PHYSICAL SELF

•The concrete or tangible aspect or dimension of the person which is primarily observed and
examined through the body
•Refers to the body that includes basic parts such as head, neck, arms,and legs
•Made up of other organs such as brain, heart, lungs, stomach, intestines and muscles
•In general, the body performs its functions least well during (1) infancy and (2) old
age•Physical efficiency generally peaks in early adulthood and declines into the middle age.
•Physical development and growth during childhood continues at a slow rate compared with
rapid rate of growth in babyhood
.•One of the most crucial stage of development is the adolescence stage.

FACTORS AFFECTING PHYSICAL GROWTH AND

DEVELOPMENT
HUMAN NATURE: NATURE VERSUS NURTURE
The history of the debate can be traced back many years. Even from the time of Plato,
philosophers have questioned how much of an impact biology and genes have on human
behavior. Thenature vs. nurturedebate is the scientific, cultural, and philosophical debate
about whether human culture, behavior, and personality are caused primarily by nature or
nurture.The phrase nature versus nurture was not coined until much later however. In 1869,
Francis Galton coined the term nature versus nurture following his research on twins. Francis
Galton studied twins to determine how much nature and nurture relatively impacted
behaviors and looks, and ultimately concluded that nature makes the biggest impact. Galton’s
research was ultimately the beginning of a lot more of research into twins and how nature and
nurture can impact the development of certain behaviors.

•NATURE-Socio-biologists, psychologists and others in the natural sciences argue that

behavior traits can be explained by genetics
•NURTURE–Sociologists, anthropologists and others in the social sciences argue that human
behavior is learned and shaped through interaction
NATURE (HEREDITY)
Hereditycan play a major role inpersonalityand mental health. We all know
thathereditydetermines the color of our eyes and our hair andinfluencesother traits,
such as height and susceptibility to certain diseases. If theydo, it suggests
thatheredityplays a role in thedevelopmentof that trait.Furthermore, our genetic makeup
can affect the diseases and health conditions that we develop.This is clearly a case of
nature impacting on our lives. Diseases such as sickle cell anaemia are directly
genetically inherited,and nurture has no impact on whether or not we develop them.

NURTURE (Environmental Conditioning)

As you grow up, you are exposed to environmental influences that shape yourphysical
self, including those from your social networks, societal expectations, and cultural
practices.Family,being your first social group, forms a crucial foundation of your
development, including that of your physical self.As you grow older, you get exposed to a
larger social group with new practices and standards. As a result, you may begin engaging in
acts that would make you attractive and acceptable to others.One aspect of physical beauty
is aperson’s body type. Contemporary media has portrayed slim bodies as the ideal body
type for women and muscular bodies for men. Thus, adolescents indulge in activities
that would enable them to achieve these ideal body types.However, some adolescents may
resort to unhealthy habits just to achieve the ideal body type. It is important to
remember that physical beauty is only skin-deep; that what matters is feeling good about
oneself and embracing a healthy perception of one’s physical worth.

NATURE VS. NURTURE DEBATE IN PSYCHOLOGY

Within the field of psychology, the nature versus nurture debate was also often seen as rooted
in differences between nativism and empiricism. Nativism places the importance of innate
ideas and being born with certain traits and ideas. Empiricism on the other hand originates
from the idea that environment shapes how someone develops. Out of these differences in
psychology, different branches developed their own views of how much nature and how much
nurture ultimately impacts the development of human behavior.Within the next section of this
module, we will review how various branches in the field of psychology view the nature vs
nurture debate and their current thoughts on the approach to psychology.
PSYCHOANALYSIS
Psychoanalysis, popularized by Sigmund Freud, relies heavily on the impact of both nature
and nurture and its impact on human behavior and mental health. According to Freud, the id is
the unconscious drive that we are all fighting against and that impacts our behavior. On the
other hand, the ego and superego we are consciously aware of and they shape our
behaviors. Although Freud did not directly state that he believes the id is a reflection of
genetics, he asserted that it was innate to everyone. Because of this, his view of the id
can be considered a more naturistic approach to the development of humans.However,
psychoanalysis also heavily weighed the impact of nurture and early experiences on the
development of human behavior, feelings, etc.Based upon this principle, people are
interacting with the world in a way that ends up shaping their behavior. It is due to
their environment that they are acting in a certain way. Seen in this way, the nature vs
nurture debate according to Freud is a result of both nature and nurture.

BEHAVIORISM
Behaviorism on the other hand operates from a significant viewpoint of nurture having the
greatest impact on how someone behaves and what they do. Social learning theory,
proposed by Albert Bandura, emphasizes the importance of observing, modelling, and
imitating the behaviors, attitudes, and emotional reactions of others. Children observe the
people around them behaving in various ways. This is illustrated during the famousBobo
doll experiment(Bandura, 1961).

HOW NATURE AFFECTS MENTAL HEALTH

While nature, or genetics, has been proven to be an important factor in the development
of some mental health conditions, such as schizophrenia, bipolar, and major
depression, the development of mental illness is not entirely genetic.Nature, or genetics and
disposition, has been proven to be an important factor in the development of some
mental health conditions, such asschizophrenia,bipolar, and majordepression.
Bipolar, for example, is four to six times more likely to develop when there is a family history
of the condition. However, although the importance of genetic factors cannot be denied,
the development of mental illness is not entirely genetic.
HOW NURTURE AFFECTS MENTAL HEALTH
Certain genetic factors may create a predisposition for a particular illness, but the
probability that a person develops that illness depends in part on environment (nurture).
When a genetic variant indicates the possibility of developing a mental illness, this
information can be used to direct positive (nurturing) behavior in such a way that the condition
may not develop or may develop with less severity.James Fallon, a neuroscientist who
discovered that he had the brain of a psychopath, has stated that he believes growing up in
a nurturing and loving environment helped him become a successful adult and may have been
effective at preventing him from fully developing traits of psychopathy. Similarly, the
basis for addiction is not thought to be entirely genetic by most researchers.
Environmental aspects, such as the habits of parents, friends, or a partner, might also
be significant factors contributing to the development of an addiction. A genetic
predisposition to alcohol addiction may be far more significant if one is routinely exposed
tobinge drinkingor other forms of alcohol abuse and comes to view this as normal alcohol
use.

Gene Environment Interactions

Clearly, genetic influences have an enormous influence on how a child develops.
However, it is important to remember that genetics is just one piece of the intricate puzzle
that makes up a child's life. Environmental variables including parenting, culture, education,
andsocial relationshipsalso play a vital role.It’s important to understand how genes and
environment interact with each other. Agene environment interaction refers to how the
environment can lead to some genetic traits being expressed more easily.