Nature_vs._Nurture

Brad South English 15 (Section 002) 5/1/2009 “Formal Argument” The Mysteries of Nature vs. Nurture The argument of nature versus nurture has gone on for also long as humans started to contemplate the world around them. Within this debate there are two main controversies. The first main controversy is whether or not social behavior is contributed to genes or how a person is raised. There have been many studies done to show that nurture is the main cause to social behavior. In a study done by Eric Plug and Vim Vijverberg, they asked the question on whether education was based on how intelligent the parents were or whether the parental ability was passed down to the next generation. In this study the parents as well as the children were given I.Q. tests. When analyzing the results of these tests Eric plug stated, “It’s interesting, the children with the parents who have above normal I.Q.s scored lower than the children with the parents who had normal to below normal I.Q.s” (Eric Plug) Later on in the study the two men discovered why the children scored lower than the ones whose parents scored close to average on the test. The parents played a role I how involved the kids became in their education. In observing the day to day lives of the kids another trend was discovered. Those children who scored lower were not as interested in grades. When asked why, most of them responded that their friends were not all that interested and neither were they. They also asked the other group of children why they thought they scored high. The majority stated that they needed to concentrate on their education so they could get a good job. The most interesting comment was from the parents who scored below average on the I.Q. test. They said that they make sure that their kids focus on their grades so they can have better opportunities than they did. In all the instances within the study, how the kids performed was based on how they felt about grades. Due to their surrounding the kids formed an opinion on how they viewed their education. In not one instance was there a mention of whether the kids were smarter because of their parents. The second major controversy is whether genes are passed down from generation to generation or formed because of the social environment that a person is placed in. This is a topic that scientists have been fighting over for decades. On one hand scientists say that you can’t alter genes because they are made like that. On the other hand some scientists believe that genes are passed down, but how they are formed is due to the surroundings of the subject. If the genes for limbs can be altered, why not genes for social behavior' It clearly stated that that gene alteration can play critical roles in development of the body. If such things as limbs can be altered due to certain changed why not the brain. In our everyday lives we make decisions that can alter how our body works. If we were raised in a way to alter these genes then basically any part of the human body can be altered. There are those that believe that the only way that humans become adept is through nature. There are three major flaws in this argument. First, to be influenced by no one is literally impossible unless you were a recluse. Dictionary.com defines natural as being free from affectation and constraint. (Dictionary.com) In the world we live in today few to none are recluses. Even if someone were to be a recluse today there would still be constraints on what they could do. Therefore, it is virtually impossible not to be influenced by anything. Lastly, it is argued that cultural influence has nothing to do with how our social behaviors are formed. Then why is so much of what we believe due to our culture' How we dress. How we behave. How and when we eat. These are all culturally related. Everything from our parents to our friends is part of our cultures. People don’t call it cultural identity for a reason. It let us know who we are and where we feel comfortable. When humans are raised they go through many phases. These phases are infant, childhood, adolescence, pre-adult hood, and adulthood. Going in to each one of these phases the body goes through changes, for example puberty. It is common knowledge that humans are going through puberty younger and younger. Some say it is due to nature and some say it is due to what we have around us in the world today. If it is because of nature, how come it didn’t come about years or even centuries ago' In conclusion, what goes on in the body is due to nurture. How the body is raised is how it’s going to react to the situations around it. If you train a dog to sit, when you say sit it’s not going to roll over it’s going to sit. Although there are s some things that can mainly be affected by nature by majority almost anything in the human body can be altered due to what we put in or how we decide to change behaviors. The debate on whether nature or nurture determines how we develop will continue to go on for years. But, there is strong evidence to support nurture being the key factor in how the body is formed. From altering parts of the body with by just changing one gene shows that our genetic structure is not set in stone. It is rather a stone waiting to be sculpted. Although it will probably never be determined this is the key factor, nurture provides valid explanations on why things happen. It gives affects for causes. Making nurture the best possible decision why humans are the way we are. Work Cited MacGregor, Kate. “Behavior-Change Action Plan in Primary Care: A Feasible Study of Clinicians.”