Nature vs. Nurture Essay - 1094 Words

Today most interest in twins serves to determine whether traits come from ones environment or from genetics. However, throughout time, twins have been a constant source of entertainment and amazement for society. Twins differ very little, and according to an e-mail interview with Dr. Nancy Segal, the American attraction to them is due to our high value and appreciation of independency and personal differences. Segal believes the similarity of twins contrasts greatly with Americans values and this contrast sparks interest, almost to the nature of a circus sideshow. Because most singletons find the eerie alikeness of twins mystifying, myths and urban legends about twin behavior are not uncommon. For instance, the belief twins share more†¦show more content†¦Scientists cite these and other interesting reasons as impetus for studying twins. However, the majority of twin studies serve to determine whether genetics or environment decide human traits. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Studies of twins place them in two differing groups. Identical twins or monozygotic twins, according to Clegg and Woollett, quot;are formed by the accidental splitting of a single fertilized egg, so that the babies develop from one egg and one sperm.quot; They also define fraternal or dizygotic twins as non-identical twins that quot;develop from the fertilization of two eggs by two spermquot; (16). It is common knowledge ones genes are inherited, half from ones mother, and half from ones father. Since monozygotic, or MZ, twins are a split of the same egg and sperm, they contain identical genes. However, the genes of dizygotic, or DZ, twins are only as similar as typical brothers and sisters. Scientists are interested in fraternal twins reared together because, being the same age and in the same home, they share practically identical environments. They are also interested in studying identical twins that have been reared apart from one another, because they sh are identical genetics but have differing backgrounds. These groups of twins provide researchers with automatic control groups. By studying these two groups, scientists can see if DZ twins with the same environment areShow MoreRelatedNature vs. nurture Essay1322 Words   |  6 PagesNature vs. Nurture It is a matter of concern whether human behaviors and characteristics are determined by nature or nurture. If a person’s behavior is inherited directly from the genes of his/her parents or other biological factors, then it is the nature that determines his character. But if the environment that a person grew up in, affects his behavior, then it is the nurture that determines his/her character. It became a great matter of controversy among scientists, psychologists and sociologistsRead MoreNature Vs. Nurture Essay1612 Words   |  7 PagesNature vs. Nurture Essay Throughout many years, scientists have been debating about whether nature or nurture is the driving force that shapes a person’s cognitive abilities and personal traits. Before the ongoing debate can be explained, it is necessary to understand what nature and nurture actually are. Nature is loosely defined as the genetics one inherits and tendencies that influence development. Many things in an individual are hereditary, for instance; gender, disease, height, eye color,Read More Nature vs Nurture Essay804 Words   |  4 PagesNature vs Nurture In his book, the universally acclaimed and bestseller The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins presents his viewpoint that living organisms are but survival machines, that the individual [is a] selfish machine, programmed to do whatever is best for its gene as a whole. In fact, this is the central concept in his book that he brings across. An individuals behaviour and actions are 100% determined by its genes and the individual behaves in accordance to ensure the best persistenceRead More Nature vs Nurture Essay1585 Words   |  7 Pages Nature or Nurture? The Determination of Human Behaviour The nature versus nurture debate has spanned over decades, and is becoming more heated in the recent years. Following the mapping of the human genome, scientists are pursuing the possibility of controlling human behaviour such as homicidal tendencies or insanity through the manipulation of genes. Is this possible for us to ensure that humans behave in certain ways under certain circumstances in future? This is highly doubtful, as the determinationRead More Nature vs Nurture Essay570 Words   |  3 Pages Nature vs Nurture The issues pitting nature against nurture are exceptionally significant for the gamut of discoveries that attribute an increasing proportion of traits and behaviours to ones genetic makeup. The resulting variety of physical shortcomings and limitations in each person has, for centuries, been countered by endeavours to improve or interfere where necessary, and every individual is consequently the product of a delicate middle path of balance between the two. The importanceRead MoreNature vs. Nurture Essay794 Words   |  4 Pages Nature vs. Nurturenbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Through time, psychologists have argued over whether only our genes control our behaviors in life or if the environment and the people surrounding us have any effect in our lives. This is called nature versus nurture. We do not know what dictates our behavior, or if it is a combination of both. One question is, if genes control our behavior, are we really responsible for our actions? I think that if we can make choicesRead MoreNature Vs Nurture Essay882 Words   |  4 PagesNature vs Nurture The discussion about nature and nurture can be considered one of the oldest problems in psychology, the main question of which is: Are human traits present at birth or are they developing through experience? (Meyers, 2013). The natural side of the discussion asserts that the facial features and the way of their development strictly through DNA and genetics are transmitted by parents and grandparents. The nurture side of the debate argues that we are born with a clean list andRead MoreNature vs. Nurture Essay1250 Words   |  5 PagesNature vs Nurture   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For the past five weeks we have studied three different but influential people in our perspective on human nature class. They are Freud, Plato and Tzu. The main discussion between all of them is nature versus nurture. I will discuss the difference between nature and nurture and then I’ll apply to each of these philosophers and how they react to it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When looked up in the dictionary the term nature means the universe and its phenomena or one’s own character and temperamentRead More Nature vs Nurture Essay778 Words   |  4 PagesNature vs Nurture Most of us have an intuition that, although our genes provide advantages and constraints, we retain great control over our lives. However, we are developing a second, competing intuition that, like it or not, our genes determine our abilities, our preferences, and our emotions. We would like to think we are much more than the sum of our genes, but scientists have apparently demonstrated that our genes determine some of our most complex behavioral and cognitive characteristicsRead MoreEssay on Nature vs Nurture1052 Words   |  5 PagesNature vs. Nurture M. B. Liberty University Psychology 101 Nature vs. Nurture There has been extensive debate between scholars in the field of psychology surrounding the Nature vs. Nurture issue. Both nature and nurture determine who we are and neither is solely independent of the other. â€Å"As the area of a rectangle is determined by its length and its width, so do biology and experience together create us.†(Myers, 2008, p. 8) Carl Gustav Jung, and leading thinker and creator of analytical