Genetic and Environmental Influences

I was raised by a mother who is a public health nurse, and a father who is a guidance counselor. I feel that each would take a very different stand on the nature vs. nurture debate. My mom works in healthcare giving shots, and making baby visits. My dad helps high school kids with everything from getting into college to family problems at home.

If you were to ask my mom if she felt there was a specific gene for any given 'condition' I am sure she would say definitely say yes. My mom loooves to diagnose everything and anything. If I called and complained about a stomach ache it would mean I probably had an ulcer, if I mentioned I was very tired it meant I was anemic, and a cold was of course the swine flu (one of her most recent favorite diagnosis). She obviously feels the need to name whatever symptoms that I, and any other individual has. She loves being able to point to something and know what it is. As we talked about in class, categories comfort people and this is definitely the case for her. If she can point to a specific name, or biological cause she is completely satisfied.

My dad on the other hand, looks more at the nurture aspect of things. He sees broken homes and how it affects the children in that family. I always here him say "He/she never had a chance growing up in such a destructive environment". He's the person who calls social services and sees how an environment can really affect an individual.

On the debate regarding genetics and experience, I can honestly say that I believe both are extremely influential in the making of an individual. I am a little bit like my mom and a little bit like my dad on this topic. Being a psych major, and having to memorize and recognize various symptoms that make up a 'disorder' (I never realized how complicated this word really was until this class!) has allowed me to appreciate the nature vs. nurture conundrum. For example, in my Intro to Abnormal Psychology, our text book made sure to mention the genetic influences along with the environmental. I do not believe it is realistic to look at a disorder and say that it was totally environmental or totally genetic.

Therefore, I do not totally agree with Pinker in saying everything is genetic, and I also do not necessarily believe that someone's experiences play totally independently of their genetics. But, like my mom I also feel comfortable knowing that there is a specific cause to a condition even if that cause is a mix of environmental and genetic influences.