Nature VS. Nurture
Ashley Baker April 2016
What's the Difference between Nature and Nurture
What makes you who you are? Nature is responsible for the growth between conception and death. Genetics and inherited traits are considered nature, which can not be changed. Inherited Genes or nature are typically passed down from generation to generation. If your Grandmother is a great singer and your mother is an admired singer then there is a great possibility that you will also acquire the talent . Other Inherited traits often include: eye color, Skin tone, Growth Patterns, and medical conditions.
On the other hand Nurture is skill,knowledge,Hobbies and treatment that is acquired during life. Keep in mind Nature can not be changed but what you make out of yourself depends on Nurture and how much nurturing you received as a Child. How you were raised and and encounters you faced as a child may have influence on personality and morals later on in life. Most parents want their children to be involved in hobbies they are interested in; Because development of skills and knowledge is critical especially in early years of adolescents. “Practice makes perfect” holds some truth because the more you are exposed to a certain behavior or task the more influence it has on the person.Nature at its finest! One Happy Family
The Case of Oxana Makala
At the young age of 3 Oxana Makala was neglecting by her Alcoholic Parents. For six years her only companions were two dogs, Rex and Dana . Oxana started to mimic the dog like behavior that she was observing, which supported nurture over nature. At the age of 8 her neighbors reported the situation to authorities,who then came take her to an institution. Fast Forward 12 years, at the age to 20 Oxana lived in an institute which neighbored mentally ill. Doctor Vlarimir Nagorny plans to rehabilitate Oxana in hopes that she will be able to acquire a “useful Occupation”, He also states “but she will never be considered a normal person...”("Ukrainian Feral Child;2014) With ten years of rehab Oxana, Age 30 was interviewed on an ukrainian TV show. When asked about her childhood she states “ I have come up with this myself”. After further questioning she confessed and saying “ I saw the Dogs crawl and started crawling myself” It was a game for her when she was bored and lonely, even though this behavior was recurrent, it was not habitual. Oxana makes it clear that that the Dogs were not trained. “ We looked in each other's eyes and we perfectly understood each other” Stated Oxana.
In the Case of Oxana Makala Nurture seems to have taken a huge role in her humility as well as personality. The Child that Oxana had become was influenced greater by Nurture rather than Nature. The behavior that was displayed at a young would be nurtured because even though it wasn't a learned behavior there was no genetic inheritance involved.How do both impact and influence human development, and which plays a greater role?
How does neglect and lack or nurture impact Humans
Neglect has a huge impact on humans. Studies have shown that early development has been influenced by the caregiver,community and environment. Development as a direct link to the quantity and quality of experiences in life. “Meeting a child's need early in life creates stability and security that is needed for a healthy brain. Repeated exposure to stressful situations and can affect the brain's response, making it more reactive and less adaptive. As time passed the adolescents may react to a danger as if it's always present regardless if it is or not “(tien, Phyllis T. and Kendall,2004).
Exposure to violence and abuse increase the risk of emotional and behavior problems in the future. Abuse on a child may have a lasting impact.(Child Welfare Information Gateway,(2008).Difficulty expressing feelings may lead to the struggle of conveying feelings as an adult; leading to depression and anxiety. (“Child Abuse & Neglect” June 2013).
A child's response differs depending on the support they are given by the community and family. Luckily most children are able to overcome this through professional counselling and time. With all of this being said Evidence show Neglect and lack or nurture not only affects the development of an adolescent, but adults.