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The Nurture Assumption: Why Children Turn Out the Way They Do

by Judith Rich Harris

4.12 · Rating details · 993 Ratings · 113 Reviews

How much credit do parents deserve when their children turn out well? How much blame when they turn out badly? Judith Rich Harris has a message that will change parents' lives: The "nurture assumption"-- the belief that what makes children turn out the way they do, aside from their genes, is the way their parents raise them--is nothing more than a cultural myth. This elect ...more

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Paperback, 462 pages

Published September 1st 1999 by Free Press (first published 1998)

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Nov 02, 2009 Skylar Burris rated it it was amazing

Shelves: parenting, sociology

This is a very long (and at times personal) review. If you would prefer to read a more concise and formal version of this review, click here.

If Judith Rich Harris is right, there’s good news, and then there’s bad news. The good news is that there isn’t much I can do to screw up my kid. The bad news is that there’s not much I can do to keep her peers from screwing her up.

“The nurture assumption” is the assumption (made by sociologists, psychologists, educators, criminologists, parents, non-paren ...more

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Oct 15, 2007 K rated it really liked it

Shelves: readablenonfiction, professionallit

I wrestled with whether to give this book four stars or five. Despite its length and density, it was one of the most enjoyable reading experiences I’ve had in a while – stimulating, provocative, highly readable, and actually laugh-out-loud funny at times. Her arguments are too intelligent to be easily dismissed, much to the chagrin of Jewish mothers like myself. However, I decided on four stars because, ultimately, I’m not convinced.

Harris points out that much of the evidence for what she calls I wrestled with whether to give this book four stars or five. Despite its length and density, it was one of the most enjoyable reading experiences I’ve had in a while – stimulating, provocative, highly readable, and actually laugh-out-loud funny at times. Her arguments are too intelligent to be easily dismissed, much to the chagrin of Jewish mothers like myself. However, I decided on four stars because, ultimately, I’m not convinced.

Harris points out that much of the evidence for what she calls “the nurture assumption,” the idea that parents actually have some influence on how their kids turn out, comes from correlational studies. This is a limitation that pervades psychology, because many conditions cannot be controlled, precluding the use of experimental research and the ability to prove causality. In support of her conclusions, however, Harris herself cites many correlational studies and, worse yet, descriptive ones. I cannot blame her for this. As I said, the pervasiveness of correlational research is a limitation no matter what you are trying to prove. But let’s be honest about it.

Harris did manage to convince me that the conclusions of socialization researchers on the influence of parenting, particularly when it comes to birth order, are not well-supported. However, does that mean that parenting does not have an effect, or that we are not able to measure that effect properly? What if the problem is that our measurements are not sufficiently sensitive to pick up the effects of parenting?

Parenting and its hypothetical influence are subjective, changeable variables which do not lend themselves to empirical measurement. Although we can try to operationalize certain aspects of parenting and its effects, I think it is presumptuous to say that we can make any kind of conclusion based on such crude indices. I feel that this is particularly true in the absence of statistics that can prove anything other than correlations. Basically, what Harris has demonstrated is that the research supporting the effects of parenting is seriously flawed, both conceptually and empirically. What she has yet to convince me of is that I should therefore assume that parenting has no influence on children.

I have a ton more to say about this book, but goodreads is really not giving me enough room to emote and pontificate the way I want to. I ended up typing up a 6-page review and posting it to Amazon; those who are interested can check it out there. There are two ways to look at this: 1) This was a stimulating and provocative book which inspired a lot of thought for me, or 2) I have no life. ...more

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Feb 10, 2012 Andrew Hill rated it it was ok

I read this book with great interest. It has been quite influential in the developmental psychology community, and its arguments are widely cited in other work on the subject. The book makes two arguments: 1) The influence of parents on their children is grossly overstated by developmental psychologists. decades of research has largely failed to demonstrate the strength or persistence of "nurture" effects on children over the long-term. 2) Group effects are far more powerful than parental effect ...more

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Dec 02, 2014 Jurij Fedorov rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

What a weird book. The main theory in this book has for a long time been proven correct. But not many know about it, so Harris is doing every scientist a great favor in sharing this very important message in her very entertaining book. But as an academic book I do have some quarrels with it.

