Nature versus nurture Essay Example for Free

Nature versus nurture Essay Every person in this world has their own distinctive personality and behavior. People may wonder why an individual may act the way they do. Thus psychologists had put this into a study of whether an individual’s behaviors are caused by hereditary or the environment. This study is known as the nature-nurture debate. This essay will discuss the difference between nature vs nurture, which one applies to me, and how it influenced me in my life. This controversial debate has existed since 1869, when the phrase Nature Versus Nurture was coined by the English polymath, Francis Galton. Throughout different time periods, this controversy continued with two contrasting scientists leading the debate. During the Greek Classical period, Plato, who favored nature meaning the genetic influence on the individual’s behavior that relies mostly on traits that you inherit. While Aristotle, who favored nurture meaning the effect the environment has on that individual which relies mostly on time spent improving a skill set, for example influence of parents or friends. The purpose of the nature-nurture debate is to explain the effect of genetic influence and the environment on the development of human trait and behavior. As far as nature goes there are many traits that I have inherited naturally through genetics from my mom and dad. From my dad I can tell I have inherited his height as well as his eating habits. I can tell that my work ethic has been inherited from my dad because he is a very hard worker and can never sit still, I also strive to achieve my personal best. My dad is also a very controlling and demanding person in which I see myself doing also. While from my mom I have inherited her good looks, sensitivity, and concerned for other people’s feelings. I have also inherited my mom’s super mathematical skills and my dad’s artistic abilities. I can also tell that I have inherited a good sense of wellbeing from my mom. Alongside that came nurture that are behaviors that I have developed from the environment I grew up in. I have learned to respect all people from being influenced at school and in the home. I have also learned to be responsible of things such as going to school or work on a daily basis, and doing the right thing. I learned that if I am not responsible and do not do my work, then I must pay the consequences. I have also learned from experiences that if I do what I am supposed to do, I may be rewarded greatly for it. I have been influenced to do something that will benefit myself and be rewarded for good things done. My environment has influenced me in many ways to act upon certain things automatically. Things like looking both ways before crossing the street, or other things that appear to be common sense are learned from nurture. When I say which one of these phrases â€Å"nature vs nurture† has more influence on me in my life, I would have to say nurture, because my past experiences is what made me the woman I am today. In most instances, the aspect of nurture tends to apply to children who live with their parents. The way I was brought up affected me now that I am an adult. This is because nurture is a product of a person’s childhood upbringing. There tends to be various external influences relating to nurture that affected my behavioral as a person. These include environmental factors such as the parental upbringing, the peer groups, the socioeconomic status, and other factors in the outside world.

Comparing Christianity and Stoicism Essay -- Comparison Compare Contra

Introduction Over the course of human history every society, even the most culturally isolated of civilizations, has developed some form of faith-system for interpreting and understanding the spiritual and material worlds. Thousands of such systems have existed over the centuries, and as tribes and cultures expanded, these faith-systems inevitably met each other face-to-face and clashed. Two thousand years ago there was a particularly important collision; one between the Roman stoic and the gentile Christian. At this time in Western civilization, Christianity was just planting its seeds and beginning to grow, whereas stoicism was already legitimate in its foundation and strong in its following (Stavrianos 100). One might wonder how Christianity ultimately replaced stoicism as the prominent and official religion in Rome. There are a few particular political and historical events that tell us exactly when and how it happened, but the curious man is more concerned with the psychology behi nd the transition. In other words, why would men tend to prefer one over the other? Before one can explain this, it is necessary to understand fully the particulars of each system. In general, most faith systems can be understood in three parts: logic, physics, and ethics. There is a famous garden metaphor for understanding the relationship among the three. One should imagine a walled garden where inside there grows a single plant. This plant produces a fruit. Metaphorically, the wall symbolizes logic, the plant represents physics and the fruit symbolizes ethics. Accordingly, the wall of logic protects physics and ethics. Ethics is the fruit that results from studying physics, which is the cosmic order of things. Ethic... ...erer from sin while stoicism offered man an internal battle against himself. It should come as no surprise that Christianity prevailed. Works Cited    Alighieri, Dante. The Divine Comedy. Translation and Introduction by Mark Musa. New York: Penguin, 1995. Barker, Kenneth. The NIV Study Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1995. Clarke, M.L. The Roman Mind. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1960. Metzger, Bruce M. The Oxford Companion to the Bible. 1993. Murray, Gilbert. Stoic, Christian and Humanist. London: C.A. Watts, 1940. Seneca, Lucius Annaeus. Letters From a Stoic. Translation and Introduction by Robin Campbell. New York: Penguin, 1969. Stavrianos, L.S. A Global History: From Prehistory to the Present. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1988. Wenley, T.M. Stoicism and its Influences. New York: Cooper Square Publishers, 1963.

