Nature and Nurture Issue

-the issue of the degree to which environment and heredity influence behaviour.

Twinning studies: Because of their identical genetic makeup, twins are used in many studies
to assess the nature versus nurture debate.
Nature versus Nurture

Some experts assert that who we are is a result of nurture—the relationships and
caring that surround us. Others argue that who we are is based entirely in genetics.
According to this belief, our temperaments, interests, and talents are set before birth.
From this perspective, then, who we are depends on nature.

One way that researchers attempt to prove the impact of nature is by studying twins.
Some studies followed identical twins who were raised separately. The pairs shared the
same genetics, but, in some cases, were socialized in different ways. Instances of this
type of situation are rare, but studying the degree to which identical twins raised apart
are the same and different can give researchers insight into how our temperaments,
preferences, and abilities are shaped by our genetic makeup versus our social
environment.

For example, in 1968, twin girls born to a mentally ill mother were put up for adoption.
However, they were also separated from each other and raised in different households.
The parents, and certainly the babies, did not realize they were one of five pairs of twins
who were made subjects of a scientific study (Flam 2007).

In 2003, the two women, then age 35, reunited. Elyse Schein and Paula Bernstein sat
together in awe, feeling like they were looking into a mirror. Not only did they look alike,
but they behaved alike, using the same hand gestures and facial expressions (Spratling
2007). Studies like these point to the genetic roots of our temperament and behaviour.

On the other hand, studies of identical twins have difficulty accounting for divergences
in the development of inherited diseases. In the case of schizophrenia, epidemiological
studies show that there is a strong biological component to the disease. The closer our
familial connection to someone with the condition, the more likely we will develop it.
However, even if our identical twin develops schizophrenia we are less than 50 percent
likely to develop it ourselves. Why is it not 100 percent likely? What occurs to produce
the divergence between genetically identical twins (Carey 2012)?
Though genetics and hormones play an important role in human behaviour, biological
explanations of human behaviour have serious deficiencies from a sociological point of
view, especially when they are used to try to explain complex aspects of human social
life like homosexuality, male aggressiveness, female spatial skills, and the like. The logic
of biological explanation usually involves three components: the identification of a
supposedly universal quality or trait of human behaviour, an argument about why this
behaviour makes it more likely that the genes that code for it will be passed successfully
to descendents, and the conclusion that this behaviour or quality is “hard-wired” or
difficult to change (Brym et al. 2012). However, an argument, for example, that males
are naturally aggressive because of their hormonal structure (or other biological
mechanisms) does not take into account the huge variations in the meaning or practice
of aggression between cultures, nor the huge variations in what counts as aggressive in
different situations, let alone the fact that many men are not aggressive by any
definition, and that men and women both have “male” hormones like testosterone.
More interesting for the sociologist in this example is that men who are not aggressive
often get called “sissies.” This indicates that male aggression has to do more with a
normative structure within male culture than with a genetic or hormonal structure that
explains aggressive behaviour.

Sociology’s larger concern is the effect that society has on human behaviour, the
“nurture” side of the nature versus nurture debate. To what degree are processes of
identification and “self-fulfilling prophecy” at work in the lives of the twins Elyse Schein
and Paula Bernstein? Despite growing up apart do they share common racial, class, or
religious characteristics? Aside from the environmental or epigenetic factors that lead to
the divergence of twins with regard to schizophrenia, what happens to the social
standing and social relationships of a person when the condition develops? What
happens to schizophrenics in different societies? How does the social role of the
schizophrenic integrate him or her into a society (or not)? Whatever the role of genes or
biology in our lives, genes are never expressed in a vacuum. Environmental influence
always matters.

Socialization (Nature Vs. Nurture)

The nature vs. nurture debate explores the relative importance of cultural (social environment) and
biological (heredity) factors in the developmental process of human beings. Is our biology most
important in determining who we are or is our social environment? Do we learn our character or is it
determined at birth genetically? In all likelihood the answer to this question is a complex interaction
between the two.
Few would reject the position that biology plays an important role. Biology provides us with large brains
that allow us to think abstractly (e.g., we can create things in our minds and build them in reality). Biology
also provides us with opposable thumbs that allows us to grasp tools.
Learning is also very important in determining who we are. The chapter on culture points out that culture
defines much of what is important to people. Further, it is responsible for our ability to adapt to the
environment.
A. Twining Studies
It is often difficult to separate learning from our biology because we begin learning at the moment we are
born. In order to document the effects of learning, social scientists sometimes use "twining studies."
By following the life course of twins, which are separated at birth, we are able to lend support to the
hypothesis that the environment (e.g., learning) has far-reaching effects in human development. Social
experiences appears to override biology.
For example, Appelbaum and Chambliss (1997: 103-104) describe research involving twins, which
compares criminal records of twins. The research shows a low correlation between genetic factors and
criminal behavior. In other words, people learn criminal behavior.

