Are Children Nature Or Nurture

710 Words3 Pages

Nature or Nurture? There is a saying that goes, “Monkey see, monkey do.” In other words, a child’s behavior is often influenced by the people they are around. Children learn to behave through the actions of others by attempting to imitate them. Not only do children develop their character and behavior through imitation, but also through the experiences they have encountered. A child’s behavior is cultivated through the influences of their environment. Although genetics may share a part in the development of one’s behavior, a child’s behavior is more significantly impacted by their surroundings. The family that a child lives with impacts the child’s character and influences the development of their behavior. The parents play a crucial role …show more content…

The people you interact with tends to influence your behavior. Many people change their manners to adapt to the way other people act. In school, people might change who they are just to fit in with other students. There are even times when children are forced to change their manners in order to be allowed to hang out with people. Children even suffer from peer pressure, where they are encouraged by a person to change their views and behaviors, even if they disagree with it. Not only friends, but society, as well, holds a significant role in the influence of a child’s actions. Society’s impact can be seen in the book “The Scarlet Letter.” The main character, Hester Prynne, who suffered the consequences of committing adultery, has conceived a child, who was shunned by society. It was said that Hester Prynne’s guilt and sorrow were adopted by Pearl. Pearl displayed the same feelings that Hester possessed during the time Pearl was being conceived. Not only did Hester have an impact on Pearl’s behavior, but society did as well. People in the society continued to mock and taunt Pearl because Hester committed a grave sin. As they continued to mistreat the child, Pearl’s hatred towards people began to grow. Whenever children surrounded her, Pearl reacted by throwing rocks and stones at the children. The children ran away in fear because Pearl portrayed a …show more content…

The nature over nurture idea does not hold true for adopted children. Adopted children are genetically different than the parents who welcomed them into their family, so the theory of nurture holds true for this scenario. These children have to adapt to their new family. How the parents interact and adapt to the new child can influence how the child will act. An adopted child’s behavior is dependent on their new environment and the new society. This shows that behavior can be controlled and changed without the restrictions of one’s genetic