Heredity and Environment in Educational Psychology

 HEREDITY AND ENVIRONMENT 

(Nature and Nurture) 

Content outline: Inheritance – Its principles – Relative 

influence of heredity and environment – Educational implications 

– Current Trend. 

We often ask ourselves whether the characteristics of a 

child – his being good or bad, bright or dull, healthy or sick, happy 

or unhappy – depend mainly on his heredity or on his environment. 

Similarly in assessing an adult some attribute his success to the 

opportunities and good luck whereas others hold that he was born 

with much potentiality and became successful because of his 

inheritance. To the teacher a knowledge of relative effect of the 

forces of heredity and environment in human development and 

their interrelationship is of signal importance. 

Nature is that with which a child originally starts its life. 

Nurture refers to the influences which play upon the child since 

birth and make him what he is. Heredity is the sum total of the

potentialities possessed by an organism in the zygote stage. Zygote 

is the result of fusion of an ovum of mother and a sperm of father. 

It is first divided into 2 cells, then into 4, then into 8 and finally 

into about 2 billion cells at the time of birth 

). The germ cell contains chromosomes – 23 pairs in 

the cell of each parent. The chromosome, in turn, is made up of

genes (or determiners) and each chromosome consists of about 40

to 100 genes. At the time of conception, half of father's 

chromosomes unite with half of mother's chromosomes and 

determine the potential characteristics of the offspring. The result of the union of the genes is called heredity. If father's genes for 

tallness unite with mother's genes for tallness the child will inherit 

tallness. If the male genes for brightness unite with female genes 

for brightness the child will inherit brightness. If father and mother 

have genes for weak lungs and if these genes pair, infant will have 

a pre- disposition to tuberculosis. Diseases are not inherited but 

weaknesses are. Psychologists have identified three principles of 

inheritance: 

- Like beget like (Bright parents beget bright children) 

- Variation (Bright parents beget dull children) 

- Regression (Bright parents beget mediocre children) 

In the examples cited above 'brightness' may be replaced by 

any other characteristic – physical or mental. The congenital period 

of life is the embryonic period or the period of pregnancy. The

pregnant mother should be well nourished and healthy 

emotionally. Children do not inherit the acquired abilities of their 

parents. There is no relationship between the order of birth and 

intelligence of the child. 

The child's heredity is not determined solely by his 

immediate parents. Probably 50% of inheritance is from the 

immediate parents, 25% from grandparents, 12.5% from great 

parents and so on. One inherits not only from one's parents but

through one's parents as well. 

Heredity is a constant factor established at the time of 

conception. The individual's environment, on the other hand, is

continuously expanding. Heredity means biological heredity not 

social heredity, which refers to the characteristics, acquired by 

social interaction – this is, more precisely, environment.

To study the relative influence of heredity (nature) and 

environment (nurture) on the growth and development of human 

beings, psychologists have analysed several studies under 

different categories. 

- Human heredity (nature) and infrahuman environment 

(nurture). 

- Infra human heredity (nature) and human environment 

(nurture). 

- Environment constant (different heredities) 

- Heredity constant (different environments) 

Identical twins, fraternal twins and siblings were reared 

together, reared apart, and in foster homes and compared in 

physical, mental, emotional and social characteristics.

The following  summarises the results: 

 Factors Influence Heredity (Nature) of Influence Environment (Nurture) Of 

1. Physical 

growth and 

development 

To a 

extent 

large Effect of nutrition 

and healthy 

emotional climate 

2. Mental growth 

and 

development 

(Intellectual) 

Potential has a 

say 

Conducive for 

skill 

development, 

potential becomes 

functional 

3. Mental / 

emotional 

health and 

personality 

Temperament 

(inherited) has 

a say 

To a substantial 

extent. 

Temperament is 

also 

modified/refined 

4. Attitudes, 

beliefs and 

values 

To a marginal 

extent 

To a large

Heredity does not completely determine any trait. Training 

and life experiences may have profound effects on many traits. 

Heredity influences some traits more than others. Inheritance is 

apparently more potent in determining one's intelligence and 

physique. Environment has greater influence in shaping specific

habits, personality characteristics, beliefs and values. Such traits as 

honesty, independence, and cheerfulness are strongly affected by 

training. Bad environment can suppress or even nullify good 

inheritance. But good environment is unfortunately not a substitute 

for good heredity. Exposure to delinquent climate and inadequate 

or even vicious training withhold opportunities, build up bad habits 

and thus limit or even suppress the achievement of potentially able 

youngster. The best environment, however, cannot make a bright 

adult out of a dull child; more a talented person out of one without 

talent though good training will undoubtedly improve his 

performance and make the individual a more acceptable member 

of the society. Heredity determines what one can do and 

environment what he does do (within limits imposed by heredity). 

Heredity (nature) is like a seed, environment (nurture) is like a soil. 

Educational Implications: 

An exposure to the relative influence of nature and nurture 

to the growth and development of the human being in physical, 

mental, emotional and social aspects will be useful to parents,

teachers, educational psychologists, curriculum makers, 

educational authorities and all educational thinkers. Taking 

extreme positions – as a hereditarian who advocates the point of 

view overemphasizing the influence of heredity and heredity only 

or as an environmentalist who advocates the point of view overemphasizing environment and environment only will be of no 

use. Heredity (nature) determines, to a large extent, the physical 

features and intelligence of the individual. Environment (nurture) 

determines, to a large extent, the personality of the individual. 

Success in life depends more upon one's attitudes, beliefs, values, 

motivation, character, interests, adjustment, diligence which are 

influenced by environment (nurture) than upon one's physique and 

intelligence which are determined by heredity (nature). 

Parents give their children not only heredity but 

environment as well. Sufficient healthcare is to be given to the 

child to be followed by conducive emotional climate (love and 

affection) and academic support. Heredity is instrumental to 

individual differences. Individual differences must be recognized 

and catered to both by parents at home and by teachers in 

educational institutions. The role of teacher is of signal importance 

since it is he who provides environment (nurture) necessary for the 

growth and development in physical, mental, emotional and social 

areas. Effective teaching and evaluation, remedial instruction,

enrichment programmes, educational, vocational and personal 

guidance and counselling – all these are the responsibilities of the 

teaching community. And these are the environmental influences 

that facilitate optimum human growth and development. Though 

it is not nature or nurture but nature and nurture, teachers can 

provide an effective nurture (environment) which can make the 

best use of available nature (heredity). 

Current Trend 

It is wrong to excuse our failings by blaming our Nature 

(bad genes) or nurture (bad influences). Our decisions today design 

our environments tomorrow. Mind matters. The human 

environment is not like weather - something that just happens. We are its architects. Our motivation and will power determine our future. Nature is Seed, Nurture is soil; Self – Motivation is the fertilizer.

ALSO READ:  educational psychology Origin meaning nature and scope of educational psychology 

SHARE