48 pages • 1 hour read
The Nurture Assumption: Why Children Turn Out the Way They Do
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Book Brief
462
Book • Nonfiction
1990s
1998
Free Press
Adult
18+ years
Super Short Summary
The Nurture Assumption by Judith Rich Harris challenges the belief that parenting is the primary influence on child development. Harris uses scientific evidence to debunk this assumption and introduces "group socialization theory," suggesting children are more influenced by peers than parents. She explores various topics, including human evolution, peer relationships, and cultural variations in parenting practices. The book addresses human development through traumatic experiences.
Informative
Challenging
Contemplative
Reviews & Readership
2,112 ratings
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Mixed feelings
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Review Roundup
The Nurture Assumption by Judith Rich Harris challenges the conventional belief that parenting shapes children's personalities, proposing instead that peers play a more significant role. While some praise its innovative perspective and extensive research, others criticize its overreliance on controversial theories. The book’s stimulating arguments spark important debates in psychology and parenting.
Who Should Read The Nurture Assumption?
The ideal reader for The Nurture Assumption by Judith Rich Harris is someone intrigued by child development and parenting theories. Comparable to readers of The Blank Slate by Steven Pinker and The Drama of the Gifted Child by Alice Miller, they question traditional notions of nature vs. nurture and enjoy scientific debates.
2,112 ratings
Loved it
Mixed feelings
Not a fan
Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud
An Austrian neurologist who founded psychoanalysis and theorized the structure of personality, seen by Harris as responsible for the overemphasis on parental influence in child socialization.
John B. Watson
John B. Watson
An American psychologist who established Behaviorism, emphasizing the role of conditioning in learning and supporting the notion of parental influence, contributing to the widespread acceptance of the nurture assumption.
B. F. Skinner
B. F. Skinner
An American psychologist who advanced "radical behaviorism," focusing on environmental influences on behavior through reinforcement but criticized by Harris for failing to account for human agency.
Margaret Mead
Margaret Mead
An American anthropologist known for her cultural studies in the South Pacific, criticized by Harris for reinforcing the nurture assumption without scientific substantiation.
Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
A British scientist renowned for his theories of evolution and natural selection, with whom Harris concurs on the concept of humans possessing both altruistic and violent tendencies.
462
Book • Nonfiction
1990s
1998
Free Press
Adult
18+ years
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