The terms nature/nurture apply to many areas in psychology. Take development, intelligence, personality and mental illness and explain the nature and the nurture side to each area. What is the best solution to each area?
1 Answer
The BEST "solution" is a recognition of the mixture of influences, and which ones may more due to training vs. genetics.
Explanation:
Intelligence - that also depends on your definition and metrics. "IQ" tests miss a lot of potential, and that which is identified is not necessarily used in life. Still you can say that "nature" - genetics - sets the capability. Yet, good education can provide tremendous results.
Development - again, apart from physical characteristics, this one is primarily influenced by "nurture" - how one is trained and socialized.
Personality - another vague description! Does our innate mental ability affect our "personality", or is it the interactions with others? Which affects which one??? Does someone have friends because of an outgoing personality, or does having good friends create an outgoing personality?
Mental illness - another combination of possible genetic or physical damage, but many are simply the result of poor life coping mechanisms. Here again you need to know the specific type to know whether to focus on medical intervention or social help.
