Why is the nature and nurture controversy so important to the study of psychology? @e.mccormick @Compassionate @Preetha @Somy @anonymous_user @JoannaBlackwelder @ki
@Secret-Ninja @UH60blackhawk @Monica75

Question

Why is the nature and nurture controversy so important to the study of psychology? @e.mccormick @Compassionate @Preetha @Somy @anonymous_user @JoannaBlackwelder @ki
@Secret-Ninja @UH60blackhawk @Monica75

e.mccormick · Answer

K.  A few questions.

Do you know what nature vs. nurture is?

Do you know what a twin study is?

anonymous · Answer

well I kinda have an idea of what nature vs/ nurture is and ye i know what a twin study is

e.mccormick · Answer

OK.  In twin studies they have found ones separated near birth that still develop similar personalities.  On the other hand, they have found people from every abusive families that got fostered and adopted out to nice families that have very good personalities rather than being abusive.  The earlier they are taken away, the better the results are.

e.mccormick · Answer

So both nature and nurture have found support in different studies.

Now, if it was one or the other and only that, what do you think we could tell about a person very quickly?

anonymous · Answer

That if someone was raised in a abusive family that their personality will be kind of on the bad side?

e.mccormick · Answer

And similar things.  If it was known, then you could predict how people would be based on either their nature or their nurture.  However, evidence says it is some sort of odd balance between the two.  Also, we find that people can break far away from how they were raised, so there is an element of self determination in there too.

e.mccormick · Answer

So, because it is some sort of mix, and there are are other factors, what do you think it means to psychology and research?

anonymous · Answer

Well it's really important to psychology and research because its a big learning opportunity for us, we could study how kids grow up in different homes/cultures and see how different things affect different people?

e.mccormick · Answer

Yes.  And there is the whole thing about trying to figure out how much is nature, hw much is nurture, how much could be changed by a person, etc.

anonymous · Answer

Alright, thanks for clearing things up for me, highly appreciated. @e.mccormick

e.mccormick · Answer

np.  And there is a nise summary on Psycology Today if you want some more.

e.mccormick · Answer

Like these two at the top: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-theater-the-brain and this overview: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/child-myths/201005/old-nature-nurture-question There are a lot of things like that. They really show how important the debate is to psychology, sociology, genetics, etc.