Anxiety and Victor Frankenstein Essay

Anxiety Disorder is a condition that is diagnosed as the disability to cope with any form of stress. Since it is one of the most common disorders in the U. S. , there are a large amount of people that have and will need to control this illness. As one of the many people in the world, Victor, the main character in Frankenstein by Mary Shelly, had such a severe case of anxiety that he was almost driven to insanity. During the story, you follow his battle with this disorder. He had a constant obsession with trying to get away from the creature, and was overly stressed about this monster that he had created that ultimately he couldn’t deal with his actual problem at hand. Anxiety disorder is extremely difficult to deal with, but if the proper steps are taken, it is treatable. This illness was first recognized by Sigmund Freud in the early 1900’s but was only diagnosed as a diagnostic entity in 1980 (Overview of Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Snow). Freud found the illness while he was working with a companion, Wilhelm Fliess, at the very start of his psychoanalytic work, which is discovering repressed conflict inside the head (enotes. com). This discovery the two made has explained the feelings that many people feel on a daily basis. There are an abundance of symptoms associated with Anxiety Disorder. Though the most common effects are insomnia, appetite changes, depression, and a feeling of being unsettled or disconnected. Insomnia is a disorder that makes it difficult to fall asleep or to stay asleep after falling asleep (Medical-Dictionary. com). One appetite change issue can include overeating, also known as bingeing. Since those diagnosed with this disorder can get easily stressed, many just eat to hide their pain or nervousness. This also applies when people under-eat. Their fears can get in their way of their appetite. Depression and Anxiety often go hand in hand (ADAA. org). Many people who suffer from anxiety disorder tend to regularly feel overwhelmed (anxietycentre. com). This means that the slightest problem can become a huge deal for them. They often become stressed and can lead to other feelings of unsettledness or being disconnected. It is possible for these victims to visit a doctor more often and also feel uncomfortable in many social situations (anxietycentre. com). Anxiety Disorder is listed as the most common disorder in the United States (ADAA. org). It affects over 40 million adults in the U. S. (18% present of the population), but only 1/3 of those people are actually being treated (ADAA. org). Out of those even being treated, only 400,000 will be treated properly (ADAA. org). 22. 8% of those diagnosed are said to have a â€Å"severe† case (NIMH. NIH. gov). People who are diagnosed with Anxiety Disorder have a higher chance of drug abuse or using alcohol as coping method (anxietycentre. com). It was tested and results showed that women are 60% more likely to be diagnosed with Anxiety over men (NIMH. NIH. gov). Those who are diagnosed have a number of possible treatments. They range from different prescription drugs, antidepressants, anti-anxiety medication and beta-blockers are the most common listed (NIMH. NIH. gov). Antidepressants have some side effects, for example, blurred vision, headaches or nausea. Psychotherapy is also used to help treat Anxiety Disorder. A lot of people diagnosed could be hospitalized or go to regular counseling for help with coping with the stress. But the success of treatment may vary; some people might take weeks while others take months or years. For this reason, treatment must be tailored to the specific patient. There are a couple of risk factors that also come with Anxiety Disorder. The affected person might develop extremely low self-esteem which later could lead to depression. As humans, we rely on the thoughts of other people to determine how we feel about ourselves. Since it is not necessarily â€Å"social acceptable† to have an Anxiety disorder, many people feel left out or alone in the case that they do have the disorder. Those who are higher accepted with people generally have a higher self-esteem (gad. about. com). Extremely low self image problems can often lead to depression (psycologytoday. com). Also, since many people use alcohol to cope, alcoholism is also a common result of anxiety. A study was formed in South Carolina with people who suffer from severe anxiety. They were all tested to see when they mostly drank alcohol. The study found that a significant amount of people used the alcohol to cope in larger social situations. Also, they found out that drinking lowers the rate of anxiety and relieved many of those tested from their discomfort (nih. gov). As stated by the National Library of Medicine, panic attacks are when you have common attacks with the fear that something bad will happen. These are commonly found in those who suffer from Anxiety Disorder. All of these factors could be treated and controlled with the proper care. In the book Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, Victor Frankenstein created a creature that he himself was too terrified of. This creature had caused Victor to show symptoms of Anxiety Disorder. He experiences fevers and severe illness because is stressing out about the creature and the things it has been doing. â€Å"With an anxiety that almost amounted to agony, I collected the instruments of life around me, that I might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet. It was already one in the morning; the rain pattered dismally against the panes, and my candle was nearly out, when, by the glimmer of the half-extinguished light, I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open; it breathed hard, and a convulsive motion agitated its limbs. (Frankenstein, chapter 5) Victor is clearly in a great amount of pain from the stress and fear that he is feeling at that moment. He also states that it is one in the morning, showing that he could possibly have one of the symptoms of Anxiety Disorder, insomnia. The story also says, â€Å"I trembled excessively; I could not endure to think of, and f ar less to allude to, the occurrences of the preceding night. I walked with a quick pace, and we soon arrived at my college. I then reflected, and the thought made me shiver, that the creature whom I had left in my apartment might still be there, alive, and walking about. I dreaded to behold this monster; but I feared still more that Henry should see him. Entreating him, therefore, to remain a few minutes at the bottom of the stairs, I darted up towards my own room. My hand was already on the lock of the door before I recollected myself I then paused; and a cold shivering came over me. I threw the door forcibly open, as children are accustomed to do when they expect a spectre o stand in waiting for them on the other side; but nothing appeared. † (Frankenstein, chapter five) It is showing that Victor become so nervous that the creature would be in his room that he began to shiver and make Henry Clerval wait downstairs, just incase. He shows a great fear in seeing the monster in his home, where he had even left it. This disorder is easily recognized by his constant obsession and worry about the creatur e. He had run away from the monster, ignored it when it had killed most of his family and then ended up hunting it down until his death. Thus, Anxiety is a very common illness around the United Stated and it might be difficult to deal with at the time, but it can be treated easily with the correct forms of therapy or medications. Anxiety often causes many other disorders if not properly treated and can affect your daily life. This disorder was even expressed in Frankenstein with Victor’s constant fear of his self-created creature. If you or anyone you know could be suffering from this terrible disorder, I suggest you find help relatively soon before it begins to spiral into other harder to treat disorders.

