Some elements of human behavior are partially determined by nature. One example of this would be skin color and race. Both of these factors are biologically/naturally determined- they are inherited by the offspring from the parents in question. Skin Color and Race in turn affect the way humans interact with each other- this is seen explicitly in the form of racism, in which humans of another race are shunned or discriminated against on that basis. However, society also plays a major role in regards to racism, mainly because the ulterior reasons for shunning people of specific race or color are developed through stereotyping and other elements, such as overall perception. This is a case in which both environmental/natural factors and society cause changes in human behavior, and shows that to an extent, human behavior is actually determined by both nature and society.
However, it is entirely plausible to say that race and skin color are used by humans as a front for discriminatory behavior- mainly because in some situations it is the only main difference or only significant difference between two competing groups of people. The fact that race is also the only physically visible difference may play a role. Therefore it can be said that skin color is exploited by society or by parts of society for other uses, and that racist behavior as a whole is almost completely determined by society, which skin color and racial differences used as a determinant of difference between two factions. Henceforth, it is possible that although skin color is naturally determined, it does not cause or play a role in human behavior- and instead is used by society.
Intelligence plays a major role in human behavior. It can be argued that intelligence is determined by nature and not by society. The main proponent of this theory is Francis Galton, who, through his observations of how families with gifted individuals produced gifted offspring, concluded that “intelligence must be bred, not trained”. This is entirely possible, mainly because of the fact that humans do inherit many aspects naturally (e.g. eye color, blood type). Galton’s theory ultimately led to the formation of what is known now as “Eugenics” or how selective breeding of humans could assist in the speeding-up of natural selection. Because families with gifted individuals, as shown through Galton’s research, produced gifted offspring, it is possible to conclude that intelligence and in turn some aspects of human behavior are naturally determined.
It is also possible to say that society plays a greater role in determining intelligence, which in turn determines human behavior. It is entirely possible that a child in a family with no gifted individuals could be gifted- as shown by a study conducted in the 1950’s in which individuals from such families scored higher in IQ tests than those from supposedly “gifted” families. Besides that, socio-economic class itself can be said to play a greater role in intelligence and in turn human behavior. This is because of the simple fact that those in a higher socio-economic class can afford to pay for better schooling, and for other materials that can help boost or increase intelligence. On the other hand, people of a lower socio-economic class are less able to afford such services and goods. (This explains the rationale behind subsidized public libraries and the drive to improve State-run schools). Taking both of these factors into account, it is possible to conclude that intelligence and in turn certain aspects human behavior are determined more by society through socio-economic class than by nature and inheritance. A more moderate approach, however, would be to conclude that potential intelligence could be naturally determined, but actual intelligence determined by society through social class and position.
Social determination of human behavior is also seen in various studies done over the past 10 years in regards to identical twins- with identical genetic structure. In a study done in 1987 by the Behavioral and Brain Sciences Journal with identical twins, adopted children and natural siblings, natural and genetic differences played almost no role in influencing behavior, while environmental factors were predominant. In the case of adopted children, they behaved very differently from how their parents did, and more similarly to their adopted parents- which to a good extent proves that social surroundings and society play a greater role in how children and in turn humans behave than natural inheritance.
One good argument in favor of natural determination of human behavior is through an experiment done with lab rats. In this case, a castrated male rat (with no testosterone) is placed with a female lab rat that has been injected with testosterone. In this case, the female acts dominant while the male is submissive. This to an extent proves that natural factors e.g. hormones play an important role in human behavior. Besides this, the moodiness experienced by humans undergoing puberty, as well as pre-menstrual syndrome, in which human behavior fluctuates, shows that natural factors do play a role in determining human behavior. On the other hand, the lab rat experiment is questionable, mainly because the biology of rats is significantly different from humans, and secondly, because humans themselves consume testosterone without such drastic swings in behavior. This suggests that what is currently seen as hormone-triggered changes in human behavior could have social undercurrents.
Human behavior itself is a highly complex topic. In some instances, as seen with hormones and also genetically inherited diseases, it is completely due to natural circumstances and events. In other instances, certain types of human behavior is caused by social conditioning and socialization e.g. compliance with the law and the observance of norms and values. In some unusual cases, it is determined by nature and society, working hand-in-hand, or sometimes one after the other to cause a change in such behavior. To judge this issue in terms of absolutes would be unjustified. Exactly in what way human behavior is developed depends on both society and on nature- and in many cases either society or nature is more dominant. However, it is clear that human behavior overall is shaped by a blend of both natural and social factors and issues, from genetic inheritance to socio-economic class.
