions still remain uncertain, but are still widely discussed. Deborah Blum shares her opinions on these issues in â€Å"Gender Blur†. In her writing, she challenges where we separate biology from society. While our biological nature determines our gender, our surroundings and the things we are exposed to make up our true identity. Biology can tell us about our bodies, but that doesn’t necessarily define us. â€Å"If you examine an embryo at about six weeks, you see that it has the ability to develop in either direction. The fledgling embryo has two sets of ducts–Wolffian for male, Muellerian for female–and either/or structure, held in readiness for further development. If testosterone and other androgens are released by hormone-producing cells, then the Wolffian ducts develop into the channel that connects penis to testes, and the female ducts wither away (681).† Technically we are all the same gender until we are six weeks old; therefore we all start out the same. As we grow in the womb, the only differences we will have are our genders; it doesn’t necessarily predict who we are and who we will become. â€Å"Back in the 1960s, Robert Goy, a psychologist at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, firstShow MoreRelatedThe Debate On Nature Versus Nurture Essay969 Words   |  4 Pagesdetermine its form† (Fraser). The debate on nature versus Nurture has been a mystery for years now, constantly begging the question on what has a greater effect on the human development of humans. Is human behavior, ideas, and feelings innate or are they learned over time. Nature, or genetic influences, are formed before birth and shaped through early experiences. Genes are viewed as long and complicated chains that are present thought life and develop over time. Nature supporters believe that genesRead MoreThe Nature Versus Nurture Debate Essay1911 Words   |  8 Pagesbut our genes are not talked about as much when behavior is the topic. This is how the nature versus nurture debate came about. Scientists who believe in the nature theory believe that people behave the way they do due to heredity and genes. On the other hand, nurture scientists believes behavior is taught and influenced by the environment and the surrounding people. Many say that behavior results from nature, while others believe in the opposite, the environment. Human development has been viewedRead MoreThe Nurture Versus Nature Debate1743 Words   |  7 PagesThe nurture versus nature debate is commonly seen as one of the most important issues in psychology. It is assuredly one of the best researched, with various studies dating back to the beginning of the 20th century. Two schools of individual difference theorists clearl y differ in their approach to this question. The first school of thought, implanted in social psychology and sociology, claims that the environment is of principal importance in determining how individuals behave. For these theoristsRead MoreNature Vs. Nurture : The Debate Of Nature Versus Nurture895 Words   |  4 PagesNature vs. Nurture The debate of nature versus nurture has been an ongoing debate for a long time. When applying this argument to education there is no proven winner. The nature side of the coin believes that a person is born the way that they are. This could include intelligence level or personality traits such as being outgoing or shy. The other side of the argument of nurture believes that the type of upbringing that someone has will play a large role in the way they develop. It is thoughtRead MoreEssay on Nature Versus Nurture Debate987 Words   |  4 PagesThe nature versus nurture debate is one of the oldest and most controversial issues in Psychology. The nature versus nurture debate revolves around the contributions of genetic factors and environmental factors to human development. The primary method of attempting to determine which of these effects human development the most has been cross-cultural studies. Cross-cultural studies are studies conducted across more than one culture, based on the assumption that the differences between cultures geneticallyRead MoreThe Nature Versus Nurture Controversial Debate1492 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction The nature-versus-nurture controversial debate has always been central to the theme of development. Naturally, several predominant theories come to the fore and place different weights on nature and nurture. My concept of interest is active adaptation theory, which falls on the relatively endogenous side of the scale of source of developmental change. From the active adaptation perspective, individuals play an active role in their development; they possess the power to influence theirRead MoreNature versus Nurture Debate Essays776 Words   |  4 PagesFactually Naturally People have been arguing about nature versus nurture for centuries. Does genetics or upraising have more effect on a person? Human development is influenced by various things. But nature, genetics, contributes more to development than the environment does. While nurture has some influence, nature has much more. Genes are responsible for altruism, personality is linked to individual genes, and genetic disorders are effects of nature that can cause drastic differences in qualityRead MoreNature Versus Nurture Has Been A Big Debate In The Past1433 Words   |  6 Pages Nature versus nurture has been a big debate in the past few years. Debates and arguments from both sides has its own statements which makes their side stronger. Some argue that it is in the genetics if a person is intelligent where some state the opposite, that surroundings make a person intelligent which improves them in a person mentally and physically. In the 1950s psychologist Harry Harlow studied the effects of maternal deprivation on the development of baby monkeys. Some philosophers suchRead MoreThe Formula for Fruition: The Age Old Debate of Nature Versus Nurture by Kendra Cherry1508 Words   |  7 PagesThe Formula for Fruition: Nature vs. Nurture The Story of My Search Have you ever wondered what makes a person successful? Why is it that people who grow up in the same environment grow up to have such different qualities of life? As a child of two parents who would be considered â€Å"successful† by society, I’ve always wondered how differently I would perform in life had I been the child of different people or raised in a different environment. I’d heard plenty of stories about people coming from badRead MoreThe Psychological Debate Of Nature Versus Nurture- Is Behavior Influenced By Innate Drives That We Are Born With1660 Words   |  7 Pagespsychologists have heavily debated whether personality does determine behaviour and to what degree. This essay centres around the fundamental psychological debate of nature versus nurture- is behaviour influenced by innate drives that we are born with (traits) or the environment around us (situations)? In order to get a true understanding of this debate it is important to explicitly establish what the key terms in this question mean: Pervin (1994) -Personality is the complex organisation of cognitions