Pro:
Harris is a great writer. Only a few people in academia can match her great, easy-to-read and funny way of sharing an important message. Just this alone makes the book a great read. But all the informativ ...more

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Aug 20, 2011 Tania rated it liked it

I read this book because I am a child and youth care worker, and I think it is important to read materials that are influencing current thinking. As a practioner, I am glad I read this book, even though I fundamentally disagree with the author on pretty much every point. I think it is important to consider the impact that peer relations have on child development. But Harris misses the mark.

Harris is undoubtedly right that peers do have a strong influence over how children develop. However, her ...more

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Oct 08, 2008 Misty rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Very fun and insightful read. I found her ideas salve to the current climate of "expert" opinions on childrearing. ALthough I am not a darwinist (as she is), her alter-argument to the assumption that every little thing we do has a permanent mark on our children helps assuage the guilt we've accumulated from all those studies done on how we should be the perfect parent. She points out the autonomy children are born with, that parents should not be blamed for most of children's development. Don't ...more

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Dec 16, 2008 Kathrynn rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: Teachers, parents, foster parents, doctors, psychologists

Shelves: nonfiction-general, nonfiction-parenting, own, 2009, reviewed

There was so much covered in this thick, large paperback that it is difficult to decide what group of people it was intended for. Teachers and parents, definitely. I understand how this book came up in other books I've read and that's why I decided to read it. Wow.

Enjoyed the author's writing style and her humor had me chuckling throughout the 462 pages. The author presented numerous in-depth background examples and used them throughout the book. There was a tremendous amount of research that fl There was so much covered in this thick, large paperback that it is difficult to decide what group of people it was intended for. Teachers and parents, definitely. I understand how this book came up in other books I've read and that's why I decided to read it. Wow.

Enjoyed the author's writing style and her humor had me chuckling throughout the 462 pages. The author presented numerous in-depth background examples and used them throughout the book. There was a tremendous amount of research that floored me. Normally, I would have been put off by the length of time it took to get to a point, but in this case it was completely necessary. The author was discrediting many long-standing, hard and true, beliefs and had to set the stage before she made her point. She made her point(s) in spades!

The end of the book, starting at Chapter 12, Growing Up, I found the most fascinating. Here she talks about peer pressure, family groups, teen smoking, playing piano (or not), family units, kids at school, to spank or not to spank, child abuse, birth order, sibling rivalry, what's learned behavior at home and what's learned from peers, choosing schools, bullying, social skills, self-esteem and status, parents as pals, siblings as allies, etc.

Very interesting. The book uses quite a few examples of how nature (genes) are more responsible for our behavior than our environment (nurture). Many examples of identical and fraternal twins raised together and apart. One that I want to share were two identical twins raised apart. The biological mother played the piano. One child was raised by a mom that taught piano lessons. The other child was raised by a parent who introduced her child to a piano teacher and provided the resources, not the expectation, to learn to play. Guess which child played the piano? The latter. It was felt by the first child that that particular role in the family was already filled, so that child was not interested. The author says too bad they didn't introduce her to the Tuba.

Not a quick read by any means. There was a lot of information to sift through and this book is not for everyone. I bookmark-tagged the heck out of it! ...more

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Jun 24, 2015 Aleksandra rated it really liked it

When it comes to the author's main premise, I can't say I am completely convinced. Because I'm not. :D (That has something to do with the data from the twin studies showing that the so-called shared environmental factors explain some percentage of variance on the variables such as alcohol use, smoking, externalizing problem behaviour etc..)

Also, I can't agree with her views regarding corporal punishment. While I do think that "an occasional smack" (as long as there isn't plenty of those occasion ...more

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Mar 05, 2014 Tim rated it it was amazing

This book first came out 16 years ago, and for whatever reason, it's just as fresh today as I imagine it would have been back then. I don't say that lightly because in the interim, I've read a few developmental psych textbooks, taken psych classes, and read more than my fair share of books pertaining to parenting or education. Somehow, Group Socialization Theory (GST) escaped my purview.

