Nature, Nurture Maketh the Child

As much as I am intrigued by scientific discoveries I must say I am easily seduced by music, art, crafts and language. So seated snugly on a red velvet-covered chair in one of Dublin’s oldest theatres, I waited with baited breath for the tale of the tragic Blood Brothers to unfold. Willy Russell based this musical on the 1844 novella The Corsican Brothers by Alexandre Dumas, Père.

The story revolves around fraternal twins Mickey and Eddie who separated at birth rose to opposite ends of the social spectrum. Eddie became an Oxbridge-graduated councillor and Mickey was unemployed and landed in prison. This brings to mind the ageless debate of nature vs. nurture in determining individual differences in physical and behavioural traits. ‘Nature’ refers to the relative importance of an individual's innate qualities while nature refers to personal experiences and circumstances. There seems to be a positive correlation between intrinsic motivation, which comes from the inside of an individual, and nature. Call it strength of character but an intrinsically motivated person will work on a solution to a problem because the challenge of finding a solution provides a sense of pleasure.

The unexplainable genetic factor in the making of a genius has been explored greatly on the big screen. In the movie ‘Good Will Hunting’ we see an example of how a janitor at MIT is a genius at math and chemistry despite his blue-collar roots. In ‘Homeless to Harvard’ we see how a homeless and orphaned teenager made it to Harvard. In reality, there are countless examples of rags to riches stories that celebrate resilience and determination. It is often said that those born before 1960 know the meaning of want, hard work and success.

Take Bill Cullen, a successful entrepreneur for example. The eldest of 14 children, he was born into poverty in Dublin but today his net worth stands at 34million euros and he has gone a far way from selling apples on a street at five years of age.

That said, behaviourists will argue that nurturing makes all the difference in determining the final outcome. These experts claim that any child given proper guidance and opportunities will excel. 

Nurturing is also very much linked to extrinsic motivation or dangling the carrot before the horse tactic to produce results. It is also influenced by positive reinforcement , examples of which are encouragement and praises. I can see a big difference in the way children are encouraged in creches and schools here. For every small effort made that is age appropriate, the carers let fly compliments like ‘brilliant’, ‘clever girl’ and ‘good job’. I honestly cannot remember when any teacher had been so lavish with encouraging comments in my school days.

 On the other extreme end of the scale, we have examples of how young people nurtured by a supportive environment, squander away the inheritance left behind by the generations before them. This could possibly be the basis for an old Chinese proverb that states that “Wealth does not sustain beyond three generations”

 I recently purchased a Gunnera manicata plant which looks like a giant rhubarb. A native of Brazil it grows best by a pond. There is neither Brazilian climate where I live nor a pond in the garden to ensure its steady growth and the best I could do is to simulate a pond like environment. The last time I checked, the giant rhubarb was flourishing in all its splendour.

That said, I also grew an array of tomato plants. I tood great care in feeding them and giving them the best spots in the garden. Sadly, despite all the right conditions, the leaves look sickly and the tomatoes are smallish. Plants like children come from different varieties and need to be properly nurtured. So, that brings me to my concluding question:

Which has more bearing on a child’s development, environment or genetics?

 A bit of both I must say.

Source: http://www.nst.com.my/opinion/columnist/nature-nurture-maketh-the-child-1.129247