Which one of the following plays a greater part in development: nature or nurture? Why?

          Nature versus nurture may be one of the oldest issue debated in psychology. This centuries old debate seems to remain an issue no matter how far psychology progresses. This debated issue is whether behaviors are inherited or learned after birth through one's environment. The belief of individuals who are pro-nature is that behaviors are inherited, while individuals who are pro-nurture believe that behaviors are learned. Human development that occurs after birth in relation to behavior and interactions within one's culture can be viewed as a result of both nature and nurture. Shiraev and Levy (2010), "human development is not only growth, but also decline and modification" (p.196). Therefore, both nature and nurture play a role in development but determining which plays the greater role is a hard task to prove. The impact of one's culture versus another individual's culture can have a greater affect upon one individual than upon another individual but this still does not determine if nature or nurture plays the greater role in development. I think that both nature and nurture play a role in development. As for which plays the greater role I am unsure because no definitive proof exists of whether nature plays a greater role in development or if nurture plays a greater role.

Reference

Shiraev, E., & Levy, D. (2010). Cross-cultural psychology: Critical thinking and contemporary applications (4th ed). Boston: Pearson/Allyn Bacon.