This semester, I have most enjoyed studying learning, behavior and emotions because they are, like many other subjects in psychology, elements of human nature. My favorite part about each of these subjects is seeing what psychological processes we have in common with other animals and which ones make us unique. Along with the challenging ideas of the evolutionary science we study, I found that the constant question of what our processes were attributed to, nature or nurture, was very interesting. This question is something that I find myself constantly pondering, "What makes him that way?" and it is a question I have used to evaluate myself too.
From what I understand, psychology works to explain why people do what they do and I think that this core question tries to unify all people within a set of rules. From what we have learned recently about social psychology, this mental understanding of our own nature may help us to empathize with other people. I think that what has been uncovered so far regarding how we learn and process things as we develop has been greatly insightful. I also think it will be interesting to watch or be a part of psychology as it combines with other subjects to really tackle the huge question that it has posed.
(If anyone is a social-justice nut like me, when I was searching for a cool picture to put on my blog I found this cool website called Psychologists for Social Responsibility!)
I do agree that trying to answer the question, "what makes him that way?" is one of the most interesting parts of psychology. However, the keyword there is trying. Because nature and nurture both have strong influences on the makeup of a human being, trying to peg someone through psychoanalysis is a dangerous game to play.