To study human development the life span perspective is essential because it does …show more content…
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. The life span perspective provides significant information in relation to how and why individuals develop, who individuals will develop into, and why they become what they become. Psychoanalytic theories, such as Sigmund Freud's psychosexual theory and Erik Erikson's psychosocial theory provide insight into life span development and the information given by these theories is necessary to learn and understand. Heredity and the environment both have an effect on development but to what extent each more so influences development is still unable to be said with concrete