For someone interested in education and parenting, I place this book at the very top. Perhaps I do that becau This book first came out 16 years ago, and for whatever reason, it's just as fresh today as I imagine it would have been back then. I don't say that lightly because in the interim, I've read a few developmental psych textbooks, taken psych classes, and read more than my fair share of books pertaining to parenting or education. Somehow, Group Socialization Theory (GST) escaped my purview.

For someone interested in education and parenting, I place this book at the very top. Perhaps I do that because of how lacking my knowledge was and how pivotal GST is.

The theory outlined in this book explains so many unanswered questions, and it does so in a balanced way. GST isn't made out to be the end all be all of theories, but it is, according to the author, the primary driver in our current modern society of social outcome. You want to know how to narrow the educational achievement gap? Aside from the genetic (which, let's face it, is at least half the problem), GST stands at the center of any solution*. The good news is that you will see problems a bit clearer. The bad news is that there's not exactly easy answers.

I had many questions prior to reading this book; questions I didn't anticipate could be answered so easily nor did I expect this book to answer them. Yet, it did.

This is nothing but a five star book, and don't let anyone fool you into thinking otherwise. That doesn't mean that Harris is correct about everything in the book. There are minor mistakes (minor in the sense of the book, but the mistakes themselves could be huge). Stick to her major thesis. I can tell you flat out that she's wrong about the years 0-5 and the influence a parent can have. She bases her opinion on what the research says, but the research is unable to deliver an understanding of bright spots that defy the norms; bright spots that aren't really scalable and therefore are statistically insignificant. Ignoring this can have a huge detriment to your child from their potential. At least, that's my opinion. On the whole, Harris is absolutely spot on.

I can't recommend this book enough, even though I know the majority of people that read the book may not be able to stomach its message. Just remember, the truth doesn't have an agenda. Only in admitting the truth can you come to a more reasoned and reasonable strategy. For that purpose, this book is a must read for anyone that cares about kids.

* The book doesn't necessarily address "the achievement gap," directly, but it does address it indirectly. Harris gives the reader two alternatives, both are untenable in our society. #1 would be complete segregation by group (she mentions Howard University as an example of a school that produces far superior black intellect than would be expected) #2 complete Balkanization. While I think this would work if it could be done, there aren't enough halcyon neighborhoods or schools to absorb the disadvantaged; there are simply too many disadvantaged. When there are too many of them gathered together, any remedy will be fighting an uphill battle against GST. In isolated cases, such as Marva Collins' Westside Prep or Rafe Equith's Hobart Shakespeareans, a new social identity can be forged that will have a lasting influence on the group (ie, throughout the rest of their life). These isolated instances, however, aren't exactly scalable. Due to GST, I can clearly see how and why these classroom anomalies work as well as they do. ...more

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Feb 20, 2013 Alex MacMillan rated it liked it

“My momma say ‘Tuck your chain, son, they’ll take it.’ I hit her with one of them stale faces, like, ‘I’ll be damned momma, they know who I am momma, I’m still your little boy but to them I’m the man momma…” – Lil Wayne

This book further elaborated on what I read in descendants like The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature and Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids: Why Being a Great Parent is Less Work and More Fun Than You Think. American parents drastically overestimate the effect of pare “My momma say ‘Tuck your chain, son, they’ll take it.’ I hit her with one of them stale faces, like, ‘I’ll be damned momma, they know who I am momma, I’m still your little boy but to them I’m the man momma…” – Lil Wayne

This book further elaborated on what I read in descendants like The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature and Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids: Why Being a Great Parent is Less Work and More Fun Than You Think. American parents drastically overestimate the effect of parenting on how their children end up in adulthood. Although Lil Wayne’s mother would have done well to whisk him away from the 17th Ward of New Orleans, and there are important caveats to this book's research findings of 'parental irrelevance,' helicopter parenting is a waste of time for the typical middle class American family.

What a relief! Adam Smith’s wisdom about following our moral sentiments and the mutual gains from trade is vindicated once more. The coercive and authoritarian style epitomized by Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother brings miserable stress to both parent and child. Growing the fruits of love and security from one’s family tree can instead develop in a much more organic and enjoyable manner with the fertilizers of voluntarism and tolerance.

