The Nurture Assumption

A detailed Summary of The Nurture Assumption

Begley, S. (1998). The Parent Trap. Newsweek, Sept.7, 52-59.

The article I chose was taken from Newsweek, titled, "The Parent Trap." The

article adressed the age-old debate over nature versus nurture, highlighting theories of the

author of a controversial book, "The Nuture Assumption: Why Children Turn Out the

Way They Do; Parents Matter Less Than You Think and Peers Matter More." Judith

Rich Harris, the author of the book, argues against the belief that the way parents bring

up their children influences their development. She takes the side of nature, in favor of

genetic make-up, and sees peer groups as the determining factors that have long lasting

effect on a child's development into adulthood. According to Harris, nothing parents do

will affect his behavior, mental health, ability to form relationships, sense of self-worth,

Harris argues against research that concludes that divorce puts kids at greater risk

of academic failure and problem behavior like drug use and drinking. She suggests that

maybe the reason some parents are prone to divorce is genetic, that the tendency to be

impulsive or aggressive makes you more likely to divorce, therefore these ge

I feel that it can influence a parent's emotions at times, but if the parent is sensitive and

I disagree that a child's innate temprement can elicit a particular parenting style.

because a person should not have children just for the heck of it.

having bad temperments which cause them to follow in their footsteps and result in

Approximate Word count = 1419
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Miscellaneous

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