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04/09/2012

The Nature-Nurture Debate. Where do you belong?





How many of us battle with the nature-nurture issue? In my profession, it is one of those debates that have to come up when assessing children's performances. Nature refers to our biological inheritance while nurture refers to our environmental influences.
In my alter world, I would like to be a Genealogist because I am interested in understanding how the make-up of a person influences them.
'Nature' proponents claim that the most important influence on development is biological inheritance. 'Nurture' proponents claim that environmental experiences are the most important influence.

Human beings grow in an orderly way just like the sunflower grows-unless defeated by an unfriendly environment. The range of environments can be vast but nature gives a genetic blueprint that produces common-ness in growth and development and in education. Nature proponents acknowledge that extreme environments-those that are psychologically hostile or empty-can depress the development. However, they believe that basic growth tendencies and intelligence are genetically wired into humans.

But how about nurture? All our experiences- whether biological ( nutrition, Medicare, drugs, accidents) to social ( family, peers, type of school, community, media and culture).

Researchers have found that caring adults who provide a supportive and nurturing environment have a substantial positive influence on children's development. I suppose that given the right environment, whether your child is genetically wired to be smart or not, there will be a considerate percentage of improvement. Are you a ' nature' or 'nurture' proponent?


4 comments:

  1. I stand for both LC. I want to align more with the proposition that "the most important influence on development is biological inheritance" which sets the child on a roller coaster platform of quick understanding, easy assimilation and wider ways of perception but environmental experiences are also essential factors on the subject which further boost the child's intellectual abilities. There is however, a healthy balance between these two especially at a later stage of life.

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  2. I think that no matter what environment you come out from if you are not genetically given you will still come short of expectations in many areas

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  3. I believe that despite your nature, if u're nutured in the right way with a lot of love and in the right environment u'll turn out right and I can back this with a yoruba saying that says 'Ninu ikoko dudu ni eko funfun tin jade' direct translation 'you bring out agidi from a black pot' n we all know dat agidi is always white.

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  4. I quite agree with the other commentators as the nature-nurture debate is always an interesting one but I stand in favour of both. While nature is key to any individual,without nurture it(talent,ability,u name it) cannot be harnessed. For me,they are interwoven and one without the other always falls short of achieving its full potential.

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Please leave your thoughts. I'd like to hear from you. :)