Introduction
The subject of nature against nurture has always been a topic of heated debates and arguments. However, it is important to note that human behavior is a complex idea, which should not be studied as a whole, but rather on the basis of various aspects. Education and criminology are the areas that represent the core essence of the subject’s determinants the most. Therefore, human behavior is primarily the result of nurture rather than nature because crimes and educational achievements are the results of environmental factors.
Main body
Firstly, criminal behavior is among the most problematic aspects of any society. Research-based on the psychological perspective of social learning theory suggests that “criminal behavior is learned through peer association, and the biosocial perspective in criminology” (Fox, 2017, p. 22). In other words, a criminal is a person who is influenced by social and environmental factors. Thus, such activities are the direct result of nurture rather than nature.
Secondly, education and educational achievements are also reflective of the topic’s question. Another study states that research “results provide support for a heritable parenting-phenotype that causes higher offspring EA, independent of offspring genetic propensity” (Bates et al., 2018, p. 81). In other words, in accordance with the perspective of social learning theory, an individual’s educational achievement is the result of environmental influences. Therefore, nature is not as impactful as nurture when it comes to education.
Conclusion
In conclusion, human behavior is a set of complex elements, actions, and perceptions. Thus, it is highly difficult to measure the concept as a whole. However, studies on criminology and educational achievements support the fact that environmental factors determine the majority of human behavior. It is nurture, not nature, that affects human behavior the most.
References
Bates, T. C., Maher, B. S., Medland, S. E., McAloney, K., Wright, M. J., Hansell, N. K., Kendler, K. S., Martin, N. G., & Gillespie, N. A. (2018). The nature of nurture: Using a virtual-parent design to test parenting effects on children’s educational attainment in genotyped families. Twin Research and Human Genetics, 21(02), 73–83. Web.
Fox, B. (2017). It’s nature and nurture: Integrating biology and genetics into the social learning theory of criminal behavior. Journal of Criminal Justice, 49, 22–31. Web.