Research project
Jackelyn Tam
Professor Fish Burton
English 2010
30 October 2019
Research Project
Audience: Teens. Who struggle with their identity.
For each of you, “teens”, are trying to find out who you are. Who are you? What defines you? Does someone get to say who you are or is that decision made by you? Some say that the character of one person will depend on their family, their genetic background, or does it stem from the environment around the person? Every story has characters that influence us on how we think makes up a character or a personality. Let’s take the example of the Thor and Loki for example. They both have their own definite character that they play. Thor is the real son of the king and acts almost alike with their father. Loki is an adopted son who does not act or have a character of either his adopted parents. Does his character come from his biological parents or does it come from the environment at which he was raised in? This raises the question, does who you are born from define who you will become? What character do you want to play in your life story? Do you have a say of what character you want to play? Quite often your parents or the people around you may say “you fall after your father so well….” Or “you will be just like your mother/ parents…”. However, do you parents have an influence in who you will become and do they have an influence genetically or environmentally?
The main question is does character or one personality defined by nature or nurture? In this article by Mcleod he explains the extremes to the nature versus nurture topic. Nature by extreme is called “Nativism” (Mcleod). Nativism are people who think that all their abilities and their character are biologically inherited (Mcleod). He writes “psychological characteristics such as behavioral tendencies, personality attributes, and mental abilities are also “wired in” before we are even born.” (Mcleod). This explains how the side of Nativism would have viewed the topic of where character and attributes come from. On the other side of Nativism there is the “Empiricism” (Mcleod). Empiricism is the extreme perspective on a person who thought on the nurture side of the scale. The Empiricist thinks like this, Mcleod writes, “Their basic assumption is that at birth the human mind is a tabula rasa (a blank slate) and that this is gradually “filled” as a result of experience” (Mcleod). Mcleod draws a perfect picture of the two sides: Nature versus Nurture. One either by the extreme naturist or the extreme empiricism. Which one of these extreme ends defines who you are? On the spectrum of nativism, you don’t get a say on who you will become. On the other hand, there is empiricism where you are born with no qualities or attributes, as Mcleod would say “a blank slate”.
In the past there have been men or the society who have tried with efforts to distort the truth of whether nature or nurture creates a person self-worth or character. These people were extreme nativist who would do anything to create judgment and fixed perspectives on a religion, or a race or, a group of a people. There are a couple of evidence from history that proves that men have a way of distorting the way we look at people, however, we will discuss only two. There are many people in life and in school that have a way to discriminate humans from what they look like and who they are born from. The first event in history is the discrimination in WWII specifically for the Jews. In world war II, the Nazi; Hitler convinced the people that the cause of Germany’s problems was because of the Jews. He was convinced that linage of the Jews was a dirty thing. He then started to discriminate and even kill the Jews for their existence based on their linage and their biological inheritance. However, little did he know that the Jews weren’t the problem but the people around them, like Hitler. In reality, the Jews had the right minds and the right intelligence to help society grow and flourish. It was Hitler and his anger and judgment that was blinding him from seeing the truth. In this website article it says “An example of this type of prejudice can be found in the memoirs of a member of the slowly declining British aristocracy, who wrote that her social class resented the Jews "not because we disliked them individually, for some of them were charming and even brilliant, but because they had brains and understood finance."” (web.mnstate.edu/shoptaug/AntiFrames.htm.). The people began to judge the Jews based on where they came from. By nature, they discriminated them and placed them in a box based on by whom they were born from. The problem is not only the fact that they were extreme nativist, but they falsely accused the linage of Jews. Another article has claimed, “throughout history, many have sought to define Jews, incorrectly, as a single and uniform category of people with fixed characteristics, which racists and anti-Semites falsely believe are rooted in biology. But the lives Jews have lived around the world and throughout history can perhaps be characterized best by their immense diversity.” (European Jewish Life before World War II).
The second evidence in history, of this biases and clouded thought process in nativism, is the racism against African American humans. This set of wrong judgment based on their color and their biological features is the same situation as the discrimination for the Jews. Except with this situation, of racism towards African American humans, they would change the history they taught in class to drill in the young minds the false accusation for the African American humans. This article by Brosnan talks about how black people were portraited in the 1800’s school education. Schools at the time were taught differently than the school we teach today. The schools back then would teach things they thought would benefit the society. They believed that white people were significantly “superior” than the African Americans. They would design textbooks and book based on this knowledge that African American are worth less than the white race. In result of writing text books like this, they would in reality, force African Americans psychologically to stay in the fields and hard labor work areas (Bronsnan). By looking at history, we have seen so many mistakes based on non-researched and clouded judgments be based on whether someone’s worth or someone’s character stems off nature or nurture. We can’t let the biases from the world or others decided for us what we can be or what we are. What character or attribute is inherited by nature, and which is created from nurture?
