Child Development Heredity and Environment - 1240 Words

The distinction between nature versus nurture or even environment versus heredity leads to the question of: does the direct environment or the nature surrounding an adolescent directly influence acts of delinquency, later progressing further into more radical crimes such as murder or psychotic manifestation, or is it directly linked to the hereditary traits and genes passed down from that individual adolescent’s biological parents? To answer this question one must first understand the difference between nature, nurture, environment, and heredity. Nurture, broken down further into environment, is defined as various external or environmental factors one is exposed to which can be more specifically broken down into social and physical†¦show more content†¦Maturing further, the understanding of a teenager’s, who is a delinquent, psychological stability, is vital in order to prevent the lapse of sanity and the creation of an individual such as Jeffery Dahmer. But ar e teenagers predetermined to become serial killers? Is it genetic, passed down from mother and father to their offspring or is it the environment they find themselves surrounded by that creates the serial killer of their future? â€Å"Taking a look at Jeffery Dahmer’s childhood you will find that at an early age he was a fun and active child who his father described as ‘very exuberant†¦.’ These are not characteristic of a serial killer who scientists say are born with this gene of aggressiveness. Dahmer had been a normal child until his father received a Ph.D†¦.When Dahmer had moved, his father and mother noticed that he had become shy and anti-social.† (Serial Killers: Nature vs. Nurture ‘How Serial Killers are Born’) This does not depict a boy who was genetically coded to become a serial killer; it seems as if Jeffery Dahmer’s environmental changes influenced his drastic change in behavior. Upon revealing the distinction between the brain activity of a normal human being and a serial killer, it has become evidently clear that the effect of a genetic handicap as well as different understanding of right and wrong. â€Å"†¦.brain scans of more than five hundred people between those who were prone to violence and those who were considered normal. The study foundShow MoreRelatedInfluence of Nature Versus Nurture on Child Development1202 Words   |  5 Pages Nature as well as nurture can affect the child development. There are many factors that determine the development of a child. Many theories that are proposed by psychologist are used to explain the process of child development. Berndt (1992) explained nature as the impact of the genetic inheritance or heredity of a person during development. Based on Kail’s (2010, p. 135) study, â€Å"research reveals consistent genetic influence in many psychological areas, including personality, mental abilityRead MoreThe Processes by Which Genes and Environment Operate Together to Influence Development1597 Words   |  7 Pagesby Which Genes and Environment Operate Together to Influence Development Psychologists have argued for centuries over which has played the larger role in child development, heredity or environment. The British philosopher John Locke (1632 –1704) proposed one of the first theories in the seventeenth century. Locke believed that a child was born with anRead More Nature and Nuture Essay713 Words   |  3 PagesThe question is this: How can we distinguish between the environmental causes of behavior and heredity causes? This question embodies the nature-nurture issue. John B. Watson argued that each is made, not born. He discounted the importance of heredity, maintaining that behavior is managed entirely by the environment. Indeed he boldly claimed: Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own special world to bring them up in and Ill guarantee to take any one at random and train himRead MoreLife Span Perspective Essay1187 Words   |  5 PagesPsy/375 April 11, 2011 Professor Deborah Wilkerson, M.A., ABD The study of human development is a science. It is based on theories, data, analysis, critical thinking, and sound methodology (Berger). Five characteristics of Development that will be discussed in this paper are multidirectional, multi-contextual, multicultural, multidisciplinary and plasticity. There are also five theories of development which are psychoanalytical, behaviorism, cognitive, socio-cultural, and epigenetic theoryRead MoreAggressive Behavior, Heredity and Environment Essays694 Words   |  3 Pagesâ€Å"You are what you are because of heredity and environment.† Personal development are influenced by a person’s interactions with the physical and social environments. A persons personality is based on both heredity and environment. Special attention given to a child is very needed. Friends or peers also influences an individual’s personality. Influences on a child or person can be both positive or negative. An individuals environment and friends ethniticy are an important component of their positiveRead MoreWhat are the Main Influences of Intelligence?754 Words   |  3 PagesThe 20th and 21rst centuries have seen incredible and important developments within the framework of scientific understanding of Humanity. The exponential growth of specific scientific and biological knowledge over time has called for the creation of multiple fields of specialization regarding human architecture. Human beings are essentially composed of strains of nucleic acid that determines a person’s individual traits. Does this mean that one’s existence is only defined by one’s gene? Is biodiversityRead MoreJean Piaget s Theory Of Cognitive And Affective Development1693 Words   |  7 PagesAffective Development is a result of an interdisciplinary approach to understanding mental processes and the behaviors presented by those processes. Piaget’s theory encompasses development through four levels of cognition to formal operations. It further includes aspects such as types of knowledge, factors in development, and adaptation. Piaget’s background in biology and philosophy as well as his beliefs in epistemology and structuralism played a critical role in his theory’s development. â€Æ' JeanRead MoreNature Vs. Nurture Debate878 Words   |  4 Pages When one thinks about child development, are personalities and traits produced by genetics or shaped by the environment? Or, is there a relationship between nature and nurture with regards to child development? The debate continues. While some believe â€Å"nature and nurture work together, others believe they are separate and opposing influences† (McDevitt, 2010). Nature vs Nurture In regards to the nature vs. nurture debate, â€Å"this debate is a major issue in many social science disciplines and isRead MoreEssay about Child Development, Nature vs Nurture801 Words   |  4 Pages. The nature versus nurture debate is one of the oldest issues in psychology. The debate centers on the relative contributions ofgenetic inheritance  and  environmental factors  to human development. Some philosophers such as Plato and Descartes suggested that certain things are inborn, or that they simply occur naturally regardless of environmental influences. Other well-known thinkers such as John Locke believed in what is known as  tabula rasa, which suggests that the mind begins as a blank slateRead MoreHow Hereditary And Environment Has Affected The People Around Me1457 Words   |  6 PagesThis environment has composition of several aspects and these aspects are cordially interdependent with environment and heredity, as well as this is coming from the evolution eras and the concept of heredity is the basic model of this effective and eminent source of heredity in chronological order. . Although hereditary environment has always been a deciding factor in determining ou r future, yet majority of us hardly even bothered to look over these factors. In this assignment I am trying to