Nature vs Nurture

• The debate is about

  -whether behaviour and even mental illness is determined by heredity and genes or the environment.
• Nature:

  -assumes heredity is more influential. This side found in nativist theory that knowledge and behaviours are innate.

  -Emphasis influence of genetics in behaviour, metal illness and personality.

  -e.g. Bowlby's theory to have an innate drive to form an attachment and form one strong bond is innately determined.
• Nurture:

  -assumes interactions with our environment and experiences are influential in determining behaviour.

  -It was founded from empiricist theory which argues knowledge derives from experience and knowledge we gain so not innate.

  -John locks view of the mind being a tabula rasa suggests experiences are written. Behaviourist is an advocate for nurture side. e.g. bobo doll study influenced by environment.
• Interactionism

  -States that nature and nurture interact to form human personality.
• Examples of interactionism

  -Diathesis-stress model suggests behaviour is caused by biological/environmental vulnerability. Behaviour only occurs when individual is exposed to a trigger which is an environmental stressor.

  -Epigenetics argues individual s inherit genotype at conception. Experiences throughout life effects expression of the gene. An environmental stressor will leave an epigenetic mark on DNA which switches on and off and influences how genes are expressed.