Nature vs Nurture? or Both?

When remising of childhood memories, many may think of their parents and of how they spent time with them.  As you read this, some of you may instantly experience positive or negative feelings, particularly towards a mother, or a mother-like figure. 

            Multiple studies have indicated the impact of a mother’s presence has a large effect on people’s physical and emotional responses to stress.  Mother’s who are predominantly absent and/or less affectionate and supportive with their offspring, result in children who have poor responses to physical and emotional stress.  These responses are predominantly poor digestive health, decreased height, aggressive behavior, decreased ability to socialize with peers, and memory.  A study was completed in which several mothers and their children of approximately 5 years of age were placed in a room with a shiny, wrapped present.  The experimenter indicated that the present was for the child, but the child had to wait 5 minutes to open it.  The mother’s either showed their children encouragement in telling them to wait or frustration towards their impatient child.  A year after these observations were made, each child received an MRI scan that displayed the children who received frustrated scolding from their mothers had a smaller hippocampus than those children who received encouragement. 

            Another study completed with orphaned chimpanzees showed chimps separated from their mothers were more aggressive and experienced difficulty in socializing with fellow chimps.  When the young chimps were then placed back with their mothers, they regained an average ability to socialize and their aggression decreased.  However, chimps that were orphaned for longer periods of time took more time in decreasing aggression or did not recover at all. 

Does this mean that as soon as you observe a short man or you have someone in a study group who needs extra help remembering a concept, you must immediately conclude, “Wow, their mother must have been really awful.” No way.  Of course genes play a large role in physical and social attributes, but when a child is placed in a consistently high stress situation, the genes can have a different and possibly negatively adaptive response in that environment.     

            Fortunately, poor responses to emotional and physical stress in children can be easily alleviated simply by a mother or mother like figure, who displays encouraging behavior toward their child as well as physically soothing their children, an encouraging pat on the back, holding their hand, etc.  It is imperative that children do not undergo constant stress during childhood, or they will be greatly exposed to physical and emotional stresses.

Castro, J. (2012). How a Mother's Love Changes a Child's Brain. Live Science. 

Child Development, Vol. 79, Issue 5, Gene-Environment Contributions to the Development of Infant Vagal Reactivity: The Interaction of Dopamine and Maternal Sensitivity by Propper, C (University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill), Moore, GA (Pennsylvania State University), Mills-Koonce, WR, Halpern, CT, Hill-Soderlund, Calkins, SD, Carbone, MA, and Cox, M. 2008 The Society for Research in Child Development, Inc. 

Sapolsky, R. M. (2004). Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers: The Acclaimed Guide to Stress, Stress-Related Diseases, and Coping (3rd ed.). Holt Paperbacks.