The nature versus nurture debate is one of the fundamental aspects of psychology. It focuses on determining the major factors influencing the emergence and development of a particular behavior. Thus, nature implies that innate biological factors, or genetics, influence the formation of specific patterns (Psychology Today, 2022). For instance, a person’s ability to read fast and process information can be viewed as an inherited feature as one of his/her predecessors had the same ability. In such a way, a person’s behavior can be viewed as a result of biological factors that impacted him/her when basic skills were formed.
Nurture is a concept that is opposed to the previous one. It means that external factors shape people’s behaviors, mentalities, and attitudes and play a fundamental role in their lives (McLeod, 2018). Analyzing the example provided above from this perspective, an exceptional ability to read can be viewed as a result of training during childhood. It means that upbringing and parents’ attention played a more significant role compared to genetics and biological factors. Other aspects, such as stress, living conditions, or social relations, are also crucial for the given perspective and should be considered.
Analyzing both concepts, I believe it is impossible to state that only one should be considered. Every individual, his/her behaviors, preferences, and attitudes can be viewed as a combination of innate biological factors and external influences. In other words, people are born with a set of characteristics they inherited from their parents; however, their development depends on the environment and training. An individual cannot be a talented piano player only because of genetics, as hard work is needed to master this skill. For this reason, nature and nurture come together and form people’s behavioral patterns and mentalities.
References
McLeod, S. (2018). Nature vs. nurture in psychology. SimplyPsychology. Web.
Psychology Today. (2022). Nature vs. nurture. Web.