NATURE VERSUS NURTURE

“Nature vs Nurture” is the debate on whether our behaviors are caused because we were born like that or because through our environment we were taught it. The phrase was first coined by the English polymath named Francis Galton. He got the idea from his cousin, Charles Darwin, in his book “On the Origin of Species”. Some things that are debated are: personality, athletic ability, criminal behavior, homosexuality, and intelligence. The general consensus is that both nature and nurture influence us. Even in some traits, both nature and nurture influence our way of being. For me, we are all born simple. We know what is good and bad. We know we must love. We are born with certain fears. However, the rest is taught to us throughout our lives. Every human has different experiences throughout their lives. No one person has the same life as another. However, we may, at times have similar experiences. Because of this, I might share similar views on certain topics with another person. However, I will never have all the same views. My personality is formed through my interactions with others. From every person I meet, I pick up a certain trait. In conclusion, both nature and nurture influence our lives.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nature_versus_nurture)

(http://encefalus.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/nurture_vs_nature.jpg)

(http://www.adoptionblogs.com/media/FosterAdoption/nature_nurture.jpg)

CHARLES DARWIN

CHARLES DARWIN

                Charles Darwin was born on February 12, 1809 in Shrewsbury, England. He was born to a wealthy, religious family. His dad was a freethinker. However, he had his children brought up going to church. Darwin was the fifth of six children. His mother died when he was still young. On December 27th, 1831, Darwin set out on the H.S.S. Beagle for a 5 year journey around the world. Through this journey, he was able to learn about different species, see different ways of life, and study geology. The theory of natural selection is basically the idea of ‘survival of the fittest’. That is to say, that only the strongest will survive. In the case of birds, only the kinds that have the best way of collecting food shall survive. Eventually, the species with the weaker features shall die out. The same is true with all living things. Charles Darwin lived during a very religious time. His wife was incredibly religious, this caused him anguish on whether or not to publish his works. His idea, he thought, killed the idea of a God. He believed in evolution. That is, that we all came from monkeys and the monkeys came from some animal, and the cycle continues. Basically, we came from a bacteria or something incredibly small, and over the course of millions of years, humans came to evolve. This kills the idea that God created the world in seven days. Darwin knew if he published his work, then either a) people would no longer believe in God, or b) they would hate him for even suggesting this new idea. In the end, Darwin did publish his works. His most famous book is called “On the Origin of Species”.

(http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.arps.org/USERS/ms/KepplerC/Charles-Darwin-31.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.arps.org/USERS/ms/KepplerC/index.htm&usg=__bhTEmjgkUmNmZ7iWeFySkVCiSNY=&h=936&w=844&sz=330&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=BRXR0CqUkTZuZM:&tbnh=170&tbnw=148&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcharles%2Bdarwin%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26rlz%3D1R2SKPB_enHN340%26biw%3D1419%26bih%3D677%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=134&vpy=108&dur=5300&hovh=236&hovw=213&tx=145&ty=155&ei=wBl3TKamD4bGsAOK162gDQ&oei=wBl3TKamD4bGsAOK162gDQ&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=26&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0)
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Darwin#Childhood_and_education)
(http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.parcbench.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/charles-darwin-the-origin-of-species.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.parcbench.com/2009/11/24/special-edition-of-origin-of species/&usg=__EMZInAI4ACmXRncTpgRvIQsxgos=&h=464&w=323&sz=40&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=B3bxYEKehOwxZM:&tbnh=166&tbnw=114&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcharles%2Bdarwin%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26rlz%3D1R2SKPB_enHN340%26biw%3D1419%26bih%3D677%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=282&ei=wBl3TKamD4bGsAOK162gDQ&oei=wBl3TKamD4bGsAOK162gDQ&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=26&ved=1t:429,r:18,s:0&tx=67&ty=61)

WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGY AND WHY DO WE STUDY IT?!

        According to About.com, psychology is "both an applied and academic field that studies the human mind and behavior. Research in psychology seeks to understand and explain thought, emotion, and behavior." So this basically means, psychology is the study of how humans behave and why they behave as such.

       I want to study psychology for many reasons. It is important to study how the human mind work. This is because it is important to understand why people act the way they act. Without psychology, we wouldn't be able to understand ourselves. Psychology seeks to undertand human behavior.