The beginning of psychology goes all the way back to Ancient Greece, around 300 BC. The psychologists at that point believed in two concepts. These concepts caught my eye and reminded me of an experience I went through this past summer. The concepts were called Nativism and Empiricism, typically referred to today as nature and nurture. Nativism is described as “the idea that our thoughts, ideas, and characteristics are inborn”, otherwise not learned through any experience, and are just how our brains and bodies are wired. Empiricism, on the other hand, explains that knowledge is gained through experiences or senses.
Throughout my high school years and into college, I have babysat many kids and seen a lot of different behaviors and had different experiences with all of them. However, this summer was probably the most eye-opening experience of them all. I nannied nine-year-old twins, Jake and Adam, two or three days every week. As the summer progressed, I realized that nativism was more evident with the twins than empiricism was. Jake and Adam were both raised the same way and given equal treatment and attention, yet this summer I noticed extreme differences between the two. Jake was always ahead in his summer reading and summer workbooks, whereas Adam struggled daily to be focused on reading and wasn’t motivated to get ahead in his summer work. In addition to this, Jake was athletic and wanted to be outside all the time whether he was scootering, playing basketball, or swimming in his pool. Adam was more into arts and creativity. He also wanted to spend every day that I was there inside.
The concept of nativism vs. empiricism really stuck out to me this summer. Despite being exposed to the same experiences and being together their entire lives, Jake and Adam were completely different people. This showed me that experiences cannot shape people, and that characteristics of a person are inborn and cannot be changed.
Tubal, Michael Caesar. “History of Psychology.” LinkedIn SlideShare, 30 June 2015,
www.slideshare.net/michaeltubal/history-of-psychology-49985298.