Nature v. Nurture
To prepare for this portion of the dialogthe videoEpigeneticslocated at:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/epigenetics.html
The Nature vs. Nurture debate has been going on for centuries. The discussions experts currently have about these two influences on human development is now an and not an either/or one as science has demonstrated that each of us is the product of both our genetic makeup and the environment in which we develop. Despite this both professionals and lay persons still hold differing perspectives on which influence has the greatest impact.
Discuss in Part 2 of your post your perspective on the relative influence of heredity and environment–that is which do you think has the greatest influence of the two after viewing the video above and reading this week’s assigned learning material–and how your view differs or is similar after reading the assigned material vs. before.
Note: For the purpose of this discussion you are asked to stay away from the philosophical arguments of religion and evolution and instead focus on the bio-physiological concepts covered in the textbook.
Respond to the below post with 200 words minimum:
I believe our environment has a greater influence on behavior. The video discusses how identical twins are so much alike in appearance speech walking and dressing;most of the common characteristics in identical twins are genetic. However when dealing with the physiological cause of behavior even with identical twins I have always believed that behavior that is learned through ourenvironment and also our experiences are what shapes our behavior. Nature definitely has to be a factor when studying behavior because genetics are strong. Inherited characteristics could cause certain reactions in behavior that an individual may not even be aware of. For example my husband’s reactions to certain stimuli is very extreme; compared to the average person. A very small incident will be received by him as a major insult that cannot be forgiven; not any time soon. His father whom he was not around very much growing up has the exact same issue. My husband and his father has the exact same personality and their reactions to behaviors are exactly the same. My husband has been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder so with the therapy that he has received and is still receiving he has learned to control certain behaviors and hownot to over-react to every stimuli. This goes hand-in-hand with John B. Watson’s belief on behaviorism; that all behaviors can be learned and also unlearned.His father may have had the same disorder but I am not sure if he was ever diagnosed before he passed. Early psychologist focused on instinctive behaviors and that they are not learned and that they are not learned but inherited. However instinctive behavior does not define the whole role of behavior. My continued belief is that we are inherited with certain instincts and beliefs but mostly we are influenced by our environments and what we have learned through our experiences.