II. Problems with the Concept Human Nature

A. What is Human Nature?
Charon (1987:56-59) points out that our acts and beliefs are often based on our assumptions about
human nature. Human nature refers to nearly permanent qualities which humans' posses. They are also
biologically based. One should be able to see these characteristics in every culture (e.g., people have an
innate urge to reproduce, find shelter, and find food).

Human nature should not be used to refer to characteristics that come about because of the environment
or our society.

B. Impossible to Determine Human Nature

Biology certainly determines part of what we are, but we start learning as soon as we are conceived.
Sense what we learn is so important to who we are and what we do, how can we separate biologically
determined behavior from learned behavior

C. Human Nature: An Excuse to End Discussion

The second problem is that human nature is often used as an excuse to close off discussion on social
topics. Human nature is used to justify inequality rather than search for reasons for inequality.

Example:
If we blame prejudice on human nature, we may tend to assume that solutions to that social
problem do not exist. Note how in South Africa, "it's natural to hate."

Is nature (an individual’s innate qualities) or nurture (personal experience) more

important in determining physical and behavioral traits?
 Nature refers to innate qualities like human nature or genetics.
 Nurture refers to care given to children by parents or, more broadly, to
environmental influences such as media and marketing.
 The nature versus nurture debate raises philosophical questions about
determinism and free will.
 Nature refers to all of the genes and hereditary factors that influence who we are—from
our physical appearance to our personality characteristics.
 nurture: The environmental influences that contribute to the development of an
individual; see also nature.
  Nurture refers to all the environmental variables that impact who we are, including our
early childhood experiences, how we were raised, our social relationships, and our
surrounding culture.
 nature: The innate characteristics of a thing. What something will tend by its
own constitution, to be or do. Distinct from what might be expected or intended.
 determinism: The doctrine that all actions are determined by the current state
and immutable laws of the universe, with no possibility of choice.
The nature versus nurture debate rages over whether an individual’s innate qualities or
personal experiences are more important in determining physical and behavioral traits.
In the social and political sciences, the nature versus nurture debate may be compared
with the structure versus agency debate, a similar discussion over whether social
structure or individual agency (choice or free will) is more important for determining
individual and social outcomes.
Identical Twins: Because of their identical genetic makeup, twins are used in many
studies to assess the nature versus nurture debate.
Historically, the “nurture” in the nature versus nurture debate has referred to the care
parents give to children. But today, the concept of nurture has expanded to refer to any
environmental factor – which may arise from prenatal, parental, extended family, or
peer experiences, or even from media, marketing, and socioeconomic status.
Environmental factors could begin to influence development even before it begins: a
substantial amount of individual variation might be traced back to environmental
influences that affect prenatal development.
The “nature” in the nature versus nurture debate generally refers to innate qualities. In
historical terms, nature might refer to human nature or the soul. In modern scientific
terms, it may refer to genetic makeup and biological traits. For example, researchers
have long studied twins to determine the influence of biology on personality traits.
These studies have revealed that twins, raised separately, still share many common
personality traits, lending credibility to the nature side of the debate. However, sample
sizes are usually small, so generalization of the results must be done with caution.
The nature versus nurture debate conjures deep philosophical questions about free will
and determinism. The “nature” side may be criticized for implying that we behave in
ways in which we are naturally inclined, rather than in ways we choose. Similarly, the
“nurture” side may be criticized for implying that we behave in ways determined by our
environment, not ourselves.
Of course, sociologists point out that our environment is, at least in part, a social
creation.

Socialization
How do we learn to interact with other people? Socialization is a lifelong process during which we
learn about social expectations and how to interact with other people. Nearly all of the behavior that
we consider to be 'human nature' is actually learned through socialization. And, it is during
socialization that we learn how to walk, talk, and feed ourselves, about behavioral norms that help us
fit in to our society, and so much more.
Socialization occurs throughout our life, but some of the most important socialization occurs in
childhood. So, let's talk about the most influential agents of socialization. These are the people or
groups responsible for our socialization during childhood - including family, school, peers, and mass
media.