The Nature vs. Nurture Debate
Socialization is the process of learning and internalizing the values, beliefs, and norms of our social group, by which we become functioning members of society.
How much of our socialization is influenced by our genetics and biology and how much is influenced by the social environment we are born into and in which we are raised?
Over the years, there has been a lot of research on the influences of who we eventually become. That research has resulted in the consistent idea that socialization is very important to our eventual human adult natures.
Nature versus Nurture is the debate over the influence of biological versus social influences in socialization.
100% Nurture:
For many years, social scientists claimed that humans are born with no mental or intellectual capacities and all they learn is impressed upon them by those who provide their primary and secondary socialization. Most social scientists now reject any notion of 100% nurture because the research does not support the theory. Socialization alone does not explain all adult outcomes.
Heritability is the proportion of our personality, self, and biological traits which stem from our genetic or socialization environmental factors.
100% Nature:
But, is our socialization 100 percent biology? The answer to this question is no. In the biological sciences, geneticists have regal position on the nature argument. Their studies of heritability have yielded overriding conclusion that biological factors alone do not explain socialization outcomes. Biological and socialization factors are both influential, yet neither are deterministic.
Musical talents, intelligence levels, athletic abilities, various forms of intelligence, conformity, and gender differences are all examples of traits that have been correlated to biological factors. However, most scientists agree that human traits, including the examples that were listed previously are influenced by both biology (nature) and social learning (nurture). From the sociological perspective, the focus is primarily on socialization and environmental effects on behavior.
Think about the separated twins in the podcast you listened to in the introduction of this lesson. How were the twins similar? How were they different? Do they believe they would have been different people had they been raised in the "other" home? How does this relate to what you have learned about nature v. nurture?
