Nature Vs Nurture Sociology

1. The nature versus nurture debate is a controversial issue questioning whether human behavior is a result of the human’s biology or the result of the social and cultural environment. Nature is the idea that genetics determine an individual’s behaviors and thoughts. Sociobiology is the scientific study regarding this idea. Sociobiologists study the ways that behavior is affected by biology. On the other hand, nurture is the idea that human thoughts, feelings and actions are the result of society and culture. In this argument, human behavior is learned through the influence of society, thus can be changed as societies change. Twin studies are common when attempting to determine the factors affecting biology. Scientists study twins who have been separated and raised in different cultures and societies. Because twins have …show more content…
There are six agents of socialization: family, school, peers, mass media, the workplace and religion/state. Each of these agents help shape how individuals think and act and how they interact with others. Because young children spend most of their day at school, they are greatly influenced by their interactions and observations at school. Schools teaches not only academic information regarding history, grammar, mathematics and science but also the values and norms in society. In fact, schools play an important role in gender socialization. Children in school are influenced by not only their teachers but also other students in school. Teachers have their own perceptions about how differently boys and girls usually act and perform academically, so they teach a certain way to accommodate for these differences. This reinforces the norms specific to the different genders. At a young age, students tend interact more with the same-sex students; they have common prejudices about the opposite gender. Because of the prejudices of teachers and other students, individuals learn about the general gender-specific role they are to play in