An awareness of Group Socialization Theory, that "parents have [little to no] power at all (other than genetic) to shape their child's personality, intelligence, or the way he or she behaves outside the family home," has tremendous implications for family planning. When children are no longer wholly an arduous job, having more of them makes sense. The genes of my spouse and neighborhood of my mortgage carry more weight than whether or not I forcibly struggle with Augustus MacMillan as the taskmaster for extracurriculars he abhors, or feed enough Lil Mozart children’s books to his three-year-old hindbrain.

Understanding the peer group’s momentous importance on every individual’s life outcomes leaves tremendous unanswered questions about the cultural, genetic and economic barriers to economic mobility and intellectual enlightenment. Finding effective ways to mitigate deleterious forms of childhood peer pressure would redound at the micro and macro level for the development of fulfilling lives and civilizations. There can never be too many nerds! ...more

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Aug 23, 2014 Vesal Vojdani rated it it was amazing

I will rate this book five stars until someone can actually point to any real evidence against its thesis. I've seen many people dismiss it based on various theories of child development. For example, a reasonable neuroscientist might ask, given the amount of brain development during the first five year, how can one seriously believe that peers play a larger role in shaping adult personality than parents?

Well, as far as I've seen, population-level evidence seems to side with Harris. There are s ...more

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Dec 13, 2014 Mariana rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

A gem of a book that exposes the bad science and unconscious assumptions behind contemporary beliefs on childrearing and the power of parental influence. Ms Harris backs up her theories with a wealth of studies, but never loses her straightforward, often hilarious writing.

100% recommended to every parent out there.

******
"The heritability of fatness and thinness is somewhat higher than that of personality characteristics: about. 70. But the important point is that the variation in weight that's n ...more

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Feb 23, 2012 Ellen Snyder rated it it was amazing

The question of where one's personality comes from is interesting - is it nurture or nature? Harris notes that genetic factors account for about half of the variation in personality - I think most scientists agree with that, but her take on the other half is controversial. In the old days, Freud and others blamed the mother if things didn't turn out so well, but Harris says, at least under ordinary circumstances, one's peer group is likely to have the most influence on how kids turn out. Parent' ...more

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Jul 25, 2016 Terry rated it really liked it

Shelves: education

The basic idea is simple - that peer group environment is more important than parents. Children behave differently at home and with their peer groups. The author went back to evolution, research experiments and real life examples to debunk many myths.

I think the conclusion and logic are convincing, but the idea is also simple and obvious, which doesn't require such a big book to analyze. I also think despite all the efforts many researchers have put into this topic, there is simply no way to se ...more

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May 06, 2015 Jon Tirsen rated it it was amazing

This is the only "parenting" book you need to read. I believe it will change my life quite a bit.

Judith offers fairly convincing evidence that as a parent I have little long term influence on the life outcome of my children. Initially it made me pissed off but now I'm relieved.

It means I can relate to my children more as a friend and life companion. Things I do for them is out of love, not due to some ulterior motive that they will become more successful long term. If I can't be arsed reading a ...more

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Jul 22, 2011 Sam rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: parents, educators, therapists, science nerds

This is a great & misunderstood book. Even the 4-sentence publisher blurb on Goodreads isn’t quite accurate. Judith Harris does not claim “that parents have little impact on their children's development”; it’s parenting style that has little impact. Parents impact their children genetically, as well as by deciding in what community a child will be raised & how often a child will move from place to place. There's a whole (usually ignored) section on what parents *can* do to impact their c ...more

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Apr 28, 2008 Billy rated it really liked it

This book should be more popular. Harris wrote and edited psych textbooks before writing this book. She says that parents shape kids by providing genetics only. She shoots down the idea that all the silly stuff we do to shape our kids' minds is bunk; peers and environment shape kids much more. It's a strange concept, but brilliant.

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Oct 19, 2016 O. rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

Key to a Social Revolution

All parents must read this book, in fact everyone needs to read it. This book holds the key to a new social revolution. Know that you dont have much effect on your children, its mostly genes and zeitgeist...

