NATURE NURTURE PROBLEM IN EARLY YEARS

Nature Nurture Problem in Early Years

Abstract

By studying consistencies in behaviour and emotional reactions from birth through early adulthood, the study of temperament aims to demonstrate that genes contribute to personality. Temperament, as defined by Buss and Plomin (1984, reported in Thomas, 2002) is a range of personality traits genetically inherited. They believe that temperaments observed in childhood will predict personality later in adulthood.  Temperament has to be established as early in life as possible in order to minimize environmental influences. 

Nature Nurture Problem in Early Years

Introduction

The question of whether genetics (nature) or environment (nurture) determine human behaviour is at the centre of a debate that dominated psychology between the mid 1950s and the early 1980s (EPoCH CD-ROM, 2002) and is still present in current psychology.  Nature or nurture is a false dichotomy as it is nature and nurture that together, in interaction, are essential to life and development.

To illustrate the above notion that the influence of biology and environment are equally important, firstly we shall look at the evidence that our personality can be linked to our biology.  Starting with the individual differences approach to personality - in particular the idea of consistency of behaviour across time and situations.  Introducing the study of heritability will help us to see the relative contribution of genetics and environments to personality.  Lastly, we shall look at environment, the role it plays in personality development and the interaction between nature and nurture.

Literature Review

Psychologists working within an individual differences perspective try to find universal dimensions of biological difference that can be mapped into individual differences in brain structure and function.  Using a simple model of an aspect of the nervous system, researchers have tried to link key aspects of the nervous system to key behaviours.  These, in turn are linked to individual differences in personality.  The first psychologist  who attempted this kind of theory was Hans J. Eysenck (Eysenck, 1967, reported in Thomas, 2002).  The widespread psychometric evidence of Eysenck's three factor structure of personality supports individual differences view on personality being consistent from birth throughout the lifespan and across situations (Thomas, 2002).  This notion of consistency introduces the idea that individual differences in personality are inherited.

An example from the longitudinal studies of Kegan and colleagues illustrates that there is substantial consistency in temperament throughout childhood from an early age.  They observed cautiousness (inhibited behaviour) and boldness (uninhibited behaviour) in 600 children ...