What do psychologists say about “nature vs. Nurture”?
Actually it isn’t really nature versus nurture any more. This refers to what influences behavior. Is it our genes or is it the environment? In actuality it is usually an interaction between the two. While we have certain possibilities in our genes, what we experience in our lives, especially in our childhoods, will shape how much or our genetic potential is expressed. There are of course some things that are only determined by genes, such as eye color, but even something like height which is genetically determined will be shaped by our nutrition, in the womb and in childhood. If we don’t get enough to eat or the right nutrients we may not grow to the height allowed by our genetics. And any complex characteristic such as personality, will be shaped by both genetics and environment. How much of each will probably never be known.