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Jun 13, 2010 Oldroses added it · review of another edition

Shelves: psychology

A must-read for parents who are raising difficult childres. Despite what well-meaning relatives, teachers, guidance counselors and scout leaders tell you, IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT!!

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Aug 13, 2017 Samarth Bhaskar rated it it was amazing

The Nurture Assumption is a fascinating, meticulous, well supported non-fiction account of why our cultural obsession with the importance of parenting is misplaced and unsupported by evidence. Judith Rich Harris' commitment to the scientific method, especially the concept of the null hypothesis and its rejection, is commendable. The added detail about her personal story as a one-time psychology grad student, turned home-maker and textbook writer, coming out with a book that fundamentally challen The Nurture Assumption is a fascinating, meticulous, well supported non-fiction account of why our cultural obsession with the importance of parenting is misplaced and unsupported by evidence. Judith Rich Harris' commitment to the scientific method, especially the concept of the null hypothesis and its rejection, is commendable. The added detail about her personal story as a one-time psychology grad student, turned home-maker and textbook writer, coming out with a book that fundamentally challenged decades of research and accepted wisdom in the academy and general society adds wonderful context to the book. Amateur intellectuals (I count myself as one) love to fancy themselves capable of doing the type of thing Harris was able to pull off.

Causal evidence is hard to come by in social science, especially in fields like development psych. So making causal claims is difficult. Harris makes few causal claims in her work and is very careful to hedge her theories in precise language. But her book is lined with a lot of great data and builds a compelling argument overall. Namely, that parenting isn't as big of a deal in determining how a person becomes who they are, as our culture and even the academy would like to believe.

This is a hugely useful book for everyone. Parents, non-parents, expecting parents, new parents, all alike. Over the course of reading this book, I found myself talking about it with my family and friends. Everyone's reactions were the same. "Interesting theory, but I don't know if I believe it." Everyone seemed unnerved at the idea that they had little control over who their children became. This convinced me that Harris' argument is going up against decades of cultural and traditional weight, making her job very difficult.

I found her theories compelling because they lessened my anxieties about being a parents some day. But they did complicate other future decisions: namely, if I do have kids, picking where we live, where they go to school, who they are surrounded by, becomes a much more important decision. And I could see myself, or my partner and I, making choices or compromises which which I don't agree now but may feel more strongly about as a father. Specifically, I could see myself prioritizing living in a neighborhood or community with upper-middle class, educated, prosperous children and leaving behind communities with more diversity of background or lifestyle because of the outsized effect that my kids' peers will have on their lives. These types of decisions seem unthinkable to me now. I hope I have the foresight and commitment to not compromise these values when kids come into the picture. ...more

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Oct 23, 2016 Fernando del Alamo rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2016

La autora defiende en este libro que los padres apenas tienen influencia en el desarrollo de los hijos y que lo que realmente influye es en el grupo en el que están en su día a día, bien sea en la escuela, bien sea su grupo de amigos con los que se mueve.

Lo que sí influyen los padres es poder tenerlos en un ambiente u otro, está claro que si los padres tienen más dinero, el hijo se criará con los hijos de los que tienen más dinero y viceversa; pero no porque los padres tengan una influencia dire ...more

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Jun 23, 2017 Cyndie rated it liked it

Recommended to Cyndie by: Laura Ward

Shelves: audiobooks, parenting, non-fiction

The author makes a systematic case for the fact that how parents "train" their children has much less to do with how they turn out than 1) genetics, 2) the influence of that child's peers and the social norms they are taught based on the environment the child grows up in and the people they are surrounded by. Both scary and a bit of a relief at the same time to think as a parent that you have perhaps so little control over how your children will ultimately behave.

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Aug 24, 2017 Cathy rated it really liked it

A weird book. Her ideas salve to the current climate of "expert" opinions on childrearing. And after reading , I feel I am free from guilt. That is not my fault.

