The Nurture side of the debate
Emily Lankin
Nature vs. Nurture a debate that has been discussed for centuries. When it comes to how we behave it is evident that nurture plays a much larger role. Firstly, when a child is born they have the potential ability to communicate and to walk but it is human interaction that teaches them these tasks. Secondly no human is born being a genius everyone is capable of being very smart but it is how are raised that brings out this trait. Lastly genes do not determine your personality traits but how you are raised.
The human brain develops when a child is very young. If a child is not nurtured and loved by humans the brain will not develop properly. Feral children are a great example of this. One of the most famous examples that have been documented discusses a young girl who was raised by dogs. In an article it reads, “In 1991, Oxana Malaya, who lives in Ukraine, was found and considered to be a feral child she was raised amongst dogs since she was 3 years old.” At the time she was found, she was only 8 years old, unfortunately when they found Oxana her brain had already been fully developed. Because Oxana lack of human interaction she was unable to communicate. The only words in her vocabulary were “yes” and “no.”
The Term Paper on Every Child Should Be Raised in a Home with Two Parents.
Nowadays, raising children has been the concerns of all mankind because this period can determine the rest of their lives later. In fact, it is very essential for everyone to have both mother and father. Therefore, I support the idea that children should be raised in a home with two parents. First of all, a child needs not only the mother but also the father. One of both plays a different role in ...
She was put through intensive therapy but could never learn to speak or grasp social sills. Feral children prove that human contact and interaction are needed for healthy brain development.
Everyone has the potential to be a genius it is our culture and how we are nurtured that determines this trait. If a child is brought up into a family with guardians that are not strict about grades and does not motivate their child to do well the child will not want to succeed. An example of culture playing a part in this debate is the Chinese culture. In article on parenting science reads, “in a recent study of American tenth graders found that Asian-Americans outperformed all other ethnic groups in math and science.” It is not because they are born smart it is because they are raised with the culture and parents that motivate them to achieve a high IQ.
A child is not born knowing that stealing is bad. It is negative reinforcement that teaches a child that stealing is bad. The same goes for criminals, no one is born a criminal it is their upbringing that determines this. If a child is brought up in a violent household they are likely to be violent. For example a study was done with a set of identical twins. The twins were separated at birth and raised by two different families. “It was observed that adopted children are as aggressive as their adoptive parents rather than their biological parents.” The results show that it is the child’s environment and the people around them determine their personality traits.
Nurture is a very important when it comes to our behavior, personality and brain development. We are not born knowing how to make people laugh, steal or having a high IQ. It is our environment that determines our behavior.
Bibliography
Himebauch, Adam, Kuhls, Matt ,Thornton, Lindette and French, Joanna “Genetic Predisposition To Criminality -Should It Be Monitored?” University of Delaware November 21st, 2001
<http://www.udel.edu/chem/C465/senior/fall00/GeneticTesting/enviro.htm>
Grant, Ash. “10 Heartbreaking Stories Of Feral Children.” November 9th, 2010. <http://www.toptenz.net/top-10-feral-children.php>
The Essay on Disney's Affect On Our Children And Culture
It can be argued that culture provides the foundation for persuasive forms of learning for young children. For proof, one doesn’t have to look any further than down the aisle of the children’s section of their local video store. What you will find are numerous animated titles, many of them Disney films. Most people unconditionally accept that these movies are good for children, that ...
Dewar, Gwen. “Traditional Chinese Parenting.” <http://www.parentingscience.com/chinese-parenting.html>
