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  • Essay / The debate over shyness attributed to nature rather than nurture

    Children and young people as individuals grow and develop differently depending on various factors and implications that make them who they are 'they are. In discussing the age-old nature versus nurture debate, our goal is to provide factual information that helps understand that shyness is attributed to nature rather than nurture. By reviewing the concepts of the course, focusing specifically on the development of children and young people, we aim to explain why shyness is attributed to nature, as well as to examine in depth the answers to some of the questions raised in during the debate. . By addressing the topics of genetics, development and evolution, we aim to provide significant evidence that proves that nature should be attributed to shyness. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay To begin with selecting a side of this debate, it is important to know what each side represents. In conducting research for this debate, it was very important for us to have a clear understanding of the difference between nature and nurture. The natural aspect of this debate is defined as the biological and genetic aspects that are predisposed and innate in human life, while the cultural aspect of the debate focuses on the environmental influences of the individual. There is common disagreement between the two parties regarding the importance of children's development, particularly regarding the attribution of shyness in an individual child. In taking a stand on this debate, the readings given analyzed both sides and provided a better understanding of why nature is attributed to shyness. Philosophers such as Plato and Descartes support the understanding that certain behaviors occur naturally because they are innate to an individual's life. These philosophers also address the idea that these behaviors occur independently of nurturing influences. When considering the influence that nature has on an individual's behavior, there are 3 main points and lines of evidence that should influence the decision to attribute shyness to nature. In our discussion, we first presented the importance of genetics. In the paper titled A Twin Study of Anxiety-Related Behaviors in Preschoolers, researchers sought to link understanding of genetics to anxiety-related behaviors within pairs of twins. As part of the study, researchers analyzed 4,564 pairs of twins and their parents, aged 18 months to 4 years. At each important stage, the researchers used 5 variability factors; general distress, separation anxiety, fears, obsessive-compulsive behaviors, shyness, and inhibition to assess and find a testable pattern in which their children displayed this anxious behavior. As a result, the researchers found that the shyness and inhibition factor reported a heritability of 64%, as children were predisposed to this type of behavior from their parents. In examining the link to genetics, the authors state that "studies of preschoolers tend to demonstrate moderate to high genetic influence" (Eley, TC, et al. 2003, p. 947), which leads to the understanding that shyness has a genetic influence. an important genetic component, leaning towards the nature side of this debate. The second aspect we looked at was the link between nature and development. Development influences and creates individual traits in children. In the article A ProspectiveLongitudinal Study of Shyness from Infancy to Adolescence: Stability, Age-Related Changes, and Prediction of Socio-Emotional Functioning, researchers examined age-related changes and stability of shyness since childhood. throughout their developing lives. As part of the study, 921 children were followed aged 1.5 to 12.5 years. At five different points in this study, parents were asked to report any shyness-related behaviors or observations they made of their child. From the study results, they found that shyness had reasonable stability over time, but showed fluctuations depending on age, sample characteristics, and time intervals between assessments. They concluded that if a child is shy during childhood, their shyness tends to stabilize as they develop. The study also found that 61% of teens who were shy as toddlers showed signs of social anxiety as they grew up. From here we can see that a child's natural development and age can regulate the different shyness challenges and how they are expressed as the child develops. In consideration of genetics and development in relation to shyness, the third point of this debate has been the understanding of evolution. All individuals who show early signs of shyness and/or anxiety experience it through evolution. Inspired by Darwin's evolution by natural selection, certain traits pass through our genes and are not at all linked to our survival, to our nurturing environment. Through evolution, our genes influence our initial antisocial behavior. In the article On the Bifurcation of Temperamental Shyness: Development, Adaptation, and Neoteny, the authors discuss the importance of examining the nature of an individual's biology before examining the nurturing aspects. This article also discusses the importance of genetics and development in relation to the biology of the individual and their different genotypes and phenotypes. Looking more specifically at a genotype, without that gene already present in a person's coding, they will never be able to display it, proving that the greatest knowledge of nature is attributed to shyness, because everything initially depends on biology. After reviewing the questions posed in our debate and subsequent research, these selected questions that we will discuss have provided a better understanding of the topic. The first question that allowed us to think more critically about the topic was: "How would you explain a shy child whose parents and/or family are not shy and do not have a shy genetic makeup?" According to Schmidt, LA, Fox, NA, Rubin, KH, Hu, S. and Hamer, DH (2002), the authors state that there is a significant genetic component associated with how children are predisposed to behaviors and specific traits. , especially shyness and aggressiveness. This predisposition occurs in a child's dominant and recessive genes, which promotes understanding of genetics and evolution as it relates to how children experience an attribution of shyness. To answer the question posed in the debate, the article asserts that an individual child may not exhibit these behaviors from their parents, otherwise known as dominant alleles. Instead, a child may exhibit these behavioral traits through their recessive alleles, meaning they could exhibit these behaviors from a genetic trait that is hereditary and/or exists in the lives of the individual's loved ones, for example his grandparents orgreat-grandparents. This idea of ​​recessive alleles is not always initially understood by parents, implying their child's different behaviors and attributing them to shyness, and parents have difficulty understanding that these behavioral traits exist through genetics. This understanding is also reflected in the conference on genes and neural development where there was a great discussion on the concept of genes and the interplay between how our behaviors and genetics are expressed as 'individuals. Specifically, during the course, the course examined the differences between dominant and recessive alleles and how they can influence an individual's development based on their appearance, behavior, and physical traits. This understanding relates to the article on the molecular genetics of shyness and aggression in preschool children (Schmidt, LA, et al. 2002) because it reflects both the views of our presentation as well as our position on the natural aspect of shyness attributed to nature rather than upbringing. Through this research and a new understanding of how these genes can make sense of the various behavioral traits exhibited by children and youth, we can better understand how nature is attributed to development and the genetic attribution to shyness . The second question that helped deepen our understanding. of the topic was: “Regarding children who may not be in contact with their (biological) parents, how can you explain shyness and its degree in children who do not have much knowledge about their genetics? » Our research revealed that shyness is attributed to a gene passed down from a child's biological parents. According to Schulkin, J., Gold, WP, McEwen, SB (1998), when a gene is passed to a child, the trait can be expressed. Genes are expressed naturally, whether or not the child is aware of the genes he or she has. This can lead us to the conclusion that whether or not a child is aware of their biological parents' genetic heritage does not affect whether they have the gene. Although shy children may be raised by other adults who do not exhibit shyness traits, the gene that is part of the child's biological makeup will be expressed without thinking about expressing that gene (Volk, T. 2019) . In the article, it is stated that fearful and anxious children have a genetic makeup that allows them to express these emotions and traits. A shy child often shows signs of anxiety and fear later in development, which can be explained by the child's genetic makeup and the fact that this gene must be part of their biological makeup for he can express himself. The third question that The question we were asked during the debate that provided a significant understanding of the nature attributed to shyness was: “In your article it talks about the growth of shyness in children over the course of of the first 4 years of their life. How can you explain this growth using a natural argument? » When analyzing this question for the first time, our first interpretation of the answer was to relate this question to our understanding of social learning theory. Social learning theory is a theory derived from Albert Bandura that focuses on how individuals learn and adapt to their social contexts as well as how these individuals differ in the way they learn. An example of this, as discussed in the course, is how an adolescent may use different language and approaches while dealing with various individuals andcontexts of his life. If a teen is talking to a friend of the same age, they may use more slang terms and talk about things related to a teen's life and experiences. On the other hand, if a teenager were talking with his grandmother, he would be more likely to speak in complete sentences and use language that would make sense to his grandmother. If the adolescent saw his or her friend doing something or behaving in a particular way and viewed his or her grandmother's behaviors in a comparative manner, the individual would be more likely to value or use the friend's bases for conceptualize your own behaviors. Although this may present itself as more When it comes to the cultural side of the debate, many factors related to nature and biology influence this social learning theory. First, as presented in our initial discussion, these stimulating environments do not affect an individual in the same way, unless there is already a biological or genetic component present in the individual. In relation to the initial question posed in the debate, this correlation is present because a child's initial predisposition to this shy behavior is already present in their genes and develops with the individual over time as a result of influence genetic. In discussing this argument, The Impact of Prenatal Parental Locus of Control on Children's Psychological Outcomes During Infancy and Early Childhood: A 5-Year Prospective Study, supports the contention that biological influence is attributed to these behavioral traits as they exist in our genetics and prenatal development. In the article, the authors discuss the idea that the behaviors expressed by an individual are a product of their genetics, because they are predisposed to these behaviors by their parents. Specifically, the authors emphasize the idea of ​​prenatal development and how these behavioral traits will be coded into a child's DNA before they are even born. This means that before environmental factors come into play, a child is predisposed and will already inherently exemplify these behavioral traits based on their genetics. In doing so, the authors also present the idea that the parents of an individual child should be able to predict these behavioral traits in their child based on their own genes and behavioral traits. The fourth question asked was: “Do you think that at a certain age that education has more influence on the formation of a child than nature, because of school/church/sport ? Although both play a role, it could be argued that education has more influence at older ages. How would you refute this? When first thinking about and answering this question, the first idea that came to mind was the fact that children cannot express certain traits without biologically having those genes in their biological makeup. Although a child's environment can influence certain developments of the child, without first having the biological makeup to develop and express certain traits, the child would not be able to express different things. This shows that children can be affected by social contexts such as school, church or sports, but to be affected by these in some way that affects their development, they must first bear the genes in their biological constitution. Although it is clear that at a certain age children begin to become more social and are exposed to different interactions and social contexts, it is important to take into consideration that the way a child reacts and responds to these certain interactions East.