Nature vs Nurture (Essay Sample)

Nature Versus Nurture: What Affects a Person More, Their Genes or Their Surroundings and the Way They are Raised?
Solomon Chege
Nature versus nurture: What Affects a Person More, Their Genes or Their Surroundings and the Way They are Raised?
The nature-nurture debate has gone on for a long time. However, one thing has come out clear –that the determining factor in life is the surroundings and the way one is raised. In determining the effects of nature and nurture in a person, it is important to define the scope in which one is investigating these effects. There are two distinct levels of discussion that can be entertained –the physical appearance of a person and the behavior of a person. The physical appearance of a person can largely be attributed to genes while the behavior of a person can largely be attributed to surroundings and the way one is raised. This paper will show that the way a person is raised affects him or her more than the genes inherited from parents.
People’s programming is the same at the time of birth. According to Rutter (2010), all human babies in the world show similar skills in phonological discrimination. In the early years of development, all babies tend to produce similar sounds as they try to learn the language of their parents. However, as the babies grow older and understand the language taught by the parents, they start acquiring accents and having difficulties in pronunciation of words from other languages. Language, which affects a person in life, can be said to be as a result of nurture rather than nature.
Nativists point out that physical appearances such as skin color, straight or curly hair, color of the eyes, and height are attributed to certain genes in a person (Simply Psychology, 2014). While such arguments are true, it is important to investigate further how such features affect a person. Success or failure in life is not hinged on a person’s skin color, hair, or height. Success, which can be termed as one of the aspects that can be measured in determining how nature or nurture affects a person, cannot be hinged on such physical appearance but rather on hard-work, persistence, and commitment.
Genes have been attributed to the existence of some diseases such as breast cancer in a person (Rutter, 2010). While such a disease can fatally affect a person, it is also known that technology and advanced medication can lead to cure of the same. It is, therefore, possible to counteract the effects of genes (or nature) by the surroundings, which include availability of ...