4-2 Project One - Position Paper PDF

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Monique Batot Southern New Hampshire University PSY 108: Introduction to Psychology Tracey Rosenfeld

PSY 108 Project One: Position Paper

In the world of Psychology, the topic of nature vs. nurture has been a long history of debate. The debate itself focuses around the idea of whether a person’s strengths and weaknesses are because of their genetics (nature) or their environment (nurture). Many people are conflicted when it comes to this heated discussion, but for myself, I’m on the nurture side of it with an understanding that nature plays a role as well. I believe nurture has a more significant impact on human behavior than does nature. To support my argument, I have chosen the behavioral perspective of psychology to show how nurture influences behavior. Nature vs. Nurture discusses the basis of human behavior by debating whether this behavior is something we are genetically born with (nature), or if it’s something that we learn from our environment (nurture), (Levitt, 2013). The argument on the nature side suggests that genetics provide how we behave simply because “we’re born

with it.” On the nurture side, environmentalists suggest that we are born as “blank slates” and our personalities and behaviors develop in response to our environment, (Myers & DeWall, 2020). This idea influences psychology because our behavior is a basis for psychology, as it defines how and why we think and act they way we do. The behavioral perspective leans heavily on environmental factors to shape behavior. Human behavior is learned and learning is a product of our environment. For example, if a person grows up in an abusive environment, they’re more likely to have behaviors that reflect anger and violence. Adversely, a person who grows up in a loving environment, they’re more likely to have behaviors that reflect care and compassion. People are given the building blocks of knowledge, but the absorption and application are mainly nurture driven. B.F. Skinner was of the mindset that nature and nurture are not so much on the opposite sides, but in sync with one another, (Myers & DeWall, 2020). Nurture in its simplest form is evolution of nature. Behaviorism is a school of psychology that supports nurture. Behaviorism, established by John Watson, states “You cannot observe a sensation, a feeling, or a thought,” but “you can observe and record people’s behavior as they are conditionedresponding to and learning in different situations,” (Myers & DeWall, 2020). The way we are raised or “nurtured” regulates the psychological importance of child growth and the concept of maturation relates only to the biological. In conclusion, I feel in the debate of nature vs. nurture, a person’s behavior is influenced more by nurture. The behavioral perspective primarily studies how

behavior is nurtured by the environment through forming associations, modeling how to act, or responding with punishments or rewards, (Myers & DeWall, 2020). Our experiences and our environment help shape who we become as we grow, observe, and learn.

References

Levitt, M. (2013). Perceptions of nature, nurture and behaviour. Life Sciences, Society and Policy, 9(13). https://doi.org/10.1186/2195-7819-9-13 Myers, D. G., & DeWall, C. N. (2020). Psychology (6th ed.). Soomo Learning. https://www.webtexts.com...