The age-old question: What has the most impact on human behavior and mental processes?
Nature vs. nurture.
This question is outdated; it is now nature and nurture.
Nature
Think of heredity.
The passing on of physical and mental traits from one generation to another.
Nurture
Environmental factors.
Family life.
Social groups.
Education.
Societal influences.
Psychological Perspectives
Heredity and the environment through the lens of different psychological perspectives.
They stand on different sides of the debate.
Evolutionary Approach
Uses Darwin's theory of evolution as a basis.
Leans more towards the nature side of the debate.
Charles Darwin
Focused on understanding how heredity impacted an individual.
Theory of evolution:
Evolution happens by natural selection.
Beneficial traits survive and are passed on.
Undesirable traits die off.
Darwin was not a psychologist, but his work became a fundamental pillar for the evolutionary approach of psychology.
Eugenics
Some individuals have used the principles of the evolutionary approach to support discriminatory practices.
Belief in improving the genetic quality of the human population by selectively breeding for desirable traits and discouraging reproduction among those with traits considered undesirable.
Epigenetics
Individuals who are interested in exploring the relationship between heredity and the environment and their impact on shaping an individual's behaviors and mental processes may study epigenetics.
Focuses on how the environment and a person's behavior affect a person's genes and how they work.