Nature, Nurture and Human Development by Lipton - Article Example

It proposes that environmental experience shapes personal character. It is not the genetic makeup that controls the biological fate. Two forms of control are, therefore, proposed to influence development; the internal control (genes) in nature and the external control (environment) as per nurture. Nature assumes that the development of characters that deviate from the norm is an indication of the expression of defective genes. This causes the concept of victimization and irresponsibility. In the nurture, the gene activity is linked to changes in the conditions that may enhance the potential of inducing dysfunction or disease.

The regulation and control of the environment shape an individual’s biological expression. The environment directly controls the behavior and gene activity (Lipton, 2002). The failure to account for genetically controlled human when there are not enough genes to code proteins is cited as a drawback to gene determinism (Lipton, 2002).  The proficiency of cells to maintain a successful and integrated life in the absence of genes reveals that genes are not predominant in cell function.

Therefore, genes cannot control biology since they are no self-emergent (Lipton, 2002). Genes cannot self-actualize and are chemically unable to turn on or off at will. Gene expression is under the regulatory control of environmental signals that act through epigenetic mechanisms.  In conclusion, genes can be regarded as expressing life but not control. Nurture seems to play the most principal role in human development compared to nature. The change in environment generates the need for new perceptions.