The Role of Genes in the Development of Behavior Essay

The Role of Genes in the Development of Behavior The debate concerning the influence of genes on human behavior has been on-going for centuries. The nature vs. nurture (or heredity Vs. environment) debates are one of the longest running, and most controversial, both inside and outside psychology. It is concerned with some of the most fundamental questions a human being could ask, such as Why are we they way we are? and why do we develop as we do? Historically this debate has been fought from extreme perspectives, arguing that it is either nature (an individuals heredity genetic make up), or nurture (the environmental influences upon an individual) that determine a persons behavior. However in†¦show more content†¦With philosophical thinkers such as the John Locke, who believed that at birth the human mind is tabula rasa, a blank slate that is gradually filled with experience. On the other hand, the French philosopher Rene Descartes, was a seventeenth century nativist who believed that knowledge of the world was largely innate or inborn and that nature (heredity) determined certain abilities and capacities. Popular in the eighteenth century was the philosophy of Jean-Jacques Rousseau who claimed that children should be free to develop as nature dictates. However towards the beginning of the nineteenth century the heredity thesis was more dominant but then again the dominant opinion swung to the environmental perspective by the middle of the century. The Canadian psychologist, D. O. Hebb in 1949[1] argued that there was too much misunderstanding on the subject because two separate facts had not been recognised. Firstly, that because we have the biological ability to form cell assemblies that allow us to store memories and solve problems, we therefore have the innate ability to form cell assemblies. However the second fact is that although we have this ability, we may not necessarily be able to do so to the fullest extent, depending on the environment that may either help or hinderShow MoreRelatedEssay Genetics and Criminality1255 Words   |  6 PagesThere have been and still are many debates about how a person’s genotype can be a significant factor in the development of your personality, but more relating to criminality. It is very hard to say that your genetic make-up is not a factor in who you become as a person, but I fully believe that the environment also is a factor as well. Having a genetic predisposition does not mean that you are automatically going to inherit whatever trait that was passed down from your parents. Everyone has a choiceRead MoreEssay about Nature vs. Nurture Controversy758 Words   |  4 PagesThere is a big controversy between whether inherited genes or the environment influences and effects our personality, development, behavior, intelligence and ability. 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