One of the most heated debate topics in the study of psychology is the issue of nature vs. nurture: which one is more prevalent? It is difficult to be the arbiter in deciding which is the sole influence in developmental psychology. However, most psychologists agree that the many characteristics and personality traits are caused by nature and nurture both working in partnership. Through the many developmental studies of famous researchers, it helps us conjecture that the influence of nurture outweighs that of nature.
Mary Ainsworth’s “weird situation” study proves the prevalence of nurture over nature. Her study reveals the permanent effects of securely and insecurely attached children. Those who were securely attached had a tendency to be more social and optimistic in life. However, those who were identified as insecurely attached were later found to have more difficulty trusting and cooperating with others. This helps counter the facts provided by the Jim Lewis and Jim Springer’s twin study. Although their lives were remarkably similar when compared, it is not totally nature’s role. The unseen nurture aspects do indeed seem to prevail. The twins shared the same nurture environment in their f
irst nine months of life thus paving the road for their future characteristic and personality traits. According to Ainsworth, those who developed secure or insecure attachments all depend on the parents’ responsiveness during early childhood. Seeing, that both Jims spent early childhood together, they should rear some of the same characteristics. Also, most researchers explained that the twins showed similar characteristics because they spent hours comparing each other’s behaviors and life histories. They should at least find some similar characteristics when comparing their lives in such ways. Harry Harlow’s study with the rheas monkeys champion Ainsworth’s study on attachment. In his experiment, he found that the moneys without any touch comfort or maternal nurture failed to be social beings. Therefore, they were insecurely attached all due to the lack of parenting. This inability to be socially apt is not an inborn characteristic of the monkeys but rather a characteristic that is brought forth by nurture.
Various cultural values help mold one’s reaction or thoughts about certain situations. Although Kohlberg’s stages of morality do show that people that fit in the pre-
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