Nature And Nurture In Mental Health

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The question of whether human behaviour is determined by 'nature' or 'nurture' is one of the oldest arguments in the history of psychology. 'Nature' refers to a person's inborn traits and inherited genes, while 'nurture' relates to the influences of the external world, such as one's experiences and environment. With this being such a difficult question to answer, it makes sense that, in turn, the question of whether 'nature' or 'nurture' influences an individual's mental health is equally as challenging. Good mental health, the state of well-being in which every individual can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community, is hard to achieve for those who experience mental disorders. Mental disorders are health conditions that significantly affect how a person thinks, feels or behaves and according to the World Health Organisation, 1 in 4 people in the whole world are affected by them. The exact cause of most mental disorders are unknown but there are many biological and environmental factors that can contribute to them; genetics, social or cultural expectations, brain defects and substance abuse being just a few.…show more content…
In the past, psychologists often took a very one-sided approach with behaviourists and biological psychologists at the two extremes. But now many psychologists understand that both nature and nurture are involved in all aspects of human life and are “hopelessly interwoven with one
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