Is the Basking Shark a Vegetarian

Youre hanging out at your favorite beach, and suddenly a fin slices through the water (cue the Jaws  music). Oh no, what is it? Theres a good chance that its a basking shark. But not to worry. This huge shark is just a plankton eater.   Basking Shark Identification The basking shark is the second-largest shark species and can reach lengths up to 30-40 feet. Weights for the basking shark have been estimated at 4-7 tons (about 8,000-15,000 pounds). They are filter-feeders who are often seen feeding near the surface with their huge mouths agape. Basking sharks got their name because they are often seen â€Å"basking† on the surface of the water. It may appear the shark is sunning itself, but in fact, it is often feeding on tiny plankton and crustaceans. While it is at the surface, its prominent dorsal fin, and often the tip of its tail, can be seen, which may cause confusion with the Great White or other more threatening shark species when a basking shark is seen from land. Classification Kingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: ChordataClass: ElasmobranchiiOrder: LamniformesFamily: CetorhinidaeGenus: CetorhinusSpecies: Maximus Basking Shark Habitat and Distribution Basking sharks have been reported in all oceans of the world. They are found mainly in temperate waters but have also been seen in tropical areas. During the summer, they feed near on plankton near the surface in more coastal waters. It was once thought that basking sharks hibernated on the ocean bottom in the winter, but some research shows that they migrate to deeper waters offshore and also shed and re-grow their gill rakers, and a study published in 2009 showed that basking sharks traveled from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, all the way to South America in the winter. Feeding Each basking shark has 5 pairs of gill arches, each with thousands of bristle-like gill rakers that are up to 3 inches long. Basking sharks feed by swimming through the water with their mouths wide open. As they swim, water enters their mouth and passes through the gills, where the gill rakers separate out plankton. The shark periodically closes its mouth to swallow. Basking sharks can strain up to 2,000 tons of salt water per hour. Basking sharks have teeth, but they are tiny (about  ¼-inch long). They have 6 rows of teeth on their upper jaw and 9 on their lower jaw, totaling about 1,500 teeth. Reproduction Basking sharks are ovoviviparous and give birth to 1-5 live young at a time. Not much is known about the basking sharks mating behavior, but it is thought that basking sharks exhibit courtship behavior such as swimming parallel to each other and gathering in large groups. During mating, they use their teeth to hold on to their partner. The gestation period for the female is thought to be about 3  ½ years. The basking shark pups are about 4-5 feet long at birth, and they immediately swim away from their mother at birth. Conservation The basking shark is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. It is listed by the National Marine Fisheries Service as a protected species in the western North Atlantic, which banned hunting of the species in U.S. Federal Atlantic waters. Basking sharks are particularly vulnerable to threats because they are slow to mature and reproduce. Threats to Basking Sharks Hunting for liver: The basking shark was hunted widely for its huge liver, which is full of squalene (shark oil) and is used as a lubricant, in cosmetics, and in supplements.Shark fin soup: The basking shark is also hunted for its large fin, which is used in shark fin soup.Hunting for meat: The basking shark has been hunted for its flesh, which can be eaten fresh, dried or salted.Bycatch and entanglements: Sharks are also susceptible to entrapment in fishing gear intended for other species (bycatch), either while the gear is actively being fished or when it is ghost gear lost in the ocean. Basking sharks were hunted extensively in the past, but hunting is more limited now that there is greater awareness of the vulnerability of this species. Hunting now occurs mainly in China and Japan. Sources: Fowler, S.L. 2000. Cetorhinus maximus. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. (Online). Accessed December 17, 2008.Knickle, C., Billingsley, L. K. DiVittorio. 2008. Basking Shark. Florida Museum of Natural History. (Online). Retrieved November 3, 2008.MarineBio. Cetorhinus maximus, Basking Shark MarineBio.org. (Online) Retrieved November 3, 2008.Martin, R. Aidan. 1993. Building a Better Mouth-Trap - Filter Feeding†. ReefQuest Centre for Shark Research. (Online). Accessed December 17, 2008.