Parenting is a holistic process that determines the future of children. Numerous activities are involved in the process of bringing up a child. Activities such as interaction, cooperation, motivation, care and creating an enabling environment are critical determinants of a child’s future (Caplan et al., 2019). It is imperative that the parenting style chosen has a ripple effect on the future of a child. A poor parenting style is associated with poor outcomes, and the vice-versa is valid for a positive outcome. This research analyzes the nature vs. nurture parenting styles and recommends the best style that must be applied to ensure children grow to be responsible adults. Nature style is founded on the school of thought that children are born with innate features and inheritance that determine who or what they become in the future (Michell, 2022). On the other hand, the nurture parenting style is premised on the school of thought that children are born as empty vessels, and the parents have the control to manipulate their outcomes (Natoli, 2019). Nurture parenting style is the best, and parents must embrace it for better outcomes.
Psychoanalytic and Piaget’s theories explain the different parenting styles and why each one depends on the other to make a child grow up to be a better person. Through psychoanalytic theory, Sigmund Freud believes that a person’s genetics play a significant role in the upbringing process. He states that some inherited features, such as intelligence quotient (IQ) and ability to manage stress, play a significant role in a child’s life (Natoli, 2019). On the other hand, Piaget’s theory offers a concrete explanation of children’s development stages, indicating how the environment plays a significant role in a child’s future aspirations (Babakr et al. 2019). Pro-nature theorists believe a direct relationship exists between genes/heredity and outcomes. According to the nature perspective, a child born to parents with low IQ may never have an opportunity to improve their skills. However, it is prudent to note that both nature and nurture may be combined to ensure a child experiences a positive upbringing to become a productive and responsible adult.
From the natural perspective, the environment plays a trivial role in a person’s life compared to innate features. In a hypothetical case, a child born with a higher IQ, ability to manage stress, and concentration levels is likely to perform better in academics compared to a child born without these features. Sir Francis Galton researched twins’ innate behaviors based on different environmental factors and inferred that exposing people to different environments may manipulate their outcomes (Michell, 2022). He further conducted another study on cognitive development and inferred that different brain training activities might help improve a person’s IQ and cognitive abilities.
Although the nature perspective significantly impacts how a person becomes in life, the nurture perspective is the better option. Nurture is a better parenting style because it offers an opportunity for every person to become a responsible adult despite their innate characteristics (Natoli, 2019). It is prudent to note that people born with positive innate features and favorable genetic arrangements may never actualize being responsible humans if they are not exposed to a favorable environment.
Piaget’s theory is perfect for underscoring favorable environmental factors’ importance in a child’s upbringing. Throughout all four development stages, sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational, a person is affected by the environment (Babakr et al. 2019). A parent who chooses the nurture perspective assumes the child does not have any positive features and the parent is in total control. A child with a lower IQ and inability to read and write can be made to read and write if the parent creates the correct training environment. The finding is supported by research by Babakr et al. (2019), which inferred that a child born and raised in a loving and well-cultured family is likely to be disciplined and cultured. On the other hand, a child raised in a violent family has a higher chance of becoming violent in the long run. Galton’s further research on the twins further proved that identical twins raised by different families end up with features related to the families they grew up in.
Parents using the nurture perspective control the child’s personality and can manipulate the environment to shape their kids’ behavior, character, and skills. The advantage of using the nurturing parenting style is that it offers equal opportunity for people regardless of their genetics or heredity. Further, a person born without the features considered positive can have a chance to improve through training, inhibitory control, and constant appraisal to improve behavior, skills, and personality (Natoli, 2019). Nurture parenting style should be upheld as the main style because it offers equal opportunity for children to realize their dreams by shaping their behavior and skills towards a given trajectory towards their desires. Parents who choose a natural parenting style limit their children to the skills, personalities, and characters that may not be helpful in the present day. Nurture style allows a person to aspire to any personality or profession by manipulating the environment to favor a child’s future.
References
Babakr, Z., Mohamed Amin, P., & Kakamad, K. (2019). Piaget’s cognitive developmental theory: Critical review. Education Quarterly Reviews, 2(3).
Caplan, B., Morgan, J. E., Noroña, A. N., Tung, I., Lee, S. S., & Baker, B. L. (2019). The nature and nurture of social development: The role of 5-HTTLPR and gene–parenting interactions. Journal of Family Psychology, 33(8), 927.
Michell, J. (2022). “The art of imposing measurement upon the mind”: Sir Francis Galton and the genesis of the psychometric paradigm. Theory & Psychology, 32(3), 375-400.
Natoli, A. P. (2019). The DSM’s reconnection to psychoanalytic theory through the alternative model for personality disorders. Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, 67(6), 1023-1045.