Gender Identity Paper

Gender Identity Paper

Johnny Williams

PSY/340

April 9, 2012

Melynda Marchi

Gender Identity Paper

The nature versus nurture debate has got be one of the oldest debates in psychology. This debate compares the genetic inheritance to environmental factor and how they relate to human development. This paper will inform the interaction between hormones and behavior and how these interactions affect the determination of gender identity. This paper will also converse the current arguments about sexual identity, and how evidence from biopsychology may help resolve the argument.

Philosophers Plato and Descartes suggest some things are inborn, and the environment cannot change them. John Locke thinks the mind is a blank slate at birth it is known as tabula rasa. More than a century ago, Sir Francias Galton began studying the role of genes in intelligence. He theorized that parents transferred intelligence to their children, who in turn passed these intelligent-boosting genes down to their offspring. It is clear that humans can inherit physical attributes; however it becomes less clear concerning behaviors, intelligence, and personality.

It is not known how much determined some traits are by DNA versus how much is determined by life experiences. If genetics did not play a part in the makeup of individuals fraternal twins raised under the same conditions would be alike, regardless of the differences in their genes. They do closely resemble each other more than non -twins, they also show the same similarities when raised apart as in studies done with identical twins. “The Nature Theory takes things a step further to say that more abstract traits such as intelligence, personality, aggression, and sexual orientation are also encoded in an individual's DNA. The search for "behavioral" genes is the source of constant debate. Many fear that genetic arguments might be used to excuse criminal acts or to justify divorce.

The most debated issue...