Relative Importance of Heredity and Environment

• We have not yet found an answer to the question. Which in more important heredity or environment in the the development of child, but on the basis of tests and observations we can express the relative importance of heredity and environment in the development of child as under:

1. Non-separation of heredity and environment

• Heredity and environment cannot be separated from each other as regards to their contribution to human development. For the complete and harmonious development of a child combination of heredity and environment is essential. Each event of life is the result of both of these. Each of these two is essential for the result. Neither of the two can be removed or separated.

2. Equal importance of heredity and environment

• For the development of a child heredity and environment are equally important. If the heredity is rich, personality will be developed in equal amount. Similarly prosperity of environment plays an important role in the development of personality.

3. Interdependence of Heredity and Environment

• Heredity and environment are complementary, helful and cooperative to each other. The instincts which a child inheritate from heredity, develop in the environment. For example if a child does not possess intellectual ability evenagood environment can not cause the mental development. In the same way a child possessing intelleactual ability, cannot develop his mental ability in unfavourable environment. The complete development and behaviour of child are the result of interaction of heredity and environment.

4. Differentiation between the effect of heredity and environment is impossible

• It is impossible to say that to what extent heredity or environment influence the development of a child. Every thing that influences human life and its development comes in the area of heredity and environment, but these things are so complicatedly involved that very often it becomes difficult to differentiate the effects of heredity and environment.

5. Human is the creation of heredity and environment

• The relation of heredity and environment m the development of child is not combinatory but is qualitative. By providing similar kind of environment to all children, they cannot be made similar, but good and prosperous environment should be provided to all so that they may get opportunity to develop their personality through potentialities endowed by heredity.
• To conclude we can say that heredity and environment are important factors for the development of human per sonality. Ifthe heredity is the basis and environment is its structure. Heredity and environment cannot be separated from each other. Both are equally important in the human development. In the absence of any of them human personality cannot develop properly. Heredity and environment are helpful to each other and are essential for the success of mankind. Human development can be possible through environment but the extent of its development is determined by heredity.

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Important Points of Human Development :- 

1. Development means proceeding towards more maturity which is not quantitatively measurable but in qualitative change.
2. Development in continuous, systematic and sequential.
3. In each cell of parents there are 23 chromosoms and these constitute 23 pairs.
4. Each choromosom has many genes and each gene determines one or the other trait or characteristic.
5. Heredity provides potentialities to develop. These potentialities develop in environment.
6. Sigmund Freud propounded psychoanalytic theory and Erikson propounded Psycho­ social theory which describe the stages of development from birth to adulthood.

Human Development Questions And Answers

1. What is the meaning of heredity?
(A) Sperm and ovam
(B) Chromosomes and genes
(C) Mitosis and Meiosis
(D) DNA and RNA

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2. Which of the following theory has been propounded by Freud?
(A) Cognitive theory
(B) Psycho-social theory
(C) Stimulus-response theory
(D) Psycho analytic theory

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3. Who out of the following has propounded psycho-social theory?
(A) Sigmund freud
(B) Erik Erikson
(C) E.B. Hurlock
(D) Not any of these

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