Nature vs. Nurture - We are Influenced by a Combination :: Papers Psychology Development Behavior

Nature vs. Nurture DebateThe controersy over what determines who we are, whether it is Nature(genetic endowment, our biological make up) or Nurture (our environs) is taking a newshape. through and through the past decades, psychologists have developed differenttheories to relieve the characteristics of tender-hearted-beings how we feel, think andbehave. Usually, these theories were one directional in the personality / erectquestion. Today, a new approach to deal with this question is emerging. Thisnew approach finds a middle ground between nature and nurture. Theconclusion that nature and nurture are complementary and work hand and handto shape a behavior (a purposeful and meaningful activity) is not a compromiseit is a result of a vigorous study of each of the components of the equation ofheredity and environment and their affects on determining ones developmentand behavior. In fact, the more we understand about development and behavior,the more obvious it becomes that nature and nurture are similarly influencesrather than determinants, not only respectively but also in combination. Here below, I leave behind enterprisingness to expose the leading theories dealing with the question of naturevs. nurture. I will also try to present the third, new-emerging approach meant tosolve the mystery of What is it that makes us who we are? Our genes made us. We animals exist for their preservation and arenothing more than their throwaway survival machines. This is what RichardDarwin states in his book The Selfish Gene. In his foreign best seller book,he argues that we are merely a harvest-feast of our genes and our main purpose inlife is to serve the genes, become dissemination agents and ensure theirproliferation. Before we take any stand to Darwins statement, allow us familiarizeourselves with what is meant when the term nature is used. Nature representswhat we are natural with and cannot control. Our biological make up is determinedby the genes we receive from our parents(reside in the 23 pairs ofchromosomes, 23 from each parent.) A gene is a surgical incision of DNA or asequence of nucleotides in DNA that codes for a functional product, (Tortora,Microbiology. p. 575.) These genes not only affect our outlook, but also bestow asignificant role in determining our behavior and our well-being. Through newgenetic studies, clinical observation, and research on identical correspond andadopted children, we are becoming increasingly aware that many of the humancharacteristics previously taken for granted as products of childhood rearing andenvironment are rooted in the genetic matrix., (Neubrauer, Peter. p 38) Studiesof identical twin reared apart have provided researchers with a lot of clues