Section 1: Social, Environmental, and other Life Factors (S.E.L.F.

Nature vs. Nurture

Nature differs from Nurture, since in Nature, a person develops his/her characteristics biologically
(something that has developed starting from the birth of the child), while in Nurture, a person develops
his/her characteristics through the external factors, such as the environment and the society (family,
friends, relatives, etc.).

Identity vs. Self

Identity, also, differs from Self, as what the readings say, Identities are “qualities, characteristics, beliefs,
opinions, etc., that make a person unique from others.” These is what is distinguishable by others, or
what they perceive to us through our actions. Self, on the other had, is the “person of himself/herself,”
meaning, it is what the others didn’t see in you, because this is personal character; this is what makes up
a person.

Dimensionalities of the Self/Identity

There are 4 different dimensionalities of self, namely social factor, environmental factor, hereditary
factor, and person-volition factor. Social factors are the factors in the development of a person which
includes all the person around us, like our family members, relatives, friends, teachers or professors, and
even strangers, that might create an impression to you or affects your actions and thoughts in life.
Environmental factors are the factors in the development of a person that includes the environmental
structure, events, and such, which might give an impact on how a person could grow in all the aspects of
his/her life. Hereditary factors are the factors in the development of the person that includes biological
changes and events, such as growth in height, puberty (growing of pubic hair, deeper voices for male,
broadening of hips and start of menstruation for female, etc.) that usually affects the physical
characteristics of a person. Lastly, the Person-volition factors are the inclination of a person creates a
social construct which sets him apart to others.

The Meaning of Nature vs. Nurture

The wording of the phrase “nature vs. nurture” makes it seem as though human individuality—
personality traits, intelligence, preferences, and other characteristics—must be based on either the
genes people are born with or the environment in which they grew up. The reality, as scientists have
shown, is more complicated, and both these and other factors can help account for the many ways in
which individuals differ from each other.
What does the phrase “nature vs. nurture” get wrong?

The words “nature” and “nurture” themselves can be misleading. Today, “genetics” and “environment”
are frequently used in their place—with one’s environment including a broader range of experiences
than just the nurturing received from parents or caregivers. Further, nature and nurture (or genetics and
environment) do not simply compete to influence a person, but often interact with each other; “nature
and nurture” work together. Finally, individual differences do not entirely come down to a person’s
genetic code or developmental environment—to some extent, they emerge due to messiness in the
process of development as well.

How do nature and nurture work together?

A person’s biological nature can affect a person’s experience of the environment. For example, a person
with a genetic disposition toward a particular trait, such as aggressiveness, may be more likely to have
particular life experiences (including, perhaps, receiving negative reactions from parents or others). Or, a
person who grows up with an inclination toward warmth and sociability may seek out and elicit more
positive social responses from peers. These life experiences could, in turn, reinforce an individual’s initial
tendencies. Nurture or life experience more generally may also modify the effects of nature—for
example, by expanding or limiting the extent to which a naturally bright child receives encouragement,
access to quality education, and opportunities for achievement.

The Nature-vs.-Nurture Debate

Theorists and researchers have long battled over whether individual traits and abilities are inborn or are
instead forged by experiences after birth. The debate has had broad implications: The real or perceived
sources of a person’s strengths and vulnerabilities matter for fields such as education, philosophy,
psychiatry, and clinical psychology. Today’s consensus—that individual differences result from a
combination of inherited and non-genetic factors—strikes a more nuanced middle path between
nature- or nurture-focused extremes.

How old is the nature-nurture debate?

The debate about nature and nurture has roots that stretch back at least thousands of years, to Ancient
Greek theorizing about the causes of personality. During the modern era, theories emphasizing the role
of either learning and experience or biological nature have risen and fallen in prominence—with
genetics gaining increasing acknowledgment as an important (though not exclusive) influence on
individual differences in the later 20th century and beyond.
Where does the phrase “nature vs. nurture” come from?

“Nature versus nurture” was used by English scientist Francis Galton. In 1874, he published the book
English Men of Science: Their Nature and Nurture, arguing that inherited factors were responsible for
intelligence and other characteristics.

How Genetic and Environmental Factors Are Identified

Modern scientific methods have allowed researchers to advance further in understanding the complex
relationships between genetics, life experience, and psychological characteristics, including mental
health conditions and personality traits. Overall, the findings of contemporary studies underscore that
with some exceptions—such as rare diseases caused by mutations in a single gene—no one factor,
genetic or environmental, solely determines how a characteristic develops.

How can we tell what portion of psychological differences are due to genes?

Scientists use multiple approaches to estimate how important genetics are for any given trait, but one of
the most influential is the twin study. While identical (or monozygotic) twins share the same genetic
code, fraternal (or dizygotic) twins share about 50 percent of the same genes, like typical siblings.
Scientists are able to estimate the degree to which the variation in a particular trait, like extraversion, is
explained by genetics in part by analyzing how similar identical twins are on that trait, compared to
fraternal twins. (These studies do have limitations, and estimates based on one population may not
closely reflect all other populations.)

Which is more important, “nature” or “nurture”?

It’s hard to call either “nature” or “nurture,” genes or the environment, more important to human
psychology. The impact of one set of factors or the other depends on the characteristic, with some being
more strongly related to one’s genes—for instance, autism appears to be more heritable than
depression. But in general, psychological traits are shaped by a balance of interacting genetic and non-
genetic influences.