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May 26, 2017 Michelle rated it liked it · review of another edition

This isn't the type of book I usually read, but the author makes some really good points and the book is incredibly well referenced. I don't believe that nurture is as irrelevant as she makes it out to be, but I agree that you cannot discount the huge impact of nature on a child's development. The problem is even if it is likely, you can't really nail any of this stuff down. She claims one thing, another psychologist says the complete opposite. It is too easy to skew studies to reflect what you ...more

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Aug 31, 2017 Marius rated it it was amazing

Either you are a parent or you are a soon-to-become parent, either you do not have kids yet or even if you are not planning to have kids at all, "The Nurture Assumption" is the book. The book to have a broader outlook of "why children turn out the way they do". It raises one theories, smashes the others and you can find a statistical significance behind.

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Mar 01, 2017 Isabelle Delisle rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Well-written, well-documented, well-argued. A bold counterpoint to the prevailing view that how we raise our children is crucial to how they turn out. For Harris, the genes that we transmit is the bulk of our influence as parents, with socialization within peer group doing the rest. In this edition, she revisits her arguments and theories in the light of new data and insights, which adds interesting perspective. Her understanding of evolutionary biology has some faults (whose doesn't?), but her ...more

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Jan 16, 2013 Cris rated it it was ok

Shelves: eclectic, parenting

I was expecting this book to make the case for more relaxed parenting, debunking the ever growing list of things to do right that drive many micromanaging parents crazy and give those who refuse to comply a guilt-trip. The book DID try to say "Don't worry your kids will turn out okay", but it failed to define statistically 'okay' in any way meaningful to me (other than merely not criminal and holding down a job, which is the author's described standard for her children). Instead the book tried t ...more

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Dec 29, 2016 Paulo Glez Ogando rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: educación

En este libro Harris extiende las ideas que ella misma había comenzado a promover en un artículo publicado poco antes (1995) en la revista Psychological Review. Se trata de la teoría de la socialización a través del grupo, que pretende sustituir a los padres y a los métodos de crianza en el hogar como la principal influencia en la constitución de la personalidad de los niños.

La autora hace un barrido por la historia de las distintas sociedades humanas -incluyendo también muchas referencias a pri En este libro Harris extiende las ideas que ella misma había comenzado a promover en un artículo publicado poco antes (1995) en la revista Psychological Review. Se trata de la teoría de la socialización a través del grupo, que pretende sustituir a los padres y a los métodos de crianza en el hogar como la principal influencia en la constitución de la personalidad de los niños.

La autora hace un barrido por la historia de las distintas sociedades humanas -incluyendo también muchas referencias a primates- para establecer el marco que nos ha llevado a donde estamos (en realidad, finales del siglo XX que es cuando escribe el libro). Partiendo de esto y manejando una amplia documentación bibliográfica, hace una crítica a las creencias imperantes en ese momento que sitúan a los padres y al hogar como el elemento central del desarrollo y el comportamiento de un niño.

Para Harris dicha influencia es muy reducida, y sitúa como en esa posición al grupo de iguales, aquellos que se encuentran en una misma categoría que el niño. Dedica buena parte del libro a intentar desmontar todos los trabajos e investigaciones que indican aquella línea. Lo hace con distintos argumentos: errores en el método científico, confusión de correlación con causalidad, conclusiones prejuzgadas, falsas creencias muy enraizadas, incapacidad para distinguir causas -entre entorno y genética, o entre efecto del padre sobre el hijo y efecto del hijo sobre el padre-, etc.

Y según va criticando multitud de investigaciones, va perfilando su propuesta, plagada de ejemplos concretos tanto de la sociedad en la que ella misma se incluye (la llamada occidental, habitual en USA o Europa) como de lo que ella llama "sociedades tradicionales" o de distintas tribus a lo largo del planeta.

En resumen, dicha propuesta es que la personalidad de los niños se modela a largo plazo atendiendo básicamente a dos factores: el genético heredado de sus padres y las experiencias fuera del hogar, principalmente adquiridad en el grupo de iguales.

Ha pasado algún tiempo desde la publicación de este libro, y por lo que he leído parece que Harris mantiene su teoría, aunque la ha desarrollado y ampliado en un libro más reciente, No Two Alike: Human Nature and Human Individuality, que personalmente aún no he leído. ...more

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Dec 13, 2015 Isaac rated it it was amazing

This is probably my pick for the one book every parent should read. Though a book of parenting strategies might be more practical, this one instead provides a subtle shift in what it actually means to be a parent.

