The question if it is nature or nurture that affects our adult life remains an important issue for many researchers According to (Banasr and Duman, 256-257), most of the researchers claimed that genes play a significant role in influencing a person’s character such as social skills and learning ability than the way they are brought up by their parents. These findings contradict with psychologist existing belief that environment plays a greater role in shaping someone’s personality when growing up rather than genes. However, both natures (genetics) and nurture (a person’s environment) are the main factors that contribute to adult upbringing.
At the core of defining adults’ well- being we explore aspects of physical and emotional health, interpersonal relationship skills, and uniqueness in choosing areas of interest in life (Hampson, 264-268). In the attainment of all the different life skill, childhood traits play a crucial role. In most cases, family values such as teachings from a parent or learning about what is right or wrong influences a person’s personality and behaviors while growing up.
Personality brings out the distinction between different individuals. It consists of psychological traits that define a person's unique nature. The combination of a person's uniqueness and psychological features determines the way an individual reacts and interacts with the environment. It also reflects the way a person thinks, acts and feels. According to the psychologist, the interaction between a genetic inheritance that is heredity and environment determines an individual’s personality. However, genes help to establish the development of personality traits while environment represents social, cultural and situational factors that influence the actual development within the limits.
Mostly, the scientist believes that genetic materials influence the way a person acts or determines who we become. To justify this fact, most of the research done shows that identical twins tend to have similar personality even after they are separated. The similarity of their personality has to be genetically passed that suggested that DNA had a great impact. A gene is expressed in the form of DNA that builds up proteins, hormones, and neuropeptides that serve specific cellular functions in the body. Genetic materials need to be altered at a cellular level so that it can influence an individual’s personality (Bandura & Ross, 63).
Genetics materials have a considerable impact on a person’s sense of self-control that affects their personal traits. According to the psychologist, human behaviors are formed by differences in their unique genetic code. It means that their genetic materials influence person actions. For example, a person’s body changes that occur in adolescence and during puberty affect an individual’s physical development.
The extent in which our upbringing influences the way a person acts
The families we are brought up influences the way a person acts. Parents influence their children directly and indirectly. Children are taught about their values on what is wrong and right, what to be followed and on how to interact with people by their parents directly. Children also learn indirectly by observing their parents’ interaction with others and the decisions they make. This impacts child development, hence influences their behaviors and moral values causing them to develop different personalities.
Parents or the caregivers act as the role model for their children, therefore influencing the way most children act after growing up. In a family, a child should be taught to make good choices that will impact to their future positively. Some of the children do not carry their parents’ values throughout their lives since everyone has different experiences when growing up that shapes our values and expectation. Others reject their parents’ values as they grow up depending on the way they are brought up.
The environment, experience and education influence the extent to which a person acts. Cultural, Social and situational factors represent the environmental factors that determine the actual development of a person’s traits.
Cultural factors refer to the cultural values that a person earns in the course of growing up when his/ her personality is being formed. Cultural Values have a great impact on an individual’s behavior. For example, a person who is brought up in a particular culture will behave more sensibly so that they can fulfill believes in his or her culture (Landau, 399-405).
Situational factors refer to a situation in which an individual’s personality is diminished. An example is when a person’s experience influences his or her behavior in future. They may have experienced failure that they would not wish to be involved in for another time.
Social factors such as family values, religious beliefs and other social ways are made part of a person when they are being brought up. They shape the way a person behaves in adult life.
Conclusion
It is hence very clear that both nature and nurture have an impact in adulthood. The genetic makeup of a child and environment of growth determines the behavior of the person. The genetic affect mostly the skills while the way a child is brought up affects the behavior of the person in adult life.
Work cited
Banasr, Mounira, and Ronald S. Duman. "Adult Neurogenesis: Nature versus Nurture". Biological Psychiatry 72.4 (2012): 256-257. Web.
Hampson, Sarah E. "Mechanisms By Which Childhood Personality Traits Influence Adult Well- Being". Current Directions in Psychological Science 17.4 (2008): 264-268. Web.
Landau, Rivka. "Extent That The Mother Represents The Social Stimulation To Which The Infant Is Exposed: Findings From A Cross-Cultural Study.". Developmental Psychology 12.5 (1976): 399-405.
Bandura, A. Ross, D., & Ross, S. A.'Transmission of aggression through the imitation of aggressive models’. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, (1961). 63, 575-582.
