Nature vs Nurture is a debate that involves the question of whether a person’s behaviour is as a result of genetics or inheritance from our parents, or whether it is as a result of the environment we live in, such as learning from our parents, and friends. The aspect of nature is where it is believed that our behaviour is as a result of our genetics. This is to say that the way we behave and the way we react to a situation is a product of our inherited characteristic from our parents, and by extension, an inherent characteristic. Nurture, on the other hand, is the other side of the debate that argues that our behaviour is the sum total of the environment we live in hence pointing to societal factors (Grison, Gazzaniga, & Heatherton, 2015) .
The nature vs Nurture debate is of fundamental importance as helps to explain much of the way that we behave. This debate banks on the ideologies of both sides, and therefore, it is concerned with the contribution of both aspects in influencing a person’s behaviour ( Levitt, 2013) . Personally, nature and nurture have played an important role in making me who I am and in defining the way I behave an react in different circumstances. To confirm this, I took a survey and it returned results that suggest that some of my characteristics are a predisposition, and other learned from my surrounding.
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Honesty
From the survey, a top quality of mine was honesty. According to the survey, I am more inclined to tell the truth and more so, present myself in a genuine way by acting sincere and without pretence. This in my opinion, is a product of nurture over nature. To demonstrate this, it is important to understand the nature of my father. He is a man of great honesty, who believes that it is better to tell the truth and pay for it, than lie and fight the guilt. This is something that he has taught me through my childhood and I have come to take this as the gospel and it is for this reason, that I am perceived as honest and sincere (Coll, Bearer, & Lerner, 2014) .
Humour
Humour is also another characteristic of myself that I believe is a product of nature. According to the survey, I like to laugh and tease. I have always been a jovial person and this started when I was still a child. I also believe that people should generally be happy and so I try to do this each time I get the chance. This is not something that I have been taught or that I have emulated and so, it is a product of nature (Levitt, 2013) .
Fairness
Fairness is another notable characteristic of myself where according to the survey, I like to treat people with my notions of justice and fairness. This is a characteristic that I attribute to nurture over nature. My mother has always insisted that it is not proper to treat others badly and that one should always strive to be the bigger man. This is a lesson that has stuck with me to this day.
Conclusion
Nature vs Nurture is a debate in psychology that attempts to argue the reasons behind our behaviours and reactions. This line of thought is concerned with the understanding of how far particular aspects of the environment affects our behaviour, or how much our behaviour can be attributed to genetics. From the survey, as well as my personal understanding of my characteristics, I can thereby accept the contribution of both nurture and nature in who I am today.
References
Coll, C. G., Bearer, E. L., & Lerner, R. M. (2014). Nature and nurture: The complex interplay of genetic and environmental influences on human behavior and development . Psychology press.
Grison, S., Gazzaniga, M. S., & Heatherton, T. F. (2015). Psychology in your life . WW Norton.
Levitt, M. (2013). Perceptions of nature, nurture and behaviour. Life Sciences, Society and Policy , 9 (1). doi:10.1186/2195-7819-9-13
