NATURE VS NURTURE

Nature vs Nurture
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NATURE VS NURTURE

Introduction
The nature versus nurture debate is about the significance of a persons inborn or natural
qualities versus personal experiences in finding out the individual changes in physical and
behavioral traits. Mutually nature and nurture affect traits like a persons height and weight, their
intelligence quotient and the possibility of developing behavioral complications or autism.
(Nurture, 2004). Nature is actually referred to as a persons genes. The physical and personality
traits determined by an individuals genes stay the same regardless of where a person was born
and grown up. Nurture refers to an individuals childhood or in what way an individual was
brought up and how a person reacts to life. (Nurture, 2004).
Genetic syndromes, the color of eye, hair and skin are a few examples of nature. Further,
things like life span and an individuals height have a strong biological component, but
environmental factors and lifestyle also have an impact on them.
Studies related to twins, show that almost half of behavioral traits found in completely
developed siblings are heritable; the remaining is caused by environmental factors: the nurture.
(Nurture, 2004)
Freuds Theory on Nature vs Nurture
Freud believed that an individuals emotional state, experiences and fights are away from
ones conscious understanding, but still carry excessive influence. Freud explained three most
important components of personality through his theory: the id, the ego, and the super ego.
(Halpern, 2007). The id exists at birth and indicates an individuals most original needs and
fulfils any biological requirement the individual has. For example if the newborn needs food, he
or she will cry and have it. Next component is the ego, which is the rational component of an
individuals personality. For instance, if a child wants a biscuit, he or she remembers how he or

NATURE VS NURTURE

she got it before and remembers it. The superego is the sense of right and wrong and it holds the
morals of a persons personality. The superego takes any solution the ego comes up with to solve
an issue and makes it find publicly acceptable and good methods to fulfil the needs of the id.
(Halpern, 2007).
Freuds theory appears to be mostly on natures side, but some aspects of nurture also
exist. For instance, the id exists at birth and the ego deals with an individuals natural tendencies
so those would be under nature. The super ego would be on the nurture side since it justifies the
ego based on the standards of society and ones environment. (Halpern, 2007).
Next, Freud explained the 5 stages of psychosexual development. The first one is the oral
stage, which is from the childs birth to one year. In this stage, the new born finds satisfaction
from oral activities. Second stage is the anal stage in which urination and excretion are
satisfaction for the child. Third stage is the phallic stage, from three to six years. In this stage the
sons develop desire for their mothers and jealousy towards their fathers while the girls develop
closeness to their fathers. (Halpern, 2007). From 6-11 years is the stage, in which a child faces
many sexual struggles and gets to know about societal values. The last stage starts from 12 years
and continues throughout the rest of an individuals life. It is the genital stage in which an
individual goes through puberty and experiences sexual desires. (Halpern, 2007).
Freud had many people who agreed with his theory and many who disagreed. Most of the
people started their work further, but none of them is limited to one side of the debate or the
other, though most seem to be on the nurture side. (Halpern, 2007).

NATURE VS NURTURE

Ericksons Theory on Nature vs Nurture

One well known psychologist, Erik Erikson, was very pro-nurture. Erikson theorized
eight stages of life. (Erickson, 2010). The first stage of Eriksons theory is from the childs birth
to his or her first year and is called trust versus mistrust. In this stage, newborns learn to have
faith in others, such as their mother, to provide them with food and look after them. If a new born
is not able to trust anyone at this stage of life, he or she would later see the world, full of
untrustworthy individuals. The second stage occurs from first till the third year of a childs life,
which is autonomy versus shame and doubt. Kids get knowledge of doing things on their own; if
they are unable to do them, it results in doubt and shame. The third stage which is initiative vs.
guilt, starts from the third year of a childs life and ends in the sixth. A kid tries to be a grown up,
by taking responsibility of more difficult tasks than they can actually handle. Sometimes, these
can result in guilt. The fourth stage is industry vs. inferiority, and starts from the sixth year of a
childs life and ends in the twelfth year. Children acquire their academic knowledge and learn
social skills as well. The failure of this stage could result in the inferiority issues. The next that is
the fifth stage is the identity versus role confusion, which starts from the twelfth year of an
individuals life and ends in the twentieth. The teenage tries to find a sense of self, establishing
basic social and occupational identities, or else they will have trouble identifying who they are
when they are adults. (Erickson, 2010). Intimacy versus isolation is the sixth stage, from 20-40
years. People in this stage should start strong meaningful relationships else they are totally
isolated. The seventh stage is from 40-65 years of a persons life and is called generativity vs.
stagnation. Individuals become more active in their work or looking after their family and
helping others. Without the success in this stage, a person may feel self-absorbed or stagnant.
The last stage, stage eight is integrity vs. despair and starts from 65 years and onwards. In this

NATURE VS NURTURE

stage, people would look back to find out about their life. Their life could be contented and
useful or could be filled with disappointment and unfulfilled goals (Erickson, 2010).
Erikson shows that an individuals personality matures and progresses by going through
these stages of life, which all depend on a persons interaction with the environment. Erikson
believes in the nurture side.
Erikson and Freud both assumed that an individuals personality progresses in a series of
fixed stages. Both believed that difficulties had to be solved, in order to move onto the next stage
in life. Eriksons theory explains the influence of social experience across the entire lifetime,
which wasnt described in Freuds theory. Erikson and Freud contradict on one main belief:
Erikson believed that individuals arent slaves to biology; they are inquiring and adjust to their
surroundings. He emphasized more on cultural impacts than on sexual needs, unlike Freud.
Freud designated a particular organ to every stage of improvement, while Erikson looked at the
problem on a wider scale by including an individuals surroundings.

NATURE VS NURTURE

References:
1. Erickson, P. A., & Murphy, L. D. (Eds.). (2010). History of Anthropological Theory.
University of Toronto Press.
2. Halpern, D. F. (2007). The nature and nurture of critical thinking. Critical thinking in
psychology, 1-14.
3. Nurture, N. V., Genes, E., & Human, W. M. U. (2004). Nature versus Nurture. Am J
Psychiatry, 161(10), 1933.