Table of Contents
Where do our characteristics come from?
Where do our characteristics come from?
Philosophers pondered questions of human nature long before psychology existed. These thinkers grappled with fundamental questions about what it meant to be human. Were humans driven by the same forces as animals? Or did human reasoning give us the ability to shape our own selves? Psychologists took up this as a subject of serious study.
One of the areas they explored was the relationship between our physical selves and our environment. This came to be known and the nature versus nurture debate. Are humans driven primarily by hard-wired factors that we cannot control (nature)? Or are humans shaped primarily by the people around them and the experiences they have in life (nurture)?
Dozens of years later, this discussion is far from over. Psychologists still use scientific methods to explore the relationship between nature and nurture. New technologies allow psychologists to do even more sophisticated analysis of these issues. Genetic sequencing allows scientists to explore the influence of genes in new ways. Science has just scratched the surface of epigenetics. Brain imaging techniques, including fMRIs and EEGs, allow psychologists to "see" thinking in real time. And even with all of this data, psychologists still debate the influence of these two factors on even the most basic of human actions.
In reality, most things humans do are shaped by both innate internal factors and external events. We'll dive into this in more detail below.
Without further ado, let's take a look at each "side" of this debate.
Nature
In their earliest, psychologists didn't have techniques that allowed them to observe anything but the most obvious aspects of being human. One of the things they could study was human anatomy and physiology. Psychologists could observe the parts of human and animal bodies. They could also observe how behavior changed if parts of the brain or body were damaged. This helped psychologists understand how our physical selves influenced thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.
Overtime, this understanding of our physical selves became more complex. Microscopes allowed scientists to study smaller parts of the body, like neurons. Scientists discovered hormones and neurotransmitters. But of all these "small" discoveries, it's genetics that reshaped people's understanding of nature. Genes carry instructions that influence how cells behave. This influence every aspect of psychology, including behavior, emotions, thinking, and human development. Critically, genes can be passed from one generation, to the next. Even more recently, scientists are starting to understand the role of epigenetic changes and how they influence humans.
In short, nature refers to the influence of all these innate, biological factors. That includes epigenetics, genes, hormones, neurotransmitters, and cells. It also includes the nervous and endocrine (hormone) systems. For the most part, these factors are things humans cannot directly control.
Nurture
Nurture can influence our traits in several ways. First, inadequate nutrition, exposure to toxins, and injuries can change our biology. For example, lead poisoning occurs when lead builds up in the body. Lead poisoning interferes with the body's functions. This can result in poor memory, sluggishness, and developmental delays in children.
Humans learn from past experiences. These experiences are shaped by the environment. Sometimes these lessons are explicit. Someone tells us something, and we internalize that answer. Learning can also be an unintended or secondary consequence.
The environment also influences our personality. A parent may praise their child for picking up their toys. This feedback may encourage the child to be conscientious in the future. A child may overhear their parents criticizing someone else for leaving a mess. This may also shape the child's personality.
Why do we care?
First, there is the philosophical argument. This position holds that it's beneficial for humans to have a better understanding of who they are and how we work. For example, nature has wired our brains to need multiple hours of sleep every night. You can reduce the amount of sleep you get each night, but not without serious consequences. Serious sleep deprivation can be fatal. Before that point, most people experience forgetfulness and difficulty learning. This is because sleep plays an important role in developing memories. From the philosophical perspective, knowing this is beneficial to humans. You can't fight certain things that are innate to being human without consequences.
There's also a more practical reason to care about this issue. Psychologists are often studying thorny problems that affect real humans. Understanding the true nature of these problems suggests ways to fix them. If we mess up this understanding, then solutions to those problems can do more harm then good.
If depression is caused primarily by abnormal neurotransmitters or brain structures (nature), then it's reasonable to recommend solutions that target these areas. That could include pharmaceutical interventions, like SSRIs. If depression is caused primarily by environmental factors, then it makes sense to help people alter their environment. That could include exercising more, sleep hygiene, social activities, or talk therapy.
We don't have a technique to reduce depression symptoms that works for everyone. That's partially because it is not easy to untangle nature versus nurture. However, as our understanding of ourselves improves, we can develop new treatments. This has a tangible impacts of the quality of people's lives.
You may also like these articles for AP Psychology!
All blog posts are licensed using a CC-BY-SA 4.0 license. You are free to copy or share this information in any form. You may also adapt and build upon this material for commercial and noncommercial. If you chose to share, adapt, or use this information, you must give credit to Spring Learning Services, LLC and indicate if changes were made. All material must be shared using the same terms
This material is based on my interpretation of the AP Psychology Course and Exam Description and my experience working in education for the past decade. The views expressed on this page are my own. AP® and Advanced Placement® are trademarks registered and owned by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this site.