Smoking Nature vs Nurture free essay sample

Scientists bombard us with new evidence to prove the addictive and deadly affects of the cigarette. As legislation in developed countries tightens so the tobacco manufacturers turn their attentions to less informed developing countries. It has been a great concern of what has caused people to start smoking. Debates and awareness rises of what might be the reason why people continue to smoke despite the negative effects that have been proven. What has come to this term paper’s concern is whether smoking is an the act of nature or the act of nurture. Nature here refers to ‘genetics’ of an individual which defined as the branch of biology that deals with heredity, especially the mechanisms of heredity transmission and the variation of inherited traits among similar or related organisms. On the other hand, nurture here refers to environment which defined as the surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates. We will write a custom essay sample on Smoking: Nature vs Nurture or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The title of this thesis, nature vs nurture concerns the relative importance of an individuals innate qualities (nature, i. e. nativism, or innatism) versus personal experiences (nurture, i. e. mpiricism or behaviorism) in determining or causing individual differences in physical and behavioral traits. In other words, it is an investigation of whether the habit of smoking is passed on through generation or it is the consequence of the living environment of an individual. Other than that, this thesis also includes the factors that triggered someone to start smoking and to maintain the habit despite the negative effect that they already aware of. Methods Methods are the way on getting information, data and visual aids (including chart, tables, and figures to summarize particular information) as eferences. In order to accomplish this thesis, two types of method are used which are internet and books. a) Internet sources Online journals, posters, information and guidance from resource ce ntre or national institute, surveys, reports, and researchers from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA). b) Books Hard copy materials are used to get more accurate and trusted information and data. Results Discussions Many people believe that the desire to smoke is pre-determined by our genetics, while others believe that outsiders (such as peers or tobacco companies) have a greater influence. In tests with twins, the effects of environment are easier to study because the issue of genetics has been neutralized. If smoking is really an act of nature, both twins would be smoking if the it has a smoking heredity from the parents. However, the results of the investigation show that it actually depends on the environment that the twins are living in. Which in this case, the twin that lives in an environment that triggered the act of smoking will smoke while the other twin that doesn’t have any environmental influence could be prevented from smoking. The potential reason for this continuing debate is man’s desire to exonerate himself of blame for his behavior. If certain behavior, such as a predisposition for drinking or smoking is related to genetics, then the person cannot be blamed for his behavior. After all, it’s human instinct to protect oneself. Unfortunately for these people, however, the conclusion of most scholarly work is that while genes provide the bases of our behavior, without certain environmental impacts, these predispositions will remain untouched. A major effort has long been underway to curb the worlds use of smoking tobacco. No-smoking signs are common fixtures in many businesses. State and federal laws increasingly restrict where people can smoke, and taxes on cigarettes and other tobacco products are higher than ever. Study after study shows a link between smoking and a host of health problems, including heart disease,  lung disease  and  cancer. According to the World Health Organization, 1 in 10 adults more than five million per year dies from tobacco-related illnesses. But still, people continue to smoke. According to the American Heart Association, in 2008 an estimated 24. million men and 21. 1 million women, 23. 1 percent and 18. 3 percent of the total population, respectively, were smokers. And despite all of the scientific evidence of tobaccos health dangers, and in the face of millions of dollars worth of public health advertising, nonsmokers are still being persuaded to take that first drag that can lead to lifelong addiction. So why do people smoking? Here are some reasons why people start to smoking: Stress Relief For people not suffering from severe mental illness, cigarettes may still become a form of self-medication. For decades, soldiers have taken up smoking on the battlefield to deal with wartime. For example, many people experiencing much lower levels of stress such as in a high-pressure job, they may start to smoke as a way to manage the tension and nerves associated with the situation. Media Influences Smoking in the media can have the same influence as fashion or the appearance of a trendy gadget in an actors hand. Studies have suggested that when young viewers see a main character smoking, theyre more likely to see smoking as something socially acceptable, stylish and desirable. Adding to this problem is what some researchers see as the media over-representing smoking: By some estimates, a disproportionately large number of film characters smoke. Self-medication For some, smoking is essentially a way to self-medicate for illnesses that cause tension and pain. Patients suffering from some forms of mental illness, such as depression or anxiety disorders, may take up smoking because it can help mitigate some of their symptoms. Advertising Research has suggested that, worldwide, tobacco advertising plays a role in the number of people who start or stop smoking. This is not news for public health officials, who, in many nations, began fighting smoking-related illness by restricting tobacco advertising. A 1975 ban on tobacco advertising in Norway, for example, helped reduce long-term smoking prevalence in that nation by 9 percent. Parental influence The relationship between parents smoking and their children smoking is blunt: Children of active smokers are more likely to start smoking than children of nonsmokers, or children of parents who quit smoking. According to some studies, a parents choice to smoke can more than double the odds that the child will smoke. Social rewards This reason for smoking is tied to peer pressure, although its a little more complex and has the potential to affect more than just peer-pressure-sensitive tweens and teens. In short, social rewards are the gifts people feel they receive when participating in a group activity. Most often, this means some form of acceptance: Smokers at an office building who take cigarette breaks at similar times may bond while they smoke. Likewise, the relationship struck when one smoker asks another, Got a light? gives the participants a feeling of acceptance and camaraderie Peer pressure While there are certainly other influences that can lead a smoker into the habit, peer pressure is one of the biggest. A large part of the reason peer pressure comes under scrutiny is that one of the groups most likely to begin smoking young teenagers is also one of the most susceptible to peer pressure. Recommendations For all the intense efforts to reduce smoking in America over the past two deca des, the progress has not been stellar. Today one in four men and one in five women still smoke. For those who never smoked, this is a befuddling fact. Don’t smokers understand that cigarettes are the number one killer in America, that they dramatically increase risk for heart disease, stroke, cancer, high blood pressure, and almost every other health concern, small or large? How could any habit be worth this? Truth is, most smokers do understand. They also understand the huge financial toll of smoking, with a pack of 20 cigarettes costing $10 in some areas. Then why do millions still smoke? In good part, because the nicotine in cigarettes is highly addictive. In good part, because smoking provides psychological comfort to some people. Perhaps most of all, because quitting smoking is so hard. Researchers and businesses have responded strongly to the last point. Never have there been so many tools, systems, and programs available for quitting smoking. And with every month that passes, there is more research showing the benefits of quitting, and the drawbacks of not quitting. Here are some ways on how to stop smoking habit. 1. Make an honest list of all the things you like about smoking. 2. Then, make another list of why quitting won’t be easy. . Set a quit date. 4. Write all your reasons for quitting on an index card. 5. . As you’re getting ready to quit, stop buying cartons of cigarette. 6. Prepare a list of things to do when a craving hits. 7. When your quit date arrives, throw out anything that reminds. 8. Instead of a cigarette break at work, play a game of solitaire on your computer. 9. Switch to a cup of herbal tea whene ver you usually have a cigarette. 10. Quit when you’re in a good mood. Conclusion In a nutshell, we can conclude that smoking is actually is nothing to do with genetics. Even though people might assume it as a heredity effect when a child of smoking parents smokes, it is actually the influence of their environment (which is the parents) that triggered the child to stop smoking. It is not inside the genes of the individual and is merely an act of will of the individual himself. We have come to the conclusion that the environment of the individual plays an important role in determining whether the individual will choose to smoke or not. References Website 1. http://www. gasp. org. gg/history-of-smoking. tm retrieved on 12 May 2013. 2. http://quitsmoking. about. com/od/tobaccostatistics/Smoking_Statistics_Tobacco_Use_and_How_it_Affects_Us. htm retrieved on 12 May 2013. 3. http://health. howstuffworks. com/wellness/smoking-cessation/10-reasons-people-start-smoking1. htm retrieved on 14 May 2013. 4. http://www. healthpolcom. com/blog/2008/06/04/nature-v-nurture-%E2%80%93-smoking-and-other-complex-problems/ retrieved on 14 May 2013. 5. http://www. rd. com/ health/wellness/25-ways-to-stop-smoking-cigarettes/ retrieved on 15 May 2013. Books 1. Farkas, A. J Gilpin E. A White M. M amp; Pierce J. P (2000). Association between household and workplace smoking restrictions and adolescent smoking. Journal of American Medical Association, 284, 717-722. 2. Azjen, I. , amp; Fishbein, M. (1980). Understanding attitudes and predicting social behavior. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall International. 3. de Leeuw, R. N. , Engels, R. C. , amp; Scholte, R. H. (2010). Parental smoking and pretend smoking in young children. Tobacco Control, 19, 201–205.