Nurturing

Behavior is one of the most confounding issues in a broad sphere of intellectual fields such as psychology, philosophy, and anthropology. Intellectuals have dedicated significant research in understanding what informs the behavior of a person. This has created differing perspectives on understanding this phenomenon. One of the most common assertions is that genes are responsible for determining the behavior of a person. In this sense, genes are the intrinsic biological elements that become visible in observed physical behavior. A different school of thought asserts that nurturing affects the behavior of a person. Nurturing relates to the training that a person acquires as one grows up. It is critical to highlight that nurturing explains an individual’s behavior more than genes explain one’s manners.

One of the major breakthroughs in psychology was the discovery of the behaviorism school of thought. John Watson attains the credit for unveiling this theory for understanding behavior. Watson, in his speech on behaviorism, stated that a group of children would attain the training in becoming any kind of specialist (Gander, 2003). This occurs regardless of the idea that these children have different talents, interests, or tendencies. Watson asserted that people could only study behavior by considering the physically observable elements. According to Watson, such observation should ignore the internal mental states of persons involved. B.F Skinner propped this theory by conducting physical experiments on rats (Gander, 2003). Skinner found out that the rat could develop a consistent behavior based on the outcome it received from pushing the lever.

Religion is a principal element that governs how people conduct themselves. From ages, religions play a significant role of shaping how individuals understand the world. This understanding eventually develops into behavior among persons. This is because religion is the foundation of morality that defines the concepts of right and wrong. Consequently, these concepts of right and wrong ingrain into the psyche of people. Individuals such as the priests are vital in training individuals towards consistent behaviors. When the religious teachers warn individuals of punishment, they deter wrong behavior in people.

The concept of schools helps validate that nurturing informs individuals’ behaviors. In an advanced society, the school becomes the initial foundation in shaping people’s character. Since most individuals join school as children, most people tend towards positive characters. For instance, studies prove that education is influential in reducing criminal behavior among populations (Ordóñez & Tennyson, 2013). Education also influences the economic success of individuals. Some studies prove that the type of schools that a person attends determines the success of an individual in life. This explains why individuals who attend colleges such as Harvard tend to become rigorous intellectuals that people who attend other colleges.

It is discernible that nurturing affects people’s behavior more than genes influence individuals’ character. The behaviorism school of thought had helped validate that training influences affects individuals’ behavior. John Watson asserted that training could help a group of individuals become specialists in a given filed of career regardless of their preferences. Skinner developed this theory by performing physical experiments on rats. The scientist observed that a rat could develop a consistent behavior based on the outcome it received from pushing the lever. Religion also helps prove that nurturing influences people’s behavior. Religion forms a critical foundation in defining the concepts of right and wrong. Religion promises rewards and consequences that help define consistent behavior. The concept of schools also helps validate that teachers’ training influence how individuals behave and shape the world.

References

Gander, E. (2003). On our minds: How evolutionary psychology is reshaping the nature-versus-nurture debate. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.

Ordóñez, . P. P., & Tennyson, R. D. (2013). Strategic role of tertiary education and technologies for sustainable competitive advantage. New York, NY: Hershey.