What is this passage\'s summary? How would you summarize it? Psychology studies

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What is this passage's summary? How would you summarize it?

Psychology studies areas related to the mind such as mental illness and the impact of heredity and environment on behavior. Sigmund Freud was a pioneer in exploring mental illness. One of Freud's major contributions to the field was his design of a method for assisting people in understanding their problems. The method was called psychoanalysis and it consisted mainly of the psychologist "allowing" a person to feel comfortable enough to say anything that came to mind. It was called the "talking cure" and that is exactly what it was. Talk long enough with a non-judging person (the psychoanalyst), saying whatever comes to mind-no holds barred and you will eventually discover the source of your fears and anxieties. Freud would say that with the psychoanalyst providing insight and making connections, the patient makes the "unconscious" become "conscious." The idea was that, having discovered the source of a particular problem (always some traumatic situation from childhood) persons could free themselves from burdens of fear and guilt associated with these deeply buried memories Psychology also examines the influence of upbringing and heredity on a person's behavior. Undoubtedly, you've heard both: a sixteen year old is arrested for robbery and some will say, ‘that kid was born bad." Others will say, "it's his rotten home life." When people make these statements they are identifying one of the very basic questions studied in the field of psychology: that is, whether heredity or environment is more important in determining the behavior of an individual The heredity/environment question-- sometimes called "nature versus nurture"- has been researched for many years by psychologists trying to understand the best ways to help people in their daily living. Psychologists have studied, for example, whether or not always picking up a crying baby helps or hurts the child's adjustment later on (an environmental effect.) And they have studied intelligence scores for people (effects of heredity) and discovered that early, sound nutrition and health care have a definite effect on these scores (environmental effects)

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A key issue in the field of psychology has been to develop an objective understanding and valid explanations for the differences and similarities in people’s behaviour, mental functioning and emotional lives. To this end, psychologists have postulated two broad dimensions:

the nature side of the debate gives stress on the role of heredity or genes in influencing human behaviour and development. According to this view, factors such as intelligence scores on an IQ test, personality traits of aggression, delinquency, etc can be a result of genetic predisposition. The other side of the pole is represented by the nurture view which focuses on the role of environment in influencing behaviour and development of individuals. In this regard, the psychoanalytic approach of Sigmund Freud has been a pioneering theory of the way early childhood environment shapes personality of individuals later in their adulthood. Freud used the method of Free association to delve into the unconscious or hidden or repressed memories of his patients to understand how the quality of parenting and care during infancy shaped the way they approach interpersonal relationships in adult life.

While it is difficult to take sides with either the genetic or environmental view, today more and more psychologists have come to a consensus that both heredity and environmental experiences can shape our personality traits as well as our intellectual functioning.

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