Parents tend to think they shoulder the weight of their children's future in every action they make, but Harris makes a good argument that most of what will make that child who she is was either set before she was born or is formed with peers.

Accepting that makes it easier to see my chi ...more

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Jan 09, 2017 Davidson Maene rated it really liked it

An easy introduction to behavioral genetics and particularly, its consistent finding that parents have little to no impact on how their children turn out to be--once a study controls for genetic heritability. While the book did not teach me much I already did not know in that regard, I highly recommend it to any beginner.

The finding is shocking for many people; a cruel blow to the ego of parents everywhere. Towards the end, Judith does a wonderful job of showing the compassion of heredity: if yo ...more

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About Judith Rich Harris

Judith Rich Harris was born February 10, 1938, and spent the first part of her childhood moving around with her family from one part of the country to another. Her parents eventually settled in Tucson, Arizona, where the climate permitted her father (invalided by an autoimmune disease called ankylosing spondylitis) to live in reasonable comfort. Harris graduated from Tucson High School and attende Judith Rich Harris was born February 10, 1938, and spent the first part of her childhood moving around with her family from one part of the country to another. Her parents eventually settled in Tucson, Arizona, where the climate permitted her father (invalided by an autoimmune disease called ankylosing spondylitis) to live in reasonable comfort. Harris graduated from Tucson High School and attended the University of Arizona and Brandeis University. She graduated magna cum laude from Brandeis in 1959 and was awarded the Lila Pearlman Prize in psychology. In 1961 she received a master's degree in psychology from Harvard University.

Harris has been married since 1961 to Charles S. Harris; they have two daughters, born in 1966 and 1969, and four grandchildren, born in 1996, 1999, 2001, and 2004. Before her children were born, Harris worked as a teaching assistant in psychology at MIT (1961-1962), and as a research assistant at Bolt Beranek and Newman (1962-1963) and the University of Pennsylvania (1963-1965).

Since 1977, Harris has suffered from a chronic autoimmune disorder called mixed connective tissue disease - an "overlap" combination of lupus and systemic sclerosis. This disorder can affect virtually any organ in the body. One of its more serious complications is a heart-lung condition known as pulmonary arterial hypertension. Harris was diagnosed with this condition in 2002.

While bedridden for a period of time in the late 1970s, Harris worked out a mathematical model of visual search; this work was published in two articles in the journal Perception and Psychophysics (see publication list below). From 1981 to 1994 she was a writer of textbooks in developmental psychology. She is senior author of The Child (Prentice-Hall, 1984, 1987, 1991) and Infant and Child (1992).

In 1994 Harris had begun work on a new development textbook, without a co-author this time, when she had an idea that led her to formulate a new theory of child development. She abandoned the textbook and instead wrote an article for the Psychological Review. Work on The Nurture Assumption began in 1995; the book was published three years later (Free Press, 1998). But the theory continued to evolve. The final version was presented in No Two Alike: Human Nature and Human Individuality (Norton, 2006).

Harris is a member of the Association for Psychological Science and Phi Beta Kappa. In 1998 she received the George A. Miller Award from the American Psychological Association for her article entitled "Where Is the Child's Environment? A Group Socialization Theory of Development" (Psychological Review, 1995). This award is given to an outstanding article, particularly one that makes linkages between diverse fields of psychology. In 2007 she received the David Horrobin Prize for Medical Theory for her article "Parental selection: a third selection process in the evolution of human hairlessness and skin color" (Medical Hypotheses, 2006). ...more

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No Two Alike: Human Nature and Human Individuality

Każdy inny. O naturze ludzi i niepowtarzalności człowieka

This Explains Everything: Deep, Beautiful, and Elegant Theories of How the World Works

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“other words, if you want to know the truth about the emperor’s clothes, don’t ask the tailors.” — 2 likes

“Developmentalists who specialize in doing the kind of research I just described are called socialization researchers. Socialization” — 0 likes

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