Sexual identity is an example of an attribute that is created by nature. In this article, written by Loof, where he explains more about the sexual dominance and identity, he expands its most recent controversies in today’s topic of how sex is determined (Loof). Is it by nature, biologically created through hormones and chemical reactions with in the chromosomes, or is it by nurture? In today’s world people have wanted to become more like each other sex. Women want to be equal with men (loof). They want to be treated like how men are viewed as (Loof). Biologically one may be born as a female or a male human however, in today’s world there may be cases where nurture can potentially overcome what has biologically shaped gender. However, on the other hand, there are attributes that cannot be changed which are called the major genes (Fuller). Fuller writes an interesting article based on clearer way to see things on the nature side. He explains that the major genes are those that are passed down from parent to child like hair color, eye color, height etc (Fuller). He also says that diseases or viruses is also something that we cannot change by nurture, but it is passed down to parent to child (Fuller). Diseases that are passed down genetically affects the personality and attributes of a child. There are some diseases or viruses that affect the intelligence or even the ability to use the mind well enough to have their own character. This is where nature cannot be avoided. Shuttleworth agrees with Fuller, nature cannot be avoided. He writes that there are some fine lines of nature that we cannot control which are diseases that are passed down. There is another article, written by Shuttleworth, agrees with Fuller that some nature attributes that are passed down cannot be changed. However, he says that environment and heredity both have an influence as to forming character and other attributes (Shuttleworth). Shuttleworth in his own words says, “Further, in the case of intelligence and many other variables, it is essential that we have a determination of the joint contribution of hereditary and of environmental differences.” (Shuttleworth). Fuller starts to back up what Shuttleworth have been claiming on how a character is formed. There are attributes that are inherited that cannot be changed, a set of genes that are set into your DNA that cannot be changed, however, once one is being developed inside the womb, that is where nurture comes to influence your development in building character. Your parents give you a set of DNA that is unchangeable but inherited. After you are given this DNA form, you are vulnerable to have nurture to develop into your character (Fuller). Some may say you “fall after your father or your mother” however, one does not exactly inherit a 50 to 50 ratio of mother/father side. “variation in heredity are the causes of variation in traits.” (Fuller) Evolution makes organisms; humans to have variation in the DNA. Your parents are a mix of other genes that were passed down from one family tree to the next… therefore your parents will pass down a variation of genes that are not particularly what your mother or father have shown to have but are in the blood line. They may be a recessive disease or characteristics that runs in the blood line of the father or mother.
The last three sources are interesting because it connects nature and nurture together to help build character. The last three articles mainly talk about “biological clocks”. The first article is by Mcleod, the article introduces the biological clock theory. This article believes that a person’s personality and character may not reveal itself as a child but over time it will come. It is as if a biological clock is ticking its time for each individual gene to starts its chemical process. The article says “Characteristics and differences that are not observable at birth, but which emerge later in life, are regarded as the product of maturation. We all have an inner “biological clock” which switches on (or off) types of behavior in a pre-programmed way.” (Mcleod). The environment of development affects the way or when the genes are turned on… “What does it mean that grit is “heritable”? Although an estimated 99.9% of your genes are exactly the same as mine and your neighbor’s and literally everyone else you know, a tiny fraction of human genes differ.” (Angela). Sometimes we think that character and “grit” are from nature, meaning that these qualities come from genetics, which is mostly true. From the nativist point of view, alike from what Angela said, we are all practically genetically the same (Angela). Now, here is the trick to this. Most of our genes are turned off. Angela compared our genes like a switch that is turned off (Angela). When that certain gene is turned on, let say for example a gene that causes “grit” like qualities, that person will have that ability to overcome challenges; to use this quality of grit to become a better person. Therefore, the main question we all have been wondering is, how do we turn it on? How do we turn on the gene’s that are on “off pilot”? In the point of view of the nurture side of things, the way to turn on is simply through experiences. Experiences and environment triggers chemicals inside of us to “turn on” the gene that has been “off pilot”. Circumstances that happen to a person will trigger a character that maybe unlikely, considering his/her background, to achieve. We may be born with character or attributes that may already be “turned on”. Yet, we also have the ability to change or gain more attributes and qualities into our genetic pool. Therefore, nature versus nurture: it goes both ways. We are not born with nothing and yet we are also the creators of more. Creators to change and create more of who we are (Angela).
