Preview

Counselling Theories

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1200 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Counselling Theories
Counselling Theories
Assessment 1
1. Explain the concept of nature versus nurture, using yourself as a case study to illustrate the theory.

The concept of nature versus nurture is that human behaviour is influenced by genetic information inherited from our parents and also by environmental and social influences.
My appearance such as short sightedness and pigmentation (freckles) I inherited from my parents. This means like my father I must wear glasses to drive and many other aspects of my daily life.
Being a woman this heightens my social awareness as how others perceive me. Society dictates ‘the body beautiful’. Magazines, Bill-boards, TV and newspapers constantly suggest the need to have a perfect complexion. This influences how I perceive myself and makes me feel I must wear makeup to cover up such blemishes to appear more acceptable and feel good about myself. Thus this influences my behaviour in everyday life as I feel my appearance determines my acceptance by others.

2. Identify one strength and one weakness of the nature versus nurture concept in relation to understanding human development and individual behaviour.
One strength of the nature versus nurture concept in relation to understanding human development and individual behaviour is the ability to explain addiction to smoking, drinking and narcotics. Children see their family and friends behaviour as socially acceptable and so exhibit these behaviours with little question. This often leads to entrenched social behaviour. This suggests that our early experiences can affect our perspective later in adulthood.
One weakness of the nature versus nurture concept in relation to understanding human development and individual behaviour is that if someone’s behaviour is solely determined by their genes then to what extent are people in control of their lives. For instance people suffering from ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) have the same set of genes but depending on their family, social or

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    In the "nature vs nurture" debate, nurture refers to personal experiences (behaviourism). Nurture refers to your childhood, or how you were brought up. Someone could be born with genes to give them a normal height, but be malnourished in childhood, resulting in stunted growth and a failure to develop as expected. Nurture factors that trigger an individual to commit crime are influences by social and environment factors. The nurture debate method argues it is the way an individual is brought up and their circumstances that are more important influences of kind individual they become.…

    • 1400 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In one paragraph, discuss the research findings. How was the nature vs. nurture debate revealed in this study?…

    • 359 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Whether nature or nurture has more of an influence over individual development is debatable and has been a common argument in the field of psychology for a long time. Nature refers to inherited traits and genes given to us at birth which we have no control over, and nurture refers to family, friends or society. The exchange between nature and nurture is dynamic and complex and both nature and nurture cause dynamic and continuous influence on development. The relationship between nature and nurture cannot be explained definitively and it is hard to determine which one influences human development more.…

    • 961 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Nature vs. Nurture is a very long standing debate that has provided researchers with years of work and will continue to do so far into the future. While both sides of this argument have produced significant volumes of research and data on the subject to support their own individual theorems, I must take the standpoint that both Nature and Nurture provide significantly (if not equally) to the growth and development of the personality of an individual.…

    • 1288 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Nature versus Nurture debate has been ongoing for centuries. People have tried to gain power through knowledge in determining what causes the human “mind to tick.” For centuries leaders and scientists have performed unethical and immoral studies to determine why two people with similar genetic composition can come from similar backgrounds and turn out so differently. I have witnessed a person raised in a poor home by parents with drug addictions become a thriving contributable member of society. Unfortunately, I have also witnessed a person raised in a Christian home with a Father as a minister who ended up in prison. As we learn about the psychological and biological composition of human beings and the affecting environment, I am compelled to ask the following questions:…

    • 1531 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The concept of Nature v. Nurture has been a psychological debate that initially began in 1871 by Sir Francis Galton. The debate consisted of the idea whether or not people have specific behavioral traits due to one’s lineage or rather the experiences one has in his/her lifetime. As the conflict carried on, a third view had birthed itself. This view mediated the two oppositions, saying this conflict should not be one at all. Rather than one side opposing the other, both sides together could be the answer to this prolonged debate. It is perceived that people are similar to their ancestry to a certain extent, then as they begin to live their lives more freely; their behaviors are later modified with their personal experiences.…

    • 260 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Explain what is meant by the nature-nurture debate with reference to psychological theories and/or studies.…

    • 536 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Nature Nurture Issue

    • 361 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Psychologists argue about whether a human’s development is more related to the environment (nature) or the people that surround a developing person (nurture). An example of the nature aspect of this debate is attributing a person’s affliction with a mental illness to genetics because that person’s mother or father was also afflicted with the same mental illness. An example of the nurture aspect of this debate is a person’s decision to live on the streets and join a gang because his family members and other people that he or she is surrounded by do the same. This is called the nature-nurture issue. Psychologists apply this debate concept to a person’s likeliness to develop a mental illness, the person’s intelligence level, and their personality type. I believe that people are influenced by both nature and nurture because people take developmental inspiration from their surroundings and their heredity also plays a role in a person’s life choices.…

    • 361 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Nature & Nurture

    • 995 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Is a child 's development influenced primarily by genetics and biological predisposition? Or, could the majority of influence be found in the child 's environment? This nature/nurture question is possibly one of the oldest theories debated in psychology (Bee, 2004). Today, it is commonly accepted that most aspects of a child 's development are a product of the interaction of both nurture and nature (Bee). Both sides of the nature/nurture argument present compelling evidence of how each factor impacts development. It is no longer a question of whether it is nature or nurture, which influence development, but more importantly in what ways, and to what extent.…

    • 995 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Nature is defined by the genetic and hormonal explanations for your behavior that you receive from your parents when you are conceived (McLeod 1). Nature has to do with things like your blood type and the biological traits that you receive for each parent that allows you to look like them. Nature also has to do with our sex drives and aggression and how they both affect our behavior (McLeod 1). However nurture is…

    • 628 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Nature vs Nurture Essay

    • 381 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Nature versus nurture simply is the theory of how children’s growth, development and learning are influenced by either:…

    • 381 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    One of the oldest and still debatable issues in psychology is Nature vs Nurture. This issue…

    • 504 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    One of the greatest moral philosophy and psychology debates is on the issue of nurture and nature as being the deciding factors of human behavior. One discussion point is that the environment of which a person grows up in is what primarily determines a persons behavior and personality. The opposing argument is that the genes and biology determine human personality. There is not a clear answer due to its scientific and philosophical nature. While both nature and nurture definitely have their affects on human personality, nurture has a much larger affect on people. The basis for this argument is the philosophical understanding of a blank slate, as well as the outcomes of child rearing and the fact that inherited genes have been mapped out completely.…

    • 598 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Nature vs Nurture

    • 2136 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Throughout the history of human existence, there have always been questions that have plagued man for centuries. Some of these questions are "what is the meaning of life" and "which came first, the chicken or the egg". Within the past 400 years a new question has surfaced which takes our minds to much further levels. The question asked is whether nature or nurture has more of an impact on the growing development of people. It is a fact that a combination of nature and nurture play important roles in how humans behave socially. However, I believe that nature has a more domineering role in the development of how people behave in society with regards to sexual orientation, crimes and violence and mental disorders.…

    • 2136 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays