The nurture assumption
by Judith Rich Harris · first published 1998
67% recommend30% neutral3% critical
Why HN recommends it
Research-based argument that genes and peer groups shape how children turn out far more than normal parenting does. Suits parents and anyone curious about heritability, twin and adoption studies, and child development.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Overview: This groundbreaking book, a Pulitzer Prize finalist and New York Times notable pick, rattled the psychological establishment when it was first published in 1998 by claiming that parents have little impact on their children's development. In this tenth anniversary edition of The Nurture Assumption, Judith Harris has updated material throughout and provided a fresh introduction. Combining insights from psychology, sociology, anthropology, primatology, and evolutionary biology, she explains how and why the tendency of children to take cues from their peers works to their evolutionary ad
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…and especially his language use, has taken a really troubling turn. He is obviously picking up the behavior of some of the children he goes to school with. I read a book not too long ago entitled “The Nurture Assumption,” by Judith Harris. It influenced me more than anything I’ve read as a parent, because it is so obviously true. Her thesis is that everyone assumes that adults have a significant impact on a child’s future,…
on “Teacher Effects on Student Achievement and Height: A Cautionary Tale” ↗This is very true. However, it's likely to be correlation rather can causation. Loving parents pass on loving genes. I recommend Judith Rich Harris's book "The Nurture Assumption" on the topic. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nurture_Assumption)
on “I write a parenting advice column (or how I became famous in my neighborhood)” ↗…the children of (Educational attainment group X) have more in common with their counterparts with poorer parents than with the group (has rich parents). Read Bryan's book, read Judith Rich Harris' “The Nurture Assumption”, read Amy Chua's book. Read the literature on heritability and mutability of personality traits and intelligence. It's all left me thinking that if I'm going to go for more aggro I'll just go for another…
on “Not Wanting Kids Is Entirely Normal” ↗…person you turn out to be. And the "nurture" that matters is your peers, not your parents. Skeptical? I highly recommend this book-length treatment of the research literature: https://www.amazon.com/Nurture-Assumption-Children-Revised-U... Unless they are doing twin & adoption studies (hard!), attachment researchers are conflating parenting practices (these warm and loving parents had a warm & loving kid!) with genetics.
on “Attachment theory is having a breakout moment” ↗The Nurture Assumption: Why Children Turn Out the Way They Do by Judith Rich Harris. Read this before getting kids. Awesome...
on “Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?” ↗I did cite Harris' The Nurture Assumption, which argues this incredibly lucidly. IIRC she does reference Bowlby too.
on “How you 'attach' to people may explain a lot about your inner life” ↗I think the article should also include the theory of "The Nurture Assumption: Why Children Turn Out the Way They Do" developed by Judith Rich Harris http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nurture_Assumption • The assumption that child-rearing practices are responsible for how children…
on “Raising Successful Children” ↗Peers are almost always a stronger impact on people than their parents are. Read Judith Harris's "The Nurture Assumption". The single strongest influence is genetic, roughly 50%, next is peer group, third is general cultural environment, further down is parental influence (note that this assumes fairly normal family life,…
on “Rich, Black, Flunking” ↗The author's individual experience is interesting but hardly an authoritative basis for a FAQ on this topic. See Judith Rich Harris' book "The Nurture Assumption: Why Children Turn Out the Way They Do, Revised and Updated" for an informed explanation of language acquisition in a multi-language environment.
on “Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Raising Multilingual Children” ↗The Nurture Assumption -> http://www.amazon.com/The-Nurture-Assumption-Children-Revise...
on “No Girls Allowed” ↗You are largely correct: http://www.amazon.com/The-Nurture-Assumption-Children-Revise...
on “I'm a woman CEO and it doesn't change anything” ↗Not every day you see a major publication questioning natalism. See also Judith Rich Harris' The Nurture Assumption: http://www.amazon.com/The-Nurture-Assumption-Children-Revise...
on “American parenting is killing the American marriage (2014)” ↗For those interested in the topic, I can recommend Judith Rich Harris' superb book, The Nurture Assumption[1]. It mostly deals with debunking common views on parent->child effects, but includes some material on birth order effects. [1] https://jamesclear.com/book-summaries/nurture-assumption
on “Birth Order Effects Exist and Are Strong” ↗…zero contribution to variation in psychological traits. All of the environmental variation is due to what is called the non-shared environment. I highly recommend a book by Judith Rich Harris called The Nurture Assumption if this kind of stuff is interesting to you.
on “Scholars who believe nurture trumps nature tend to doubt the scientific method” ↗For a comprehensive scholarly treatment of this argument (with which I wholly concur), see Judith Rich Harris and The Nurture Assumption. Her Wikipedia article offers a quick summary: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith_Rich_Harris In short, kids, especially teenagers, aren't out to be like their parents. They want to be like their…
on “Dating apps face questions over age checks after report exposes child abuse” ↗