There are stages to life that are delicate and it can affect the delicacy of the biological clock. The delicate stage of life are the developing stages of finding who you are. The last article called “Development Holds the Key to Understanding the Interplay of Nature versus Nurture in Shaping the Individual” explains more about this. The stages are for example ages from in the womb to ages 25 years of age. These developing stages are so critical because it will affect a person permanently for the future than the stages of adulthood. Adolescents who face hard environment events in their lives are mostly likely to have a great impact in their life to come (Development Holds the Key to Understanding the Interplay of Nature versus Nurture in Shaping the Individual). An outside impact on the body of a person in a developing stage will significantly affect the person in the long run. For example if a young person was to be treated with any kind of drug to mess with the growth of the young person, the drug will also mess up with the timing of turning on the genes that are suppose to turn on to have a normal mental and physical side of human (Development Holds the Key to Understanding the Interplay of Nature versus Nurture in Shaping the Individua). These sensitive periods of growth are important to the timing of creating the character of a person. It is implied that genes and the experiences in a sensitive growth period trigger on other genes and rather say cognitive functions of the brain (Development Holds the Key to Understanding the Interplay of Nature versus Nurture in Shaping the Individual). Meaning that one can gain more intellect no matter what. One is not stuck in the same situation. As do babies grow do the brain develop… suggesting that the easer to develop and change cognitive behavior is the more likely to gain more intellect… meaning that at a younger age where it’s a sensitive time where the brain absorbs everything is the best time for increasing intellect. It’s not just intellect, he says “wider range of cognitive behavior” (Development Holds the Key to Understanding the Interplay of Nature versus Nurture in Shaping the Individual). The controversy whether it is nature versus nurture is deceiving because it is nature and nurture that creates one’s character. We are born with a set of genes that are not changeable however, once we are in the womb nurture plays a big part in shaping what was already given to you. Through setting off the right genes at certain, specific times, can shape a person’s personality and character to be unique and different from others.
In conclusion, nature versus nurture is a controversial topic that many want to know if to whom you are born to will affect the person you will become. There are people out there who think that nature is the only thing that creates a human being character. There are people who think that if you are born to a killer it makes you a killer. There are people who think that nurture is the only way to which one can create a life character. They think that you are born with a blank slate. Nature versus nurture is controversial, however, I believe that it is not nature versus nurture but it is nature and nurture that affect and creates a personality and character. To answer the question of what changes character, the answer is nature and nurture. This answer questions like who do you want to become? Does who you are born from change the outcome of who you will become? Your parents do play role in creating your DNA and raising you, meaning they create the environment in which you will be raised in. The environment that you create and the parents that created you will affect a big significant towards of who you will become. Your family, your friends, the influences that are around you will shape what you will take and what will trigger you inside. Even the financial opportunities and help that your family will provide will shape the person you will become (Cherry, 2019). These do affect in who you will become however there is your own will to change yourself. It is your part to make sure you aren’t affected by the people around you that may put false accusations on you and your background. It is your job to make sure that you are in environment that will turn on the genes that are needed to have a normal or even better qualities in your life to come.
Sources
Mcleod, Saul. “Nature vs. Nurture in Psychology.” Nature Nurture in Psychology | Simply Psychology, https://www.simplypsychology.org/naturevsnurture.html.
Untitled Document, http://web.mnstate.edu/shoptaug/AntiFrames.htm
“European Jewish Life before World War II.” Facing History and Ourselves, https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/teaching-holocaust-and-human-behavior/european-jewish-life-world-war-ii.
Brosnan, AnneMarie. “Representations of Race and Racism in the Textbooks Used in Southern Black Schools during the American Civil War and Reconstruction Era, 1861-1876.” Paedagogica Historica: International Journal of the History of Education, vol. 52, no. 6, Jan. 2016, pp. 718–733. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ1120017&site=eds-live.
Loof, Arnold De. “Nature, Calcigender, Nurture: Sex-Dependent Differential Ca2 Homeostasis as the Undervalued Third Pillar.” Taylor & Francis, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19420889.2019.1592419.
By: John L. Fuller research associate division of behavior studies R. B. Jackson memorial laboratory Bar harbor, Main
Shuttleworth, F. K. “The Nature versus Nurture Problem I Definition of the Problem.” Journal of Educational Psychology, vol. 26, no. 8, Nov. 1935, pp. 561–578. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1037/h0061615.
“Nature versus Nurture.” Character Lab, 1 Mar. 2019, https://characterlab.org/thoughts-of-the-week/nature-versus-nurture/.
“Development Holds the Key to Understanding the Interplay of Nature versus Nurture in Shaping the Individual.” Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Elsevier, 20 June 2017, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1878929317301196.
Cherry, Kendra. “How Different Experiences Influence a Child's Development.” Verywell Mind, Verywell Mind, 18 Aug. 2019, https://www.verywellmind.com/experience